Two Canadians take podium spots at World Cup downhill competition in Mont-Sainte-Anne

World Cup downhill competition in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Que., ended with two Canadians taking podium positions, in both the men’s and women’s categories. Finnley Iles, riding in Specialized Gravity colours, took second place in the junior men’s event, while Miranda Miller of Specialized SRAM finished fifth in the women’s race.

After the elite men’s competition, meanwhile, Mark Wallace, one of the downhill specialists in the ranks of Devinci Global Racing, was the top Canadian rider—taking 25th.

It was a day riddled with flats and crashes. Usually the terrain at Mont-Sainte-Anne is muddy and slick. On Saturday, it became a much more dusty course. The conditions made the runs of Mont-Sainte-Anne—infamous for being among the most gruelling and relentless of the World Cup circuit at the best of times—that much more challenging, demanding more of participating riders.

Iles, with the fastest qualifying time in the junior men’s competition, was no doubt the downhiller to beat.

Still, victory for the Specialized Gravity rider was denied in a squeaker of an upset, when Gaeton Vige of Commercial/Vallnord edged Iles’ finishing time by 0.031 seconds. In third was Elliott Heap of Chain Reaction, while Magnus Manson, riding in Team Canada colours, took fourth. Despite being denied the podium’s top spot, though, Iles maintains a lead in overall standings with 260 points, with Vige close behind at 225. Manson, meanwhile, moves into 10th place overall.

“Today was pretty good,” Iles said, looking back at the day’s competition. “I rode almost like I wanted to, but I think I was too conservative in the middle. It was really close at the end, and you always feel regret when you are that close. I’m not surprised, because these other guys are fast.”

“Overall, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out,” Illes added.

In the women’s competition, Rachel Atherton of Trek Factory Racing surprised almost nobody by taking her 12th World Cup win in a row, a World Cup title for 2016 all but secured. Her performance put her more than 11 seconds ahead of her closest challenger, Tracey Hannah of Polygon UR, while Tahnee Seagrave of Transition Factory took third. The podium’s third spot would have otherwise been Miller’s—for whom Mont-Sainte-Anne was her second World Cup podium result—until a slip-up in the first half of her descent set her back. The Canadian champion now moves up five places in overall standings to 11th. Atherton, of course, is all but untouchable with 1,470 points and a first place standing. Manon Carpenter of Madison Saracen sits at second place in the standings with 990, while Hannah claims third with 930.

Miller, she said, is pleased with her two World Cup podiums of the 2016 season.

“I’ve only done two World Cups this season,” she said, “but two races, two podiums is a good average. Things are going well this season. I don’t really know why, but I think maybe I have a better race mind this year. This is the first time I’ve ridden Mont-Sainte-Anne in the dust, but in any condition, it’s my favourite track.”

And though the mistake that cost her a third-place finish came as something of a bitter pill to swallow, the Canadian athlete is maintaining a positive outlook. “I had pretty good splits at the top,” she recalled, “but I goofed a bit in one of the lower rock gardens and blew my foot off [the pedal].

“It’s frustrating, but that’s racing,” Miller said.