Mont Saint Anne World Cup: Downhill Domination, XC Consistency 5

Downhill: Steve Smith Rides to Iconic Win on Home Soil, Ragot and Vergier Take First Win of the Season

Steve Smith (Devinci Global Racing) on his way to victory - Photo: Sven Martin

Steve Smith (Devinci Global Racing) made history again at the Mont Saint Anne World Cup by taking his first win of the season in front of his home crowd. The Mont Saint Anne track is a brutal test for riders and quipment, but Steve held on to his signature TRUVATIV BlackBox bar throughout the weekend, qualifying first and then keeping it together for the win in the finals. Completely unfazed by the brief rain that made the track slicker and trickier, Smith threw down a storming run that earned him the victory. On the podium with him were also Sam Hill (Chain Reaction Cycles – Nukeproof), who is back on top form with a 3rd place, and Aaron Gwin in 5th (Specialized).

In the women’s race Emmeline Ragot (Lapierre Gravity Republic) also grabbed her first win of the season, as did her junior teammate Loris Vergier. Both Emmeline and Loris have been showing amazing consistency throughout the season with regular podium finishes, and their respective wins put them in a great spot for the upcoming World Championships and the two final World Cup races.

Downhill - Men

• 1st. Steve Smith – Devinci Global Racing – SRAM X0 DH, RockShox BoXXer and Vivid, Avid X0 Trail, TRUVATIV BlackBox bar
• 3rd. Sam Hill – Chain Reaction-Nukeproof – SRAM X0 DH, RockShox Boxxer and Vivid, Avid X0 Trail
• 5th. Aaron Gwin – Specialized – SRAM X0 DH, Avid X0 Trail

Downhill - Women

• 1st. Emmeline Ragot– Lapierre Gravity Republic - SRAM X0 DH, RockShox Boxxer and Vivid, Avid Code
• 5th. Myriam Nicole – Commencal Riding Addiction – SRAM X0 DH

Downhill – Junior Men

• 1st. Loris Vergier - Lapierre Gravity Republic - SRAM X0 DH, RockShox Boxxer and Vivid, Avid Code
• 2nd. Dean Lucas - SRAM X0 DH, RockShox Boxxer and Vivid, Avid Code

XC: Hermida Strikes Again, Schurter and Zakelj Consolidate Their Lead

Jose Hermida (Multivan Merida) demonstrated once again how much he loves the Mont Saint Anne track where he became World Champion in 2010 by taking second place. Behind him Nino Schurter (Scott Swisspower) solidifies his overall World Cup ranking lead with one race to go.

In the women’s field Tanja Zakelj (Unior Tools Team) continues her stellar season with a third place that solidifies her leadership in the World Cup ranking, while Lea Davison (Specialized) earns a well deserved podium spot with a fifth place. - Photo on left by Victor Lucas

XC Men

• 2nd. Jose Hermida – Multivan Merida – SRAM XX1, RockShox SID, Avid XX
• 3rd. NinoSchurter– Scott Swisspower – SRAM XX1, Avid XX

XC Women

• 3rd. Tanja Zakelj – Unior Tools Team - SRAM XX1, RockShox SID, Avid XX
• 5th. Lea Davison – Specialized - SRAM XX1, RockShox SID, Avid XX

Lea Davison on her way to 5th in Mont Saint Anne (Photo: Sven Martin)