Photo Epic presented by Five Ten
And though you fight to stay alive, your body starts to shiver; for no mere mortal can resist, the evil of the thriller. What a finale it was here for the fourth and final of the curtailed Covid series. We were lucky on many counts to see these races through and to top it off, today's final had those 'miracle feels' of Mont Sainte Anne 2017; one of those awe-inspiring races where it seemed all was lost when the weather struck, but a couple of (super) heroes prevailed against the odds.
Man of the match, young privateer from Scotland, Jamie Edmondson, took to the hotseat early on after a dubious qualifying run yesterday. 10th place at the last round was all the warning he could offer top riders as they tried time and again to challenge his time as the heavens opened at the top of the course turning trust into treachery. Consistency king, Troy Brosnan, was the first to show that we might still have a race on our hands, rather than some damp squib to fizzle out in the rain and from there, the Goat, the man in the white vest and Super Bruni himself all had their say.
The women's race was no less exciting, although unaffected by conditions, as we saw Marine Cabirou attacking like never before. She destroyed the pedalling sections and pinned the rest to storm the final round of the season, much as she did at Snowshoe '19. It would be enough to steal the leaders vest back from Myriam Nicole and reign supreme. In the juniors, Dante Silva of the USA took his first win, while UK youth, Ethan Craik, claimed the overall title. World Champ, Lauryne Chappaz took top spot in the junior women, but couldn't stop Leona Pierrini from holding steady for the series.
Lousã delivered everything and more; an amazing course and unpredictable racing that tested riders to their tactical and physical limit. It was one hell of a double-header event. A real Halloween thriller.
Media log, day 127. All involved are pretty shattered. On the plus side, the weather is holding up nicely.
Racing in autumn brought us nice cool temps on the hill and pretty colours, but the weather certainly did play a cruel role in the series.
Hi ho Silva, away! Dante of San Diego takes his first World Cup win in the junior men.
Third place for Belgian up-and-comer, Van Der Velden.
A heroic home-soil performance from Goncalo Bandeira taking second here in Portugal.
Junior Men's podium Lousa WC Round 4.
Second today for Spain's Aina Gonzalez Grimau.
Lauryne Chappaz riding the loam rollercoaster to 1st place by more than 5 seconds.
An awesome ride this week for Ethan Craik who secured the Junior overall and a third in today's final.
A narrow clinch of the overall for British junior, Ethan Craik.
The junior lady victors of WC round 4.
The 2020 season overall winner Leona Pierrini.
Just another day between the tape for Tracey Hannah, out here making the most of her last World Cup.
Top qualifier, Tahnee Seagrave, ready to drop bombs.
Despite riding 5 seconds faster today than her qualie run, the victory somehow slipped out of Seagrave's grasp.
Fair play to Tahnee Seagrave getting down the mountain in third. A good result to end the season on her road to recovery.
Fifth on the last 2020 hurrah for Monika Hrastnik.
One last time for Lil Trace.
Tracey Hannah would have been on to yet another podium to round out her fantastic career, but instead a big tumble entering the finish area would be her acrobatic final salute.
Back on the bike and across the line, Tracey signs off from a legendary career of racing World Cups.
No peak, no problem. Stoked on her cashroll attempt, Tracey Hannah was all smiles waiting for the rest of the women to come down.
Myriam Nicole's winning race run from Round 3 was a thing of beauty, but today succumbed to mistakes she couldn't afford to make.
All green for Myriam crossing the line, but then she started 2nd in the race due to her qualifying crash. She'd finish her day in fourth.
German DH sensation and winner of Round 3, Nina Hoffmann, getting the legs primed for the savage pedal.
Hoffmann has had quite the season and surely would have done more if it wasn't cut short. She's more than proven her worth going into 2021.
Marine Cabirou crushed it at this final stop, reminiscent of her Snowshoe performance to round out the 2019 season.
All the fitness and finesse to take the win on this tough, tactical track, and with that, the overall title.
Impressive splits from Cabirou who seemed to be getting faster as her run wore on.
Well earned. Cabirou gave everything for her run, pedalling for her life here, there and everywhere.
The fastest women of Lousa WC round 4.
A win and the women's elite overall for Cabirou. That's a damn fine way to end the season.
Worlds 2020 silver medalist, David Trummer, gets in the zone with YT Mob mechanic, Ben Arnott.
9th for Trummer to round out a few very strong showings this short year.
Joe Breeden has been a pretty low-key member of the UR team up until now. Cracking your first top 10 and on a track like this is surely a special feeling.
Young UK talent, signs off the season showing his great potential with a banger run
The not so 'local', local boy, Angel Suarez had high hopes coming into this race and off the back of a 7th place in Maribor.
A podium sure would have been nice, but 8th is no bad score for Spain's fastest export.
So there is hope! Troy Brosnan was the first of the big names to get out of the red crossing the line after the rain.
Absolutely bullet-proof in Maribor, Lousa would be Loris Vergier's undoing and he was forced to surrender the 1 plate at close of play.
What a day for bike-handing behemoth, Phil Atwill, piloting the 26 plate onto the last step of the podium.
Phil freakin' Atwill ladies and gents. Privateer mode engaged and straight into 5th place at the final opportunity.
Staying in the top 10, Thibaut Daprela has had a great first elite season. 2021 is looking damn bright so far.
Warning shots were fired here in Round 3, but who would have predicted privateer, Jamie Edmondson, would spend the entire afternoon in the hotseat, before landing his first-ever World Cup podium here in Lousa.
Wild-card, rising-star, Edmondson, in the final moments of a masterful run. The weather gods may have favoured him, but rest assured there is no shortage of raw talent here.
Matt Walker. Such speed, so consistency... The World is impressed and hails its new leader.
Walker has officially cemented himself as a threat to the top dogs in the field and he's only getting started. A strong third for him and with that, the overall title.
The first to dethrone Edmondson from the hot seat... 30 riders later.
Man. Machine. Goat. Greg Minnaar opens up the airways at the top of the track.
Had Minnaar not banged his head on the start hut, that 0.17 handicap might have disappeared, but what good are these 'what ifs' in racing?
Full-gas, canonball mode for one of the tallest in the game and straight into the hot seat with just one man left on the mountain.
Minnaar was set for the two for two once he crossed the line. Only one man remained to drop in.
We got glimpse real fire from Loic Bruni for qualifying last time in Maribor, but today would be that next level Super Bruni.
This track wasn't the easiest for Loic to figure out. He played with line options and was patient during training, testing what was best for him.
Do your homework, kids. There's a lot more to it than simply smashing down the track.
The animal that is Bruni soaring into the finish arena. He achieved what he came here to do and he did it in explosive fashion.
Compulsive viewing as Bruni goes red on the middle splits.
Victory by a hair's bredth; 0.17 seconds.
No caption needed.
And the 2020 overall starts to sink in for Matt Walker.
After losing his beloved stripes in the Leogang mud, and such a narrow defeat to Loris Vergier in Maribor, super Bruni is back on top.
Not a bird, not a plane.
Jamie Edmondson in utter disbelief of what he just accomplished.
Legends of Lousa WC round 4...
Matt Walker hits the showers.
Win or lose...
The 2020 WC season overall womens champs.
Little Trace takes the top spot in the Champagne champs.
The way in ended; Elite Men's overall podium 2020
Make no mistake, there's a new kid in town. Matt Walker knows a thing or two about putting down quality runs and no messing in between.
A bit of a corker, indeed.
Legendary Lousa. Let's hope for a return to this multi-line beauty of natural madness before too long.
Surely this isn't a full farewell to absolute MTB legend and all round excellent human, Tracey Hannah.
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53 Comments
Fingers crossed the World Cup returns soon and with the biggest piece of the puzzle missing: We,the portuguese fans!
Thank you to the VitalMTB Squids @danhearn @maddogboris @svenmartin Pinkbike Squids @andy9 @nathanhughes also Seb "The Hof"
All of you are as important to the sport as the riders. Keep safe, smile, and don't stay up to late editing photos. Perfection can wait.
Does anyone know why Bruni is wearing a black arm band (usually a sign of mourning)? I think he even pointed to it during the improv podium when he got 3rd place in race one.
Thank you for taking the time to reply.
Scroll down to view or slide show click through?
Maybe do a reader poll to see what people prefer?
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