A great day in Canada for the Trek Factory Racing DH team as they clinch Team of the Day award
It was a great day in Canada for the Trek Factory Racing DH team at the World Cup in Mont St Anne, Quebec with Rachel Atherton nailing the win, Kade Edwards taking second in the Junior Men, and Gee Atherton – in his 100th World Cup start – a season’s best 8th place. It all added up to winning the Team of the Day award.
Extreme storms in the run-up to the race took a toll with the course becoming battered and blown-out, the exposed, slick bedrock presenting a significant problem in Thursday’s timed training.
Despite the rough conditions, the team qualified solidly: second for Rachel, fourth for Kade, eighth for Gee, and 28th for Charlie. They went into Saturday’s Finals optimistic with plenty more in the tank.
Kade was first up in the Junior Men – a small mistake cost him, but he was pleased to be just 0.9-second off winner Thibault Daprela, a solid second-place podium. In the overall standings, Kade moved back into third.
In the Women’s Finals, Rachel was on fire! Up 12.3 seconds by split two, she rode even more aggressively to cross a massive 20.2 seconds clear. What could top qualifier Tahnee Seagrave bring?
Seagrave started strong and was up 0.174-second at the first split, but then lost time to go into the red by split two. She eventually crossed the line 5.08 seconds behind Rachel, enough for second place. Rachel had another victory and continues to lead the overall standings.
Rachel said: “It’s been such a tough week with the rain and we’ve been changing setups and battling; the track is so fun but so hard, and all the women have been smashing it – I knew I was going to have to bring my AAA game today.”
In the Men’s Elite, Gee took to his 100th World Cup start and finished with his best result this year, despite a broken hand that was still giving him considerable pain. His eighth-place clinched the Team of the Day award. Charlie Hatton struggled to find his flow and ended in 49th.
“It’s so much fun to ride here, the classic Mont St Anne course eases you in deceptively gently, then it turns into one of the gnarliest courses on the circuit,” said Gee.
