Super Bruni Three-peats, Nicole prevails for matching French DH wins

France has been the dominant nation in elite downhill all season and, as might have been expected, was all over the podium at Mont-Sainte-Anne.

The level of French dominance, though, was unexpected. Led by Loic Bruni and Myriam Nicole, the country walked away with both elite world championship titles and two bronze medals to boot.

Finn Iles and Vaea Verbeeck led Canada’s elite downhill results, with 7th and 8th. Iles spent much of the afternoon in the hot seat, joined by Mark Wallace, who would end his day in 9th. That strong showing by the host-nation also included an 11th by Miranda Miller and a 15th by Kirk McDowall. After qualifying in a surprise 10th position, Hugo Langevin added to the Canadian results with a 25th on Sunday in the elite men’s race. While France set the bar high, five riders in the top-15 for Canada is no small feat.

Super Bruni unstoppable with third straight elite men’s world championship

Loic Bruni was the last man down the mountain at Mont-Sainte-Anne. The defending world champion followed a dramatic series of lead changes, as one improbably fast run was followed by another for much of the last ten riders.

Before the top 10 dropped in, though, Finn Iles had put down a huge run to take the hot seat. He was joined in short order by Mark Wallace, who sat third behind the young Whistler rider.

That lead was broken first by South African legend of the sport, Greg Minnaar, then Danny Hart. Iles would end up 7th, an impressive result for just his second elite world championships, with Mark Wallace finishing 9th. Two Canadians in the top-10 would be remarkable on its own. Two time national champion Kirk McDowall added to this with a 15th place finish. Hugo Langevin padded the results with a 25th place at home in Quebec.

It was Loic Bruni’s day, though. The French rider captured his third-straight world championship title, with Specialized teammate Finn Iles first to reach “Super” Bruni to celebrate.

Australian Troy Brosnan was just 0.581 seconds from the taking the title. Second last down the mountain, he smashed third place finisher Amaury Pierron’s time by nearly two seconds, only to watch Bruni follow behind fastest at every split.

“Normally i’m pretty reserved but this one I really wanted and I pushed hard,” Brosnan said after the race. “I thought it might be a time to maybe beat Loic, but then I sat and watched the green splits of my buddy come down and beat me.”

Elite Women – Comeback Queens

At the top of the elite women’s podium, two riders returning from injury stood tall. Myriam Nicole wins the world championship title after returning from a season long foot injury. “Pom Pom” earns her rainbow jersey ahead of Great Britain’s Tahnée Seagrave, in her first race back after a separated shoulder at Fort William World Cup.

After winning two World Cup rounds this season, Marine Cabirou joined fellow Frenchwoman Nicole on the podium in third.

Canadian downhill national champion, in 2018 and 2019, Vaea Verbeek was the top Canadian, placing an impressive 8th in her first international race of the season. The Canadian champ has focused her efforts on the interdisciplinary Crankworx series this season. After successfully ascending to the throne as Queen of Crankworx just weeks ago in Whistler, Verbeeck adds a top-10 finish here in Mont-Sainte-Anne.

 

2017 world champion Miranda Miller returned from her new focus on the Enduro World Series to race at Mont-Sainte-Anne. The Squamish racer was 11th on the legendary Quebec track. Georgia Astle of Whistler was the final Canadian in the elite women’s race, finishing 20th.

Elite Women’s downhill – 2019 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships

1		16	NICOLE Myriam				4:53.226
2		10	SEAGRAVE Tahnee				+1.204
3		3	CABIROU Marine				+1.694
4		2	HANNAH Tracey				+4.121
5		9	SIEGENTHALER Emilie				+5.391
6		7	FARINA Eleonora				+8.555
7		12	CHAPPAZ Melanie				+18.109
8		21	VERBEECK Vaea				+18.783
9		13	A’HERN Sian				+20.590
10		14	CAPPELLARI Carina				+23.813
11		19	MILLER Miranda				+24.336
12		15	RUBESAM Sandra				+25.805
13		11	HRASTNIK Monika				+28.978
14		30	NOGUEIRA Camila				+32.203
15		23	SORIANO Samantha				+35.090
16		24	RONNING Frida Helena				+36.036
17		6	BALANCHE Camille				+37.995
18		17	SALAZAR Mariana				+39.667
19		22	WASHAM Caroline				+42.030
20		26	ASTLE Georgia				+46.888
21		4	WIDMANN Veronika				+47.509
22		27	HAYDEN Mazie				+2:00.311
23		29	GROSSMANN Steffanie				+2:04.642

Elite Men’s downhill – 2019 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships

1		1	BRUNI Loic				4:05.544
2		2	BROSNAN Troy				+0.581
3		4	PIERRON Amaury				+2.549
4		3	HART Danny				+2.805
5		8	MINNAAR Greg				+3.187
6		6	GREENLAND Laurie				+4.896
7		16	ILES Finn				+4.981
8		18	NORTON Dakotah				+5.490
9		14	WALLACE Mark				+6.129
10		19	SHAW Luca				+6.347
11		60	WALKER Matthew				+6.948
12		21	GWIN Aaron				+8.560
13		17	HARRISON Charlie				+8.600
14		46	WILLIAMSON Greg				+9.087
15		43	McDOWALL Kirk				+9.196
16		42	FRIXTALON Hugo				+9.619
17		9	TRUMMER David				+9.819
18		28	MOIR Jack				+9.952
19		11	THIRION Remi				+9.972
20		38	ESTAQUE Thomas				+10.577
21		20	MAES Martin				+10.714
22		13	WALKER Matt				+10.849
23		34	MULALLY Neko				+11.101
24		22	ZABJEK Jure				+11.627
25		76	LANGEVIN Hugo				+12.112
26		32	BRANNIGAN George				+12.166
27		59	KLEIN Bruce				+12.196
28		15	PIERRON Baptiste				+12.859
29		26	MARIN Alex				+13.185
30		88	FREW Jackson				+13.722
31		31	KOLB Andreas				+14.029
32		27	DICKSON Jacob				+14.386
33		49	FAIRCLOUGH Brendan				+15.803
34		30	KERR Bernard				+16.313
35		50	MANSON Magnus				+16.359
36		37	GUTIERREZ VILLEGAS Marcelo				+16.467
37		63	SEHNAL Stanislav				+16.729
38		54	HARTENSTERN Max				+18.419
39		39	HANNAH Michael				+19.570
40		12	FEARON Connor				+19.726
41		67	MASTERS Wyn				+19.800
42		69	THIBAULT Samuel				+20.774
43		61	GRANDY Silas				+21.701
44		52	BARANEK Rastislav				+22.933
45		55	WEBER Lutz				+23.481
46		36	PALAZZARI Davide				+23.662
47		51	ZWAR Oliver				+24.456
48		65	WRIGHT Keegan				+26.783
49		48	POMBO Emanuel				+28.127
50		81	HAFNER Matthias				+28.583
51		62	MAURER Simon				+28.841
52		78	KUSHIMA Yuki				+30.444
53		53	ZWAR KVIST Benjamin				+32.143
54		87	ESTRADA PULGARIN Mauricio Ernesto				+32.814
55		10	LUCAS Dean				+32.866
56		45	PARDAL Francisco				+33.475
57		89	ALCANTAR de los REYES Fabian				+34.699
58		72	WEBER Basil				+37.556
59		86	WENDE Yannick				+47.749
60		64	IMOTO Hajime				+48.816
61		5	VERGIER Loris				+50.428
62		77	MATTUS Juho				+1:04.391
63		90	GARCIA RAMIREZ Jose				+1:06.776
64		71	SUKCHANYA Chinnapat				+1:07.256
65		35	von KLEBELSBERG Johannes				+2:00.155
66		40	BLENKINSOP Samuel				+2:39.189
67		84	LANFREDI Gabriel Imseis				+4:02.810
–		57	IRMISCH Erik