Troy Brosnan (Canyon CLLCTV Factory) took a dramatic and heartfelt victory in the UCI Downhill World Cup men’s elite finale in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec (Canada) while Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill Factory) saved her best until last in 2024 to win in Canada and claim second place in the women’s overall standings.
76 finalists advanced to face a course cloaked in mist at the top before some brutal rock gardens that proved decisive in the lower half, and the rain that began to spit as the first senior riders rolled off the start ramp only added to the jeopardy. Both elite overall titles were wrapped up but the action on the day was anything but straightforward, while Erice van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) and Max Alran (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) claimed Junior UCI Downhill World Cup glory.
BROSNAN THE DADDY AS MINAAR BIDS FAREWELL
Brosnan’s only other taste of UCI World Cup victory was in 2021, followed by a string of near misses and even his participation in Quebec was doubtful due to the birth of his baby Madison just six weeks ago at the end of August. The Aussie qualified fastest in Mont-Sainte-Anne, but a departing legend dominated the early proceedings. Greg Minnaar (Norco Factory Racing) enjoyed a relatively clean run in the his final UCI World Cup appearance and enjoyed a hero’s reception all the way down the course.
Minaar said afterwards: “I couldn’t be more grateful for the crowd coming out today, it’s not the best weather but they supported me the whole way down. I had not a great start, I stalled in the first corner and tried to catch that rhythm back up, but it was a little greasier than I thought.
“But that crowd was going nuts, as I lost my footing in the rocks, I could just hear my name being shouted, they were cheering all the way. I can’t thank them enough; I feel very at home here.”
Laurie Greenland was the early pacesetter for Santa Cruz Syndicate, taking advantage of drier conditions and Rémi Thirion (Giant Factory) and Benoît Coulanges (Dorval AM Commencal) both went green early in their runs but slid out of contention before the finish line.
Lachlan Stevens-McNab was the rider to keep it together for Union - Forged by Steel City Media on the increasingly sodden dirt and edged ahead of Greenwood, hunkering into the hotseat to watch a series of stars start brightly but fade while overall UCI Downhill World Cup winner, Loïc Bruni, wasn’t in contention for Specialized Gravity.
That left only Troy Brosnan - he was rapid through the first two-time checks but then drifted into red leaving a mammoth task on the final section. Yet the Australian delivered a special finish to inch 0.062 seconds ahead of Stevens-McNab and fire himself up to second in the overall standings, a possibility Brosnan didn’t even know was possible.
“Just having a baby and not knowing if I’m even going to come to this race. Got the all-clear from the wife to go so I had to make it worthwhile, and this has been the best weekend of my life,” Brosnan said.
“Feel amazing on the bike, my mind was just so free the whole weekend and honestly, I can’t believe I put that run down in the rain. I knew it was going to be tough, but everything was just flowing. I just knew I had to ride like it was dry and I guess it worked!
When told he’d clinched second overall, Brosnan added: “No way, second? I didn’t even think that was possible!”
CABIROU SIGNS OFF IN STYLE WITH DOUBLE-SUCCESS
Second place overall was still up for grabs in the elite women’s race, incumbent Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV Factory) riding with an injured hand against Cabirou the challenger.
One of the early starters, Seagrave produced a cat-like save in the final section but lost six pivotal seconds in the process meaning she slotted in behind Mille Johnset (Canyon CLLCTV Factory) and earned a nervous wait. Minutes later, it was Cabirou’s turn. She pushed hard on the exposed opening section and finished strongly to move into top spot by 1.423 seconds.
Louise-Anna Ferguson (Intense Factory Racing) looked in contention as the third-last rider to go, the technical specialist staying in touch early on but then came unstuck with a costly crash. And Valentina Höll (YT Mob) slowed down as the course unfolded, going third behind early pacesetter Gracey Hemstreet (Norco Factory Racing) and Cabirou - handing the Frenchwoman victory in Canada and second place overall, 20 points ahead of Seagrave.
Cabirou said: “I’m really happy to take the win today, it’s such a hard week. Especially today the track was tough, so I tried to push but with the conditions it wasn’t easy. I did so many mistakes on my run so when I finished, I didn’t believe that will be the run of the week.”
JUNIOR PACESETTERS FINISH SEASON IN STYLE
The closest overall action happened in the first racing of the day, as Heather Wilson (Muc-Off Young Guns) and UCI Downhill World champion, Erice Van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) entered the women’s junior final separated by only 45 points.
However, Wilson hit the deck twice in her run as the juniors struggled to stay upright across the board, and Van Leuven scorched down the trail to win the day by almost five seconds, and the overall title by 60 points.
Van Leuven said: “It’s pretty special, it’s definitely a dream come true and to do it in my last junior race is pretty cool too. I actually had quite a decent crash, but then I just didn’t give up and didn’t go crazy pushing back, I was solid so I’m really proud of my ride.”
The Men’s Junior title had been wrapped up away from the trail as Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing) wasn’t able to compete this weekend following his crash in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes, meaning Alran knew he’d take the title before his first pedalstroke. But there was still the matter of the victory to be decided, and Max Alran deposed his twin brother Till on the final run of the season by 5.237 seconds.
“Insane season for me, and what a way to finish, just in front of my brother. I’m really happy to win with him, I hope my brother’s stoked too,” Alran said. “I just feel great on the bike all season, I really enjoy riding and I think that’s my key for going faster.”
As the 2024 season draws to a close, attention is already turning to the next campaign and that excitement was further fueled by this week's announcement of the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series calendar.
Bruni and Holl will defend their UCI Downhill World Cup titles over 10 action-packed rounds including a brand-new stop for the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in La Thuile – Valle d’Aosta (Italy). Pal Arinsal (Andorra) returns to the schedule in 2025 after hosting this year's UCI World Championships and Lake Placid will make the season-ending double-header twice as nice with the addition of a UCI Downhill World Cup round.
The 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series will begin with a back-to-back Brazilian cross-country double header in Araxá - Minas Gerais, Brazil on April 3 and end in Mont-Saint-Anne on October 12.
