Canada Cup DH Round 1 - Mont Tremblant, Quebec

Here begins yet another season of the Canada Cup circuit with the first round taking place in beautiful Mont-Tremblant. The Canadian long-weekend brings massive herds of people to the venue creating an electric atmosphere among the participants and spectators. This year was no different. Coach buses unloaded many curious eyes scrutinizing the 'off-road bicycles' and their long-travel everything. With the sun out and temperatures on the rise, the stage was set for what was a very exciting weekend of racing!

Evidence of snow/water run off makes its presence felt throughout the track just enough to keep everyone on their toes.

Some people argued that the Mont Tremblant track has become increasingly tame over the years.. I beg to differ. Yes, I know, the top photo is a little out of focus but arguably, so was the rider.

This one was little too close for comfort.

Is it #PanShotFriday yet?

Stevie Smith (1989-2016)


Racing, at any level, holds a special sort of comradery between everyone involved regardless of rivalries. Earlier this month due to a tragic accident, the mountain bike community lost a hero far too soon. Steve Smith was the face of Canadian downhill mountain biking and played a massive influential role to countless riders here in Canada and across the world. He certainly helped shape the cycling community with his kindness, never taking any day for granted. Before the race began here in Mont Tremblant, there was a moment of silence held followed by roaring chainsaws at each end of the course in his honor. On behalf of the whole community, we'd like to extend our condolences to his family, friends, and anyone else who knew him. Rest in peace, Stevie. You will be missed. #LongLiveChainsaw

A DAY AT THE RACES
After an awkward low-speed tumble on Saturday, Kristen Courtney's day, and possibly season ended with a serious upper body injury. This also meant that we were guaranteed a new face on the top of the podium come Monday afternoon for the Women's Elite. The ladies put on a clinic piking through rocks and roots that define the Tremblant race course. Luckily, there was minimal change in track conditions throughout the weekend allowing for improvement with each and every practice lap.

Eyes on the prize for Audrée Vaillancourt (Kona/Trees/Sports aux Puces). She was looking very fast all weekend, and came through with a well earned third place!

Sarah Konefal (Laferté/Trou Du Diable) keeping it steady in the last woods. Her huge pedal effort in the upper open section might have emptied too much gas out of the tank come the final straight to the finish. Still, though, a big second place finish for her at the end of race day!

Ontario's Stephanie Denroche (Norco/C4) leaning way back as she dropped into the infamous Slick Rock section which had its way with more than a handful of riders. She would finish fourth on Monday.

Monika Luebke off the hip before the final straight.

The big winner in the women's division came in a small package. 15-year-old Skye Follas out of Ontario was fastest down the track on race day by a 2-second margin at that! She held on tight all weekend, determined to be a smooth as possible in the rougher bits of the track. This youngster is definitely one to look out for in the coming seasons!

Skye Follas, Sarah Konefal, Audrée Vaillancourt, Stephanie Denroche, and Monika Luebke closing out the top 5.

Dunbar Cycles' Trevor Thew dropping into the view. He was one of the many that made the trip from out of province.

Don't let this picture fool you, this track is mostly rock and hard packed dirt.

Etienne Heyburn thinking outside the box and going way wide, picking alternate lines in the first open section.

Jonathan Lefrancois looking to do some damage this weekend.

Kona Factory Team's Anthony Poulson getting rowdy on his way back down to earth.

Adam Robbins (Eastern States Cup North America) was absolutely pinned. He took the Junior Expert win with a time that would eventually have him sitting fifth overall in the Elite Men category!


There was a lot of talk buzzing around the pits as to who would take the win. Sam Thibault (Devinci/Major Cycles) who won here last year, was keen for a repeat performance, while his teammate Phil Ricard, fresh from a winter-long trip in New Zealand, was looking to defend his number 1 race plate. Other riders like Jonathan Lefrancois and Dunbar Cycles' Sidney Slotegraaf were also looking to get a slice of the victory cake. It was anyone's race and it made for a nail-biting countdown during Men's finals.

Sam Thibault flying into the finish area. Can he do it again?

Phil Ricard back from down under and looking to score on home soil.

However, Hugo Langevin (Cycles Performance) had an answer to every section of the course with the throttle stuck open. Langevin was a man on a mission, knocking seconds off with every practice run and building momentum. On Monday afternoon and with only one rider left to go, he hung on to his very impressive 3:06:59 time and would eventually take the overall by a clean 2 seconds and change!

Langevin in the final berm before the finish.

Hugo Langevin, Phil Ricard, Jonathan Lefrancois, Sidney Slotegraaf, and Adam Robbins for your Men's Elite podium.

Full results.

LAMA CYCLES RECAP


Lucas Rey-Sierro and Team Manager, Christophe Perreault were out hammering away at the course this weekend under the sun. Looking to put to the test his winter training, Rey Rey laid the hammer down with every lap in both practice days leading up to the race. The Lamas felt ready and had a promising outlook for Monday. Chris was first out the gate and finished respectable eighth place after spending a couple years outside the tape. Lucas was on fire during his race run hitting all his lines clean. He was ready to get on the pedals for the final straight until he caught up to another racer and struggled to make his way around. That incident held him back to a sixth place finish but he knows he'll be back up on the podium soon enough!

We'd like to invite you to meet up with our riders at Bromont Mountain, where we frequently ride, and to follow up on the team's progression throughout the season through our Website, Instagram, Twitter and our Pinkbike pages.

This huge team success is only possible with the best products, riders, and support out there.

We would like to welcome our new sponsors to the Lama Cycles team for 2016 season and to thank the rest for their significant commitment to the program. In addition to Lama Cycles distribution co. and NS Bikes, the Lama Cycles team riders are sponsored by:

Race Face, Industry Nine, FiveTen, Maxxis, 100%, AbsoluteBLACK, MRP, Thule, Bromont Mountain, Bell, Formula and Pro Circuit Endurance

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MENTIONS: @LamaCycles / @ns-bikes / @raceface / @Industry-Nine / @FiveTen / @Maxxis / @ride100percent / @BellBikeHelmets / @rideformula

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