Magnus Manson returns to racing at Costa Rican DH Open
Trio of Canadians hit top-10 in opening downhill of 2022
Canada’s downhill racers are off to an early start to the 2022, season. Magnus Manson, Rachel Pageau and Henry Fitzgerald all raced the Costa Rican Open Downhill on Sunday.
It is an especially significant event for Manson. The 2018 Canadian downhill national champion returned to racing after a six-month long battle with a rare cancer. The Costa Rica event marks just over a month since Manson completed his last round of chemo. After qualifying second, Manson finished sixth overall for the Forbidden Synthesis team out of Vancouver Island. Henry Fitzgerald (Norco Factory Racing) of North Vancouver was sixth.
The race was won by U.S. racer Neko Mulally, who is striking out on his own with a custom built downhill bike for the 2022 season.
In the elite women’s event, Rachel Pageau hit the podium in her 2022 debut. The Commencal rider from Quebec placed second behind Mariana Salazar.
The early season races in South America are an opportunity for the Canadian’s to dig out from under the winter snow and earn UCI points before the World Cup season starts at the end of March in France.
Top results: 2022 Costa Rican Open Of Downhill
Elite Men
|
1 Neko MULALLY
FRAMEWORKS RACING
|
29 | USA | 00:02:52.157 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2 Roger VIEIRA
|
28 | BRA | 00:02:52.918 | |
|
3 Camilo SANCHEZ SALAZAR
|
21 | COL | 00:02:53.477 | |
|
4 Carlos ALFARO PERALTA
|
25 | PER | 00:02:54.697 | |
|
5 Sebastian HOLGUIN VILLA
IJ RACING-CHIGÜIRO EXTREMO TEAM
|
18 | COL | 00:02:55.360 | |
|
6 Magnus MANSON
FORBIDDEN SYNTHESIS TEAM
|
24 | CAN | 00:02:57.581 | |
|
7 Henry FITZGERALD
NORCO FACTORY TEAM
|
24 | CAN | 00:02:58.378 | |
|
8 Pablo Andres
AGUILAR OMODEO
|
20 | CRC | 00:02:58.936 | |
|
9 Stephen ESTABROOK
|
31 | USA | 00:02:59.670 | |
|
10 Steven CEBALLOS OTALVARO
|
24 | COL | 00:02:59.860 |
Elite Women
|
1 Mariana SALAZAR
LES ARCS MOUNTAINBIKE TEAM
|
28 | ESA | 00:03:20.415 | 30.00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2 Rachel PAGEAU
|
27 | CAN | 00:03:27.888 | 20.00 |
|
3 Valentina ROA SANCHEZ
PROBUILDS RACING
|
17 | COL | 00:03:36.535 | 15.00 |
|
4 Nara FARIA DA SILVA
|
37 | BRA | 00:04:19.647 | 12.00 |
|
5 Katherine HERRERA FERNANDEZ
|
37 | CRC | 00:05:03.218 | 10.00 |
