Pinkbike Athlete Awards - The Winners

Choosing the nine nominees for this year's Pinkbike Athlete Awards was hard enough, but choosing one winner for each category was another challenge all together. Endless debates arose within the panel of judges, as the merits of one race result were weighed against another, or whether one mind-blowing trick should trump a season of outstanding results. Every athlete nominated had an amazing season, one that they can be proud of years from now, but in the end, three athletes rose to the top. Each one of them delivered performances that place them at the very pinnacle of the sport, making them deserving of the 2013 Pinkbike Athlete of the Year Award.

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Male Gravity Racer of the Year

Steve Smith Seasons, the 2008 film from the Collective, was the first glimpse most mountain bikers had of Steve Smith, at that time an unassuming 18 year old living in the small town of Cassidy, British Columbia. The images of Smith racing through the foggy rainforest after being shuttled to the top by his mother resonated with viewers, as did his goal of making mountain biking his career. At that time Smith was on his way up in the ranks of downhill racing, showing promise at local races, and finishing in 11th place at World Champs as a junior, but had yet to make his presence truly known in the sport. Over the next few years his results steadily improved, and by 2010 he made it onto his first World Cup podium, taking fifth place at Val di Sole. Later that year he came in second at the World Championships behind Sam Hill, solidly demonstrating he was no flash in the pan. This upward trend continued, with Smith moving higher and higher up the results sheet, until he finally reached the top step, taking the win at the last race of the 2012 season in Hafjell, Norway.

Season Highlights • 3rd – UCI World Cup #1, Fort William • 2nd – UCI World Cup #2, Val di Sole • 4th – UCI World Cup #3, Vallnord • 1st – Crankworx Canadian Open • 1st – Crankworx Air DH • 1st – Canadian National Championships • 1st – UCI World Cup #4, Mont St. Anne • 1st – UCI World Cup #5, Hafjell • 1st – UCI World Cup # 6, Leogang

Whatever Steve Smith did in the time between that win in Hafjell and the start of the 2013 race season paid off, because once 2013 got underway it was clear he was now a serious contender. A 3rd at Fort William, 2nd at Val di Sole, and 4th at Vallnord had Smith standing next to perennial heavy hitters like Gee Atherton and Greg Minnaar. But of course, the goal of racing is to win, and when the World Cup headed to Smith's home country, he did just that, besting Gee Atherton by nearly a second on the slippery Mont Saint Anne course. After that there was no looking back, and the Canadian Chainsaw Massacre truly began to show his speed, and except for a slight bobble that dashed his World Championship hopes, the remainder of Smith's season was flawless, as he consistently delivered wins under ever increasing pressure.

It was the last race of the season in Leogang, Austria, that truly showed Smith's ability to keep his cool. Even with the knowledge that a small error could cost him the overall World Cup title, Smith won qualifying, and then won the weekend with a perfect run that made him the first Canadian to ever win the World Cup overall. 2013 was a dream season for Steve Smith, and his performance earns him Pinkbike's 2013 Male Gravity Athlete of the Year award.

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Female Gravity Racer of the Year

Rachel Atherton Rachel Atherton thoroughly trounced the competition at nearly every race in the 2013 season, winning four out of six World Cups, World Championships, the UK National Championships, and three British Downhill Series races, making her mark as the fastest female downhill racer in the world. And we're not using the word 'trounced' lightly here – the time difference between Rachel and her closest competition at the Hafjell World Cup was 7.6 seconds, and at the Pietermaritzburg World Championships it was 8.6 seconds, incredible margins in a sport where it's not uncommon for the win to be decided by the hundredth of a second. It hasn't been an easy feat getting to this position, as Rachel has struggled with various injuries over the course of her career, but this year she stormed out of the gate healthy and ready to win. There's something in the Atherton genes that make them terrors on the race track, and with brother Gee's strong start to the season the siblings were able to both stand atop their respective podiums at the first two World Cup races of the year.

Season Highlights • 1st UCI World Cup #1, Fort William • 1st UCI World Cup #2, Val di Sol • 1st Crankworx Air DH, Les Deux Alpes • 1st UK National Championships • 1st UCI World Cup #3, Vallnord • 1st DH World Championships, Pietermaritzburg • 1st UCI World Cup #5, Hafjell • 2nd UCI Word Cup #6, Leogang

Rachel's four World Cup victories this season brought her total number of wins up to 19, making her the most decorated British mountain biker ever. This feat hasn't gone unnoticed by the British media, with the BBC, the Sunday Times, and ITV Wales all taking time to feature the affable Brit in their sports coverage. Rachel Atherton is more than deserving of the attention, a friendly, yet fierce competitor who knows exactly what she needs to do to get onto the podium time and time again. For her outstanding performance during the 2013 race season, Rachel Atherton is Pinkbike's Female Gravity Athlete of the Year.

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Slopestyle / Freeride Athlete of the Year

Brandon Semenuk At the end of last season, Brandon Semenuk, the 2011 and 2012 FMB World Tour champion, announced that he would be competing in far less events, instead spending his time focused on film projects. It was an understandable decision - why take on a grueling travel schedule when some of the best trails in the world are right in your backyard? Throughout the 2013 season, Semenuk's popular Life Behind Bars web series gave viewers a glimpse of what the slopestyle star was up to, and when the Red Bull / Freeride Entertainment film Brandon Semenuk's Rad Company is released next spring, there's no doubt viewers will agree that Semenuk's decision to film more and compete less was the right one.

Season Highlights • 1st Crankworx Les Deux Alpes • 1st Red Bull Joyride • 2nd X Games Munich • 1st Bearclaw Invitational • Film projects: Life Behind Bars, Rad Company

While Semenuk may have lightened his competition load, he made it count with the events he did attend. Wins at Crankworx Les Deux Alpes, Red Bull Joyride and the Bearclaw Invitational, along with a second place finish at the inaugural X Games clearly illustrated the depth of the Canadian rider's talent. In competition Semenuk is able to pick apart a course with surgical precision, executing opposite tricks just as well as his regular tricks, and throwing down runs filled to the brim with difficult combinations. Brandon Semenuk's ability to excel in competition and in front of the camera earns him Pinkbike's Slopestyle / Freeride Athlete of the Year award.