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Pinkbike Primer: After 3 Years the DH World Cup Returns to Mont-Sainte-Anne

Aug 1, 2022
by Ed Spratt  

Finn Iles set the first fast time of the day and gave Canada brief hope of a medal
The
PINKBIKE PRIMER
to
DH World Cup Round 67
MONT-SAINTE-ANNE

We are at the penultimate round of 2022 with multiple series titles potentially being decided this weekend. Round seven sees the return of the legendary Mont-Sainte-Anne after a three-year break. Check out all the information you need to know before racing kicks off later this week.


The Track


We have no idea what to expect for the return of Mont-Sainte-Anne this year. It could be the same track as always or there could be a few sneaky surprises.


Previous Winners

Elite Men

1996: Tomas Misser
1997: Corrado Herin
1998 // World Champs: Fabien Barel
1999: Steve Peat
2000: Fabien Barel
2001: Chris Kovarik
2002: Steve Peat
2003: Steve Peat
2004: Steve Peat
2005: Fabien Barel
2006: Chris Kovarik
2007: Sam Hill
2008: Greg Minnaar
2009: Sam Hill
2010 // World Champs: Sam Hill
2011: Aaron Gwin
2012: Aaron Gwin
2013: Stevie Smith
2014: Sam Hill
2015: Josh Bryceland
2016: Danny Hart
2017: Aaron Gwin
2018: Loïc Bruni
2019 // World Champs: Loïc Bruni

Elite Women

1996: Leigh Donovan
1997: Missy Giove
1998 // World Champs: Anne-Caroline Chausson
1999: Anne-Caroline Chausson
2000: Missy Giove
2001: Sabrina Jonnier
2002: Anne-Caroline Chausson
2003: Fionn Griffiths
2004: Sabrina Jonnier
2005: Tracy Moseley
2006: Sabrina Jonnier
2007: Sabrina Jonnier
2008: Rachel Atherton
2009: Sabrina Jonnier
2010 // World Champs: Tracy Moseley
2011: Tracy Moseley
2012: Rachel Atherton
2013: Emmeline Ragot
2014: Manon Carpenter
2015: Rachel Atherton
2016: Rachel Atherton
2017: Tahneé Seagrave
2018: Rachel Atherton
2019 // World Champs: Myriam Nicole



What Happened in 2019?




Elite Men

1st. Loic Bruni: 4:05.544
2nd. Troy Brosnan: +0.581
3rd. Amaury Pierron: +2.549
4th. Danny Hart: +2.805
5th. Greg Minnaar: +3.187


Elite Women

1st. Myriam Nicole: 4:53.226
2nd. Tahnee Seagrave: +1.204
3rd. Marine Cabirou: +1.694
4th. Tracey Hannah: +4.121
5th. Emilie Siegenthaler: +5.391



Junior Men

1st. Kye A'Hern: 4:17.776
2nd. Antoine Vidal: +1.144
3rd. Tuhoto-Ariki Pene: +1.294
4th. Lucas Cruz: +1.304
5th. Thibaut Daprela: +1.889


Junior Women

1st. Vali Höll: 5:01.033
2nd. Mille Johnset: +12.928
3rd. Anna Newkirk: +21.230
4th. Nastasia Gimenez: +38.316
5th. Jordan Scott: +46.863



What Happened at the Last Round?



For the juniors, Gracey Hemstreet mastered the tough conditions to come out on top by just over three seconds. Pinkbike Racing's Aimi Kenyon had an incredible run to cross the line in second place, and current World Champion Izabela Yankova finished in third. For the junior men it was once again Jackson Goldstone on the top step of the podium as he found over five seconds on Tegan Cruz. Sebastian Holguin Villa completed the top three, nine seconds off the pace. Pinkbike Racing's Jackson Connelly crossed the line in 22nd.

Camille Balanche backed up her top qualifying run with the win in Snowshoe as she managed to go the whole week without a crash. Camille's wild run placed her four seconds up on Myriam Nicole who had a big mistake in the third split. Nina Hoffmann wrapped up the top three, six seconds behind.

What a race for the elite men, the track was drying but it still wasn't easy for the final riders. After not even thinking he would race this week Amaury Pierron proved once again why he is the rider to beat this year pulling a first World Cup win away from Bernard Kerr. Mountain biking's fastest vlogger still managed to take his best results in 15 years of racing with 2nd place and only 0.4 seconds back. Andreas Kolb is another rider who is on it this year and takes another podium finish in third.

Elite Women

1st. Camille Balanche: 4:28.585
2nd. Myriam Nicole: 4:32.730
3rd. Nina Hoffmann: 4:34.692
4th. Vali Höll: 4:44.489
5th. Monika Hrastnik: 4:45.362
Elite Men

1st. Amaury Pierron: 3:34.442
2nd. Bernard Kerr: 3:34.856
3rd. Andreas Kolb: 3:36.250
4th. Ronan Dunne: 3:37.013
5th. Greg Minnaar: 3:37.962

Junior Women

1st. Gracey Hemstreet: 5:24.114
2nd. Aimi Kenyon: 5:27.324
3rd. Izabela Yankova: 5:30.714
4th. Jenna Hastings: 5:38.788
5th. Valentina Roa Sanchez: 5:39.740
Junior Men

1st. Jackson Goldstone: 3:50.127
2nd. Tegan Cruz: 3:55.452
3rd. Sebastian Holguin Villa: 3:59.173
4th. Lachlan Stevens-McNab: 4:02.580
5th. Ryan Pinkerton: 4:04.032


Overall Standings After Round 6


Elite Women

photo


Elite Men

photo
photo
photo
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Junior Women

photo


Junior Men

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Weather Forecast


While the racing week starts off with a little rain it looks like we are in for a great week of sunny racing at Mont-Sainte-Anne.

Vali Holl securing the rainbow stripes for yet another year. Bring on Elites.
Thursday, August 4 - Training
Morning showers; otherwise, cloudy and humid // 25° // 100% Chance of Precipitation // 7 km/h Wind

Friday, August 5 - Qualifying
Mostly cloudy and comfortable // 23° // 0% Chance of Precipitation // 7 km/h Wind

Saturday, August 6 - Finals
Intervals of clouds and sun // 25° // 29% Chance of Precipitation // 4 km/h Wind

Weather forecast as of Monday, August 1 from Accuweather.


The Schedule

There are few riders more deserving than Marine Cabirou of a medal this season.

Thursday, August 4
• 08:45-11:15 // Official Downhill Training - Group B
• 11:15-12:30 // Official Downhill Training - Group A and B (mixed training)
• 12:45-15:15 // Official Downhill Training - Group A
• 15:30-17:00 // Downhill Timed Training Session
• 17:00-17:45 // On Foot Downhill Course Inspection - Riders and Teams

Friday, August 5
• 08:45-10:15 // Official Downhill Training - Group B
• 10:15-11:45 // Official Downhill Training - Group A
• 12:15 // Seeding Run - Junior Women
• 12:30 // Qualifying Round - Junior Men
• 13:30 // Qualifying Round - Elite Women
• 14:00 // Qualifying Round - Elite Men
• Followed by // 30 minutes On Foot Downhill Course Inspection - Riders and Teams

Saturday, August 6
• 08:15-09:15 // Official Downhill Training - Junior Women, Junior Men, Elite Women
• 09:45 // Final - Junior Men
• 10:30 // Final - Junior Women
• 10:50-11:05 // Official Downhill Training - Women Elite qualified for the final
• 11:05-12:05 // Official Downhill Training - Men Elite qualified for the final
• 12:30 // Final - Elite Women
• 13:30 // Final - Elite Men
• Awards to follow

Note: All times are local and subject to change by the event organizer.


How to Watch

For a minute it looked like the Goat might be well into the medals again. He was absolutely charging on course on his final training lap.

Pinkbike will be providing you with the best daily coverage from Mont-Sainte-Anne this week. Tune in to Pinkbike to catch photo epics, videos, and results from Timed Training, Practice, Qualifying, and Finals, as well as tech bits and news.

You can also watch the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup on redbull.tv. The live DH broadcast starts on Saturday, August 6 at 12:25pm EDT.

Schedule: Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Leogang LIVE on Red Bull TV:

Mont-Sainte-Anne DHI Women: July 30 Live on Red Bull TV 12:25 EDT
Mont-Sainte-Anne DHI Men: July 30 Live on Red Bull TV 13:45 EDT

(All times EDT, replay available immediately following the races. Times subject to change at organizers' and Red Bull's discretion.)


photo

2022 Fantasy League

Don't forget to complete your DH Fantasy team for the seventh round this weekend, because the fantasy league is a whole lot more fun if you participate in each race.


The Fantasy Downhill League is Presented by Specialized


Posted In:
Racing and Events DH Racing Pinkbike Primer World Cup DH Mont Sainte Anne Dh World Cup 2022


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80 Comments
  • 134 1
 Hey everyone, I made an app (works best on mobile) so you click a plate number and it brings up the riders who have that plate. Made it after getting frustrated because plates change every race, have a go! It's free and ad-free! dh-plates.jeffdev.ca
  • 22 0
 Dude, that's legit. Nice work!
  • 21 17
 I had no idea this was an issue for literally anyone
  • 24 0
 Plate #16 for the win
  • 3 0
 Hell yeah!
  • 8 0
 photographers would love this for some of the lesser known riders
  • 15 0
 While you’re waiting for the riding & racing to start, here’s something to keep you entertained — Rob Warner racing Mont St Anne in 1994 =) youtu.be/Gpoypqudvog
  • 2 0
 @WRCDH: Really nice viewing. If only GoPro's had been around, I bet Rob Warner talking and riding over a Track preview would be legendary.
  • 2 0
 @ryanandrewrogers: Rob used to do track previews and they were brilliant. I've never been able to find them on youtube though
  • 4 0
 Wow, thanks for such a positive response! Ha ha I threw it together quickly yesterday because I didn't want another race to go by without me knowing who was who, glad others might find it useful! Let's go Finn!
  • 2 0
 @captaindingus: I will explain later. We're all at work now.
  • 5 0
 @threesixtykickflip: I was going to upvote you but you were at +16 and I didn't want to jinx it!
  • 2 0
 Nice! Well done
  • 1 0
 Simple, realy nice. Thanks
  • 42 6
 Please tell me there’s a medevac helicopter and medical team on standby at the base of the mountain this year...
  • 40 55
flag Groov-E (Aug 1, 2022 at 17:41) (Below Threshold)
 Yes, we asked out american friends how to get better healthcare for our racers. They told us : Mo’money.

So we discarded that useless opinion and did what we do best : learn from our mistakes and do better.

We all know what happened, and it won’t happen again.
  • 44 11
 @Groov-E: Your American friends also recommend that you take a Valium immediately and chill...yikes, man.
  • 17 25
flag Groov-E (Aug 1, 2022 at 18:25) (Below Threshold)
 @WRCDH: I respect your opinion.
  • 5 4
 @WRCDH: Does that recommendation come from watching TV advertisements?
  • 22 0
 Excited to see the WC on Canadian soil! Wish they could host 2-3 more in Canada…
  • 51 0
 I definitely think there should be one made somewhere in BC.
  • 35 1
 @mhoshal: send em down psychosis
  • 8 0
 @mhoshal: would be sick but most locals Probly cbf with the circus coming to town. They just wana go for a rip eh buds
  • 14 0
 As the Word Cup should be global ie southern hemisphere as well
  • 2 0
 @mknott9: 'member when sam hill won that race?
  • 2 0
 Mont-Sainte-Anne is literally my favorite circuit! Can't wait to see how it pans out this weekend Salute
  • 4 0
 @74NZ: Racing all year round!
  • 2 0
 @mknott9: psicosis downhill I bet next season into redbull-warner DH series...
  • 22 6
 Man I'm always blown away that there's never a WC round in BC, you know like the actual epicenter of mountain biking.

Disclaimer: my location is Canada, I'm not Canadian. I came here for above mentioned epicenter.
  • 19 0
 They're making a track on Whistler Creekside that's meant to host a world cup eventually
  • 4 1
 Same but with tonnes of other locations around the world. EWS does a LOT better in that regard.
  • 10 0
 They had a World Cup DH at Silverstar in 1994 — series finals, I think. You can still ride most of the original World Cup DH track today at Silverstar. I’ve wanted to ride there since I was a kid in 1993 or so, after my parents and I let a Mylar balloon go in Seattle during stormy fall weather with a note attached. About a week or two later, we got a letter from someone 350 miles away, living 2 km from Silverstar resort, that the balloon had landed on their farm and spooked their horses. I still have their letter and address and hope to stop by when I ride at Silverstar later this summer or next summer =). Here’s a video of some of the track, below. Somewhere online, there’s a Eurosport video of the 1994 Word Cup race. But yeah, Whistler, Sun Peaks, and probably 5 other mountains could be ideal for a World Cup. youtu.be/5Q2dj7C-tRA
  • 1 0
 @WRCDH: there was also a WCDH at Cypress wasn't there? Early 2000's or late 90's? Can't remember, was before my time.
  • 3 0
 @Bikerdude137: 1199 track, they are using the top part of it for the EWS Whistler next week.
  • 5 0
 @gramboh:
From what I understand it was actually on Grouse, way back in the day. Unbelievable to me that there used to be bike trails that no longer exist on one of the ski mountains here let alone a world cup downhill race. There apparently used to be a bike park on Cypress but it closed because they didn't like how dirty the floors got in the restaurant. Not sure how true that is but I feel like they're missing out on a huge market segment.

edit: video footage from grouse in '02
www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9QM2c1iIO0
  • 2 0
 @WRCDH: Dude that's actually such a sick story, makes me realize how much I take for granted living in Vernon thinking Silverstar isn't all that good. I also have wondered whether it was a world cup track but I couldn't find any info. So sick that it actually was a world cup race track back in the day
  • 1 0
 @gramboh: Oh, hahaha, yes...Grouse Mountain in Vancouver (and I spectated at both races in maybe 2002 and 2003?). Somehow spaced on that?!
  • 6 0
 @notthatfast I've been watching WC DH races for over 15 years. And I've always wondered why there isn't any races in the western US or western Canada. The cities of Vancouver, or Denver or Salt Lake would all work great for a world cup. Being a couple hours drive from the mountains.
  • 7 0
 @tmwjr777: "Palisades" (Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe, CA.) 1999. I was there - my first race. 2nd place in Beginner. Talked to Steve Peat and ACC. They were pretty good, but did I mention I got 2nd in Beginner?
  • 2 0
 the other epicenter across the pond chimes in, and this year with worlds champs. I'm not french btw..
  • 1 0
 @notthatfast : @Bikerdude137 : I was at the Grouse race in 2003, the final year they held it. 2004 was scheduled, but they still had way too much snow to hold a race. That was the race when Gary Houseman won due to torrential rain, and then they stripped it away from him later due to testing positive for performance enhancing Weed (super shitty).
  • 1 1
 @gramboh: The 1199 track was going to be a thing before Vail bought Whistler. I think the chances that project gets carried over are slim at best.
  • 2 0
 @tmwjr777: there used to be world cup races at Snoqualmie Pass, WA (1998 won by Peaty and ACC) and I believe Vail has hosted World Champs on several occasions as well (1994 and 2001)
  • 1 0
 @mammal: It's already being built
  • 1 0
 @Bikerdude137: But is it being build with the intention to bring a WC to Whistler? I should have reworded my comment, I honestly don't think Vail will bother with that. A trail is great and all...
  • 1 0
 @mammal: I've been told that that's the plan in the future
  • 1 0
 @Bikerdude137: By who?
  • 1 0
 @mammal: A few people most notable would be Joel Harwood (Blueprint athlete dev coach)
  • 1 0
 @suspended-flesh: That's awesome! Sounds like a great weekend. And I am aware that in the late 90's-early 2000's, yeah... We had WCDH races in WA, CA, CO, NM, etc.... But what happened? Why is it we haven't seen any races out here in the west in 20 years?? I'd love to see a race live, in person. But I'm not travelling all the way from Arizona to Snowshoe, WV to do so. Something in CO, NM, CA, or UT would be far more obtainable.
  • 11 4
 The UCI STILL hasn't lifted a finger to improve safety standards across the board. It is STILL up to individual venues to handle medical emergencies to their own standards. And Mont Sainte Anne is STILL the venue that tried to put a man with a broken back on an ATV, was only prevented from doing so by other racers, and took so long to get together a helicopter that his girlfriend was able to drive to the hospital over an hour before he arrived.

How's that for a primer?
  • 5 1
 while a heli is the best, don't forget that they depend on good weather to operate, there's no guarantee for that at all. Whatever the method used, getting someone with a broken back down a mountain in summer is a challenge.
  • 4 1
 @Charlotroy: Certainly, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky that day. They had sub-par procedures that cost someone dearly and UCI has happily pushed off any and all responsibility for that incident because they can just 'blame Canada' instead of owning up to their mistakes, doing their job and creating a future environment where that wouldn't happen.
  • 9 4
 This was the place that had that crazy rock wall drop right? And I remember Brook McDonald getting super hurt in practice or qualifying and medical assistance taking a crazy amount of time. Very cool to see them back here though, definitely going to be an awesome race.
  • 15 0
 It was the heli evacuation that took ages, not the medical assistance. I read somewhere that they now have an heli on standby. Shame it took such an event to get there…
  • 6 0
 The Stevie Smith drop is the last photo in the article. Big Grin
  • 4 0
 @SectionThirtyOne: That's not the one
  • 4 1
 that rock roll won't be part of the track this year, they're gonna be using a bypass to skip that rock as well as the open grassy straight leading to it, that's pretty much the only change this year to the track !
  • 10 1
 Think Steve Peat could still get a top ten finish this weekend?
  • 18 0
 I think Steve thinks he could still do it. Smile
  • 9 5
 I don't think so. When he retired, he was not a podium guy anymore and the racers progressed a lot
  • 15 1
 Could see it happen! Amaury, Loris and Kolb have made it clear that having a strong mustache game is the key to success in 2022, and Peaty's mustache is mighty
  • 4 0
 ...apparently the event will be shown in the past...and occur in Leogang? Smile

Schedule: Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Leogang LIVE on Red Bull TV:

Mont-Sainte-Anne DHI Women: July 30 Live on Red Bull TV 12:25 EDT
Mont-Sainte-Anne DHI Men: July 30 Live on Red Bull TV 13:45 EDT
  • 4 1
 I can assure you that Tomas Misser is the worst DH athlete in history. A guy who hurled insults at the Juniors in free practice, just because he didn't want anyone to come after him, I guess so they wouldn't see his lines. Shameful.
  • 3 0
 @Rosstech Yes, indeed, a great friend of mine who competed in Junior told me about it on numerous occasions, he even stopped in the middle of the track because he didn't want anyone to go behind him, and if you did he would insult you.
  • 3 0
 @Assesin Indeed, Tomas Misser a very unpleasant guy, And always laughing at others.
  • 2 0
 @dkendy1: That's right stay the Fak away..... haha just kidding, come for a ride, not a race. But Kickinghorse Mountain Resort has a legitimate DH track that the Canadian Nationals are run on. Mr. Iles even told me that it would be an outstanding WC course.....
  • 2 0
 Helluva trip getting there though.
  • 5 0
 Pretty sure Vouilloz won in '98
  • 2 0
 Fabien won Juniors Smile
  • 2 0
 Vouilloz won every world champs he entered from 1992-2002 except 2000. I think the first 2 or 3 were in juniors. Imagine racing world champs 11 times and only losing once… because you double flatted and came 8th.
  • 1 0
 I've always wanted to see this in person! Are there other trails to ride at MSA while the race is going on? Bike rental spot? This is a fun perk of crankworx whistler riding while meeting pros!
  • 6 0
 MSA is the best on the east coast if you like gnarly and old school dh tracks ! I've been to killington, bromont and highland and nothing comes close to the MSA which is a lot higher, rockier and steeper. You can ride the other dh trails on a dh rental while the race if going on, you should come one day !
  • 2 0
 @Charlotroy: To be fair, I don't think Killington has the best gnarly DH tracks in Vermont. I'd give that to Sugarbush or Bolton Valley
  • 1 0
 I really enjoyed Lake Placid NY a few years ago for some old school style riding. Especially at the top of the hill.
  • 3 0
 Bike Rental is possible, they rent Gamblers iirc. Check out Trailforks for trails, there's a ton of them, but you'll be interested in the DH sector (there's an Enduro and XC one)

Grisante and Bapteme are easy trails to warm up on, more flowy, sometimes we tend to link them to avoid the upper part of Vietnam which is quite boring, or to just take it easier. The latter gets quite good tho, especially after the rest area. Some super high speed parts in loose rocks, few kickers. Then it gets techy and steeper with line choices. Still quite approchable. You can also take an alternate trail called Erabliere which is also quite techy, lots of roots. Super nice to ride in DH even if considered an Enduro trail.

Tordue is where you start getting a feel for MSA gnar. If you can't ride this one, stop there. Very nice trail tho, but you'll need several runs to figure the line out, in classic MSA fashion. Easy to get caught on stuff.

Then we get into the double blacks (and they are true double blacks), 1837 being the most approchable relatively speaking, tho its separated in three distinct sections and the middle one (La Bete, or the Beast) is pretty committed. Tak-Tak (which you can easily end with Ancienne instead of Grisante for a proper double black lap), Inuk and Chomeuse are all a step further each, in order. The "2" is quite nice as well, might be tougher in parts, but will be closed for WC since they actually use the upper part now.

Pretty much sums it up. Rule of thumb, don't underestimate the trail ratings, and if it looks like a drop, drop it Razz
  • 2 0
 Almost forgot, you can also end Tordue with Barbelée, which is a double black jump trail. It's not that bad tho, everything is rollable except for the big wooden sharkfin gap jump, which you can bypass.
  • 1 0
 Rob - "OHHHHH..... if only he knew how close he is to taking the win here this afternoon!!!!!!".........and then he took the win. LLC
  • 1 0
 Velirium already post on Facebook the track with the new segment and modif.
  • 1 0
 Where can we find a lost of riders entered?
  • 1 0
 We should have an official start list coming through today. You can find a provisional entry list here but they are not always accurate for who is actually going to race.







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