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Five Canadian bikes from Mont-Sainte-Anne world championships

Downhill bikes and cross country whips from a week of racing in Quebec

Every year, teams trot out drool worthy custom bikes, prototypes and new gear for world championships. The biggest race day of the year brings out all sorts of unique builds reflecting riders home countries and the latest in mountain bike tech.

At Mont-Sainte-Anne, several Canadian riders had special custom bikes for the return of world championships to home soil.

Elliot Jamieson’s 90’s-inspired Norco Aurum HSP

Jamieson may not have been born when the 1993 Norco Vipor ZTS that inspired this custom worlds paint job was made, or even in the same decade, but that didn’t stop the Norco Factory Team junior from racing it to a 6th place in the junior men’s downhill on Sunday.

Magnus Manson’s Canadiana Caynon Sender

Canyon Factory Racing had custom world championships paint jobs reflecting the home country of each of its athletes. For Mark Wallace and Magnus Manson, that meant maple syrup, lumber jacks, chainsaws and, of course, the enduring presence of Stevie Smith. The 2018 Canadian downhill national champion rode to 35th at Mont-Sainte-Anne on Sunday.

Kirk McDowall’s mountains and maple leaf Devinci Wilson

2016 and ’17 Canadian downhill national champion Kirk McDowall hails from Vancouver, B.C. The coastal mountains that rise up above McDowall’s home inspired this custom paint scheme from Devinci-Unior Factory Racing. Bringing a bit of West Coast to the burly Quebec course must have helped. McDowall world champs best with 15th in the stacked elite men’s downhill on Sunday. Read our pre-race interview with McDowall here.

Laurie Arseneault’s Cannondale Scalpel Fsi AXS

Earlier in the season, the Canadian under-23 national champion was showing off a starry Scalpel Fsi. At world championships, Arsenault and her bike were all business. SRAM added some more functional bling to the bike, with its AXS wireless drivetrain. Arseneault piloted the black-and-white Cannondale Scalpel to an incredible top-10 finish in the under-23 women’s xco world championships race on Saturday.

RELATED: Le radar des meilleures femmes au monde sonne à l’approche de Laurie Arseneault

Sean Fincham’s Norco Revolver FS 100

Ok, so the Norco Factory Team rides this glossy red and white colour scheme at World Cup’s all year. But the Canada-inspired colours were never more appropriate than on the Mont-Sainte-Anne, where Fincham finished 11th as the top Canadian in the under-23 men’s cross country race. RockShox did make one change for the special occasion. Subtle rainbow-chrome finishing on the Norco team’s SID Ultimate forks.