Gonçalo Bandeira finishes 5th in his first World Cup race

Miranda's junior racer shows the world what he can do

The Miranda Factory Team conducts course reconnaissance in Maribor

The UCI MTB World Cup downhill series kicked off the 2019 season last weekend in Maribor, Slovenia. After testing their legs on similar terrain in the iXS European Downhill Cup the weekend before, the Miranda Factory Team took aim at the podium in their first-ever race as a UCI-licensed downhill team.

Junior phenom Gonçalo Bandeira on his way to 5th place

Junior phenom, Gonçalo Bandeira — racing in his first ever world cup — came to make a statement in front of his world rivals, who — like Bandeira — have already made names for themselves by piling up national titles and top results in their respective countries. With the downhill world watching, Bandeira dropped into 5th place, just eight seconds off the winning run. His performance earned him 20 points for both him and the Miranda team, which he will carry confidently into the next round on May 17 in Albstadt, Germany.