Home > MTB

Pageau and Shandro win muddy Windrock Pro GRT DH

Canadian show early speed at U.S. season opener, sweeping junior men's race

Downhill season got off to a wild, muddy start at Windrock Bike Park in Tennessee over the weekend. Canadians seemed especially well suited to the slick conditions at the opening Pro GRT round. Rachel Pageau won the Pro women’s race and Ethan Shandro dominated the junior men’s event.

It was Pageau’s first race for her new Pivot Cycles sponsor. The new bike must be feeling alright, even caked in thick mud, as she dominated the Pro women’s field by a massive 22 second margin. In second place was SRAM-Liv Racing’s Caroline Washam, and Frida Roenning in third.

RELATED: Rachel Pageau; Elle gravi les échelons du circuit Enduro et DH en même temps.

Canadian juniors sweep Tennessee National DH

Windrock Pro GRT marked Ethan Shandro’s first race in the junior men’s category. While he’s only recently old enough to sign with Trek Factory Racing, he’s already showing showing he has what it takes to compete in the highly competitive junior men’s scene. Shandro’s winning time of 3:07.989 was nine seconds faster than Pemberton’s Lucas Cruz in second, fast enough for fifth overall in the Pro Men’s race.

Shandro wasn’t the only speedy junior from north of 49. Lucas Cruz (SRAM-TLD Racing) was second, and Norco Factory Team’s Eliot Jamieson third in a Canadian sweep of the junior men’s podium. Tristan Lemire (Kona) and Ian Milley (Blueprint Athlete Development) added to Canada’s tally in eighth and 12th, respectively.

In the Pro Men’s race, Santa Cruz Syndicate’s Loris Vergier handled the peanut butter-thick mud with ease. The French rider topped Charlie Harrison (Trek Factory Racing) to win in a thoroughly international field of racers. Mark Wallace (Canyon Factory Racing) was the top Canadian, in eighth. Forrest Riesco (Commencal) joined Wallace in the top-10. Ben Wallace made a strong first showing in his first racing moving up from the junior category, finishing 12th in Tennessee. Benjamin Despres Morin (Sport Aux Puces Longueil / LTP / Fox) was the fianal Canadian in the top-20

The weekends only half over, though. Several Canadians will be on hand for Sunday’s Windrock Enduro. The EWS qualifier event will be the final, and for many riders, first tune up race before the Enduro World Series starts in Rotorua, New Zealand on March 24.

Results: Windrock Pro GRT DH 2019

Pro Women

  1. Rachel Pageau – 00:04:37.413 – Pivot Cycles / Julbo Eyewear
  2. Caroline Washam – 00:04:59.981 – SRAM | Liv Racing | TLD | Industry Nine | Schwalbe | Flat Tire Defender
  3. Frida Roenning  – 00:05:02.067 – Lillehammer CK
  4. Sarah Olsen  – 00:05:18.095 – CyclepathPDX
  5. Kera Linn – 00:05:34.045 – Canfield Brother
  6. Autumn Parham – 00:05:42.089 –
  7. Samantha Soriano  – 00:05:45.500 – Commencal USA
  8. Riley Weidman  – 00:07:14.164 – Fastline Racing
  9. Kerstin Holster  – 00:07:39.411 – Pivot Cycles
  10. Mckenna Merten – 00:11:43.866 – Intense/100%
  11. Amber Price – 00:12:09.561 – O’Neal
  12. Rachel Kelleher – 00:12:11.686 – Coqui Cyclery / Vasen Brewing Company

Pro Men

  1. LORIS VERGIER – 00:03:01.668 – SANTA CRUZ BICYCLES
  2. CHARLIE HARRISON – 00:03:02.174 – Trek Factory Racing
  3. JACOB DICKSON – 00:03:07.141 – Giant Factory Off-Road Team
  4. NEKO MULALLY – 00:03:07.555 – Intense Factory Racing
  5. MAX MORGAN – 00:03:13.733 – Santa Cruz Bicycles
  6. LUCA SHAW – 00:03:13.830 – SANTA CRUZ BICYCLES
  7. MARCELO GUTIERREZ – 00:03:13.838 – Giant Factory Off-Road Team
  8. MARK WALLACE – 00:03:14.015 – Canyon Factory Downhill Team
  9. NIKOLAS NESTOROFF – 00:03:14.469 – KHS FACTORY RACING
  10. FORREST RIESCO – 00:03:15.717 – Commencal
  11. MITCH ROPELATO – 00:03:17.404 – Santa Cruz SRAM
  12. BEN WALLACE – 00:03:22.298 –
  13. STEVEN CEBALLOS – 00:03:22.674 – Specialized Colombia
  14. WALKER SHAW – 00:03:26.613 –
  15. STEVE ESTABROOK – 00:03:26.661 – Defiant Racing
  16. TREVOR BOLDI – 00:03:26.870 – Micheal David Winery
  17. MAURICIO ESTRADA – 00:03:27.780 – Danny’s Cycles Racing
  18. BENJAMIN DESPRES MORIN – 00:03:28.155 – Sport Aux Puces Longueil/Live to play/fox racing
  19. DILLON FLINDERS – 00:03:28.661 – Commencal USA
  20. KIRAN MACKINNON – 00:03:29.867 – Santa Cruz Bicycles
  21. CHARLES FRYDENDAL – 00:03:30.038 – My Buddy?s Bike Shop
  22. ISAAC ALLAIRE – 00:03:32.327 – Defiant Racing
  23. WILEY KAUPAS – 00:03:35.317 – Specialized
  24. SETH HANSON – 00:03:35.330 – SEI Racing
  25. HENRY FITZGERALD – 00:03:37.962 – Norco Factory Team
  26. BRACKEN CAMILLERI – 00:03:38.753 –
  27. CONRAD HAEHNER – 00:03:42.255 –
  28. KIRK MCDOWALL – 00:03:43.498 – Unior/Devinci Factory Racing
  29. ARMEN DAVIS – 00:03:43.850 – Commencal USA
  30. HARRISON ORY – 00:03:46.288 – Rooted MTB
  31. TITUS NICHOLSON – 00:03:49.049 – Defiant Racing
  32. GRAEME PITTS – 00:03:49.132 – Graeme Pitts racing – Oz racing lifestyle/JJ’s cyclery
  33. JAKE KHAN – 00:03:52.125 –
  34. GARRETT MACINTOSH – 00:03:52.305 – Dunbar cycles
  35. STEVEN WALTON – 00:03:52.663 – KHS FACTORY RACING
  36. TANNER STEPHENS – 00:03:54.069 – Sean leader and Dakotah norton factory racing
  37. WARREN KNISS – 00:03:56.854 – Santa Cruz
  38. BRYCE HELBLING – 00:03:57.782 – KHS factory racing
  39. QUINTIN KURTZ – 00:04:00.704 –
  40. BRANDON DOUGLAS – 00:04:00.721 –
  41. STEVE RIOUX – 00:04:21.313 – BOSK VeLO CAFe
  42. IAN NORRIS – 00:04:34.291 – Filz Built Bicycles
  43. RAFAEL FERREIRA – 00:04:38.745 – ALTA/100%/E*13/ODI/CushCore/Carolina Pro Flooring
  44. OWEN WITCHER – 00:04:40.693 – Double Black Bikes/Gravity Crew
  45. TOBIE BOUCHER – 00:06:59.826 – Commencal Canada
  46. COREY ZELL – 00:12:44.781 –

Junior Men

      1. ETHAN SHANDRO – 00:03:07.989 – Trek Factory Racing
      2. LUCAS CRUZ – 00:03:17.687 – SRAM-TLD Racing
      3. ELLIOT JAMIESON – 00:03:25.679 – Norco Factory DH Team
      4. MATTHEW STERLING – 00:03:26.628 – Pivot Cycles
      5. COLE SUETOS – 00:03:30.150 – Incycle Race Team
      6. ZACH GAREIS – 00:03:33.540 – Billy Goat Bikes/Devinci
      7. TYLER ERVIN – 00:03:33.564 – Commencal
      8. TRISTAN LEMIRE – 00:03:34.017 – Kona Factory
      9. KYE A’HERN – 00:03:34.178 – Canyon Factory Downhill Team
      10. DANTE SILVA – 00:03:35.155 – Commencal Junior Cartel/100%/WD-40/ONYX/CushCore/Sensus
      11. AUSTIN DOOLEY – 00:03:37.892 – 100%/Monster Army/Fox Factory/Maxxis/RynoPower/GoPro/Muc-Off
      12. IAN MILLEY – 00:03:48.714 – Blueprint Athlete Development
      13. GIDEON BENDER – 00:03:55.276 – B-Line Racing
      14. RIVER KEY – 00:04:09.815 –
      15. ETHAN HECK – 00:04:14.943 – Double Black Bikes
      16. COOPER RODRIGUES – 00:04:16.263 – Cycling Spoken Here
      17. JAMES BEZEAU-TREMBLAY – 00:04:47.562 – MSS BIKE PARK/Caf? v?lo des nations
      18. PHILIP BILODEAU – 00:04:50.884 – Devinci / trees mountain apparel
      19. MATTHEW SPONG – 00:04:57.857 – Afton Shoes
      20. SPENCER ERVIN – 00:05:16.498 – B-line Racing
      21. GAGE COLLINA – 00:05:27.190 –
      22. PHILLIP STEELE – 00:06:44.982