Sam Hill returns to the Winner’s Circle After 5 Years

Mont Ste Anne in Canada has always produced some of the most exciting downhill racing, and this year was no exception for Round 5 of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano. Manon Carpenter (Madison Saracen) solidified her lead in the women’s category by taking her third victory of the season, while Sam Hill (Chainreactioncycles.com/Nukeproof) took his third World Cup win at Mont Ste Anne, and his first win since 2009. Troy Brosnan (Specialized Racing DH) retained the overall lead in the men’s standings after finishing fourth.

Rain a day earlier had made qualifying a muddy affair, but race day opened clear and it stayed sunny all day, with the track getting harder and faster throughout competition. Australia’s Tegan Molloy, the only Junior women in the race, was the first rider off and set a time that stood through nearly half the field before Tahnee Seagrave (FMD Racing) obliterated it by nearly 30 seconds to move into the Hot Seat. Seagrave’s time proved strong enough that she remained in the lead until the final three women, when world champion Rachel Atherton (GT Factory) knocked a further 15 seconds off, taking the lead down below five minutes.

Categories: Mountain Bike Racing

Tags: Canada, Downhill, mont saint-anne, UCI, World Cup