Photo Epic: Air Canada - Practice Day, Mont Sainte Anne DH World Cup

Jul 31, 2015
by Nathan Hughes  
A perhaps slightly more tentative start to the World Cup weekend than usual, culminated in some excellent high-speed action in the woods by end of the timed training session. Marcello Gutierrez always goes hard from the off and today set the pace with a 4:20.1 just ahead of Brosnan, Bruni, Blenki and Smith, respectively. As ever timed training (TT) doesn't tell a story with much of a take-home message, especially with main contenders like Hart, Atherton, Gwin and not least Minnaar, all taking a back seat. Rachel Atherton 'won' the women's TT by some 14 seconds, ahead of Ragot, Carpenter and Seagrave although her authority on this course is still far from a done deal; Rachel herself being first to admit to the tough physical struggles of racing this course. Tomorrow's the day a true wise man makes his call, so for now sit back, relax and enjoy some the finer moments of huck and roost from the steeps of Quebec.


It s been a wet summer on the East coast and the the woods are a thick canopy of green that will hopefully keep the rain out.
  It's been a wet summer on the East Coast and the woods are a thick canopy of green that will hopefully keep the rain out.

Rachel Atherton takes one look back before dropping in on her first run.
  Up in the iconic start hut, Rachel Atherton takes one look back before dropping in on her first run.

Will Remy Metailler burn the MSA bike park too
  Whistler boss, Remy Metailler, is in town. Will he burn the MSA bike park too?

Dropping into three plus minutes of punishing speed.
  Dropping into three plus minutes of punishing speed. Best not to over-practice on this track; it's a mighty long way and boy is it rough.

Wynn Master s styles it over the shark fin up top.
  Wyn Masters styles it over the shark fin up top.

Smith may only hold the 30 plate for this season but the man who roared to victory here in 2013 looks set for another top result with one of the fastest TT runs of the day.
  Smith may only hold the 30 plate for this season, but the man who roared to victory here in 2013 looks set for another top result with one of the fastest TT runs of the day.

A table set for afternoon tea with Hope s Craig Evans.
  A table set for afternoon tea with Hope's Craig Evans.

Dean Lucas certainly stunned us in Lenzerheide. Can he put together a repeat performance here
  Dean Lucas certainly stunned us in Lenzerheide. Can he put together a repeat performance here?

Loic Bruni was third fastest in timed training. He is definitely a favorite for a podium spot but MSA could to anyone depending on what the weather does.
  Loic Bruni was third fastest in timed training. He is definitely a favorite for a podium spot, but MSA could go to anyone depending on what the weather does.

7th in timed runs for Bernard Kerr today. He has been consistently working his way close to the top ten the past few rounds and looks on it once again here at MSA
  7th in timed runs for Bernard Kerr today. He has been consistently working his way close to the top ten the past few rounds and looks on it once again here at MSA.

Pom Pon s Commencal hovering over the rough bits.
  Pom Pon's Commencal hovering over the rough bits.

Andrew Crimmins going full Mick Fanning on the shark fin.
  Andrew Crimmins going full 'Mick Fanning' on the shark fin.

Sam Blenkinsop was on the podium here last year and is looking to be on similar form once again.
  Sam Blenkinsop was on the podium here last year and is looking to be on similar form once again.

Sam Hill is still recovering from injury but never count him out on the slopes of Mont St Anne
  Sam Hill is still recovering from injury, but never count him out on the slopes of Mont St Anne.

Josh Bryceland through the high speed woods up top. This section has been modified slightly this year but the speeds are still off the charts.
  Josh Bryceland through the high speed woods up top. This section has been modified slightly this year but the speeds are still off the charts.

The Vanzacs style is second to none both in clothing selection and corner shredding.
  The #Vanzacs style is second to none, both in clothing selection and corner shredding.

Laurie Greenland was fastest for the juniors in timed training. He had some bad luck in the early season but put that behind him in Lenzerheide. He s looking to take the leaders vest for this second half of the season.
  Laurie Greenland was fastest for the juniors in timed training. He had some bad luck in the early season but put that behind him in Lenzerheide. He's looking to take the leaders vest for this second half of the season.

Gee Atherton qualified 8th today. He has the fitness to win here now he needs a little bit of luck.
  Gee Atherton was eighth fastest. He has the fitness to win here, now he needs a little bit of luck.

Air Canada - Practice Mont Sainte Anne DH World Cup Round 5 2015
  Last year, Canadian Jack Iles rode to second place for king and country in the juniors and will now be aiming to pull out a top result in the big leagues.

Air Canada - Practice Mont Sainte Anne DH World Cup Round 5 2015
  King of whip, Bernardo Cruz, sending it through the woods.

Air Canada - Practice Mont Sainte Anne DH World Cup Round 5 2015
  Greg MacBrannigan. Williamson was out confusing everyone running Brannigan's helmet and MacDonald's jersey due to a missing suitcase.

Manon Carpenter was third fastest in timed training. The battle will be won by fitness and who can handle the constant brutality of MSA.
  Manon Carpenter was third fastest in timed training. The battle will be won by fitness and who can handle the constant brutality of MSA.

Fairclough taking good care of his hydration on track and absolutely boosting his way into the final turn of the top woods at the end of TT.
  Fairclough taking good care of his hydration on track and absolutely boosting his way into the final turn of the top woods at the end of TT.

Loris Vergier has gone top 20 and top 15 the last two races and is looking to work his way into the top 10 this weekend.
  Loris Vergier has gone top 20 and top 15 the last two races and is looking to work his way into the top 10 this weekend.

Never count Greg Minnaar out. He is loving the track and looking as fast and smooth as ever.
  Never count Greg Minnaar out. He is loving the track and looking as fast and smooth as ever.

Markus Pekoll just a blur through the woods.
  Markus Pekoll, just a blur through the woods.

Loic Bruni is on pace once again this weekend and as we have said all season is long overdue for a win.
  Loic Bruni is on pace once again this weekend, and as we have said all season, is long overdue for a win.

Few riders look like there having such a good time on track as Phil Atwill. Loose as a goose.
  Few riders look like there having such a good time on track as Phil Atwill. Loose as a goose.

Greg Minnaar wasn t the fastest man in training but we can be sure he is a contender for the win here in MSA.
  Greg Minnaar wasn't the fastest man in training, but we can be sure he is a contender for the win here in MSA.

Sam Blenkinsop boosted his way to fourth place in timed training today.
  Sam Blenkinsop boosted his way to fourth place in timed training today.

Taylor Vernon threads the needle through what is easily the oldest and least changed section of the legendary MSA track.
  Taylor Vernon threads the needle through what is easily the oldest and least changed section of the legendary MSA track.

Remember kids don t do toad. Matt Delorme is Pinkbike s own wildlife botherer.
  Remember kids, don't do toad. Matt Delorme is Pinkbike's own wildlife botherer.

We found all manner of critters out there today. Toads snakes big old beetles. MSA is crawling with critters.
  We found all manner of critters out there today. Toads, snakes, big old beetles. MSA is crawling with critters.

Marcelo keeps picking up speed. The Colombian was fastest in timed trying today. He looked most comfortable from the start of training.
  Marcelo keeps picking up speed. The Colombian was fastest in timed trying today. He looked most comfortable from the start of training.

Troy Brosnan is so light and nimble on his bike he makes this brutal track look easy. You hardly hear him coming. Brosnan was second fastest in timed training.
  Troy Brosnan is so light and nimble on his bike he makes this brutal track look easy. Brosnan was second fastest in timed training.

Tracey Hannah on the gas through the fast upper section of the course.
  Tracey Hannah on the gas through the fast upper section of the course.

Emmeline Ragot drops into the new rock section half way down.
  Emmeline Ragot drops into the new rock section half way down.

Luca Shaw looking to maintain the top 20 plate and come in fastest rider of the East coast this Saturday.
  Luca Shaw looking to maintain the top 20 plate and come in fastest rider of the East coast this Saturday.

Rachel Atherton looked flawless through the rough and technical sections and would put 14 seconds between her and 2nd place in timed training.
  Rachel Atherton looked flawless through the rough and technical sections and would put 14 seconds between her and 2nd place in timed training.

Danny Hart looked on fire today fully committed everywhere.
  Danny Hart looked on fire today fully committed everywhere.

Aaron Gwin might not have been fastest in timed training today but he is a favorite for a win here in MSA and a huge target for other racers. Will he show his cards in qualifying tomorrow
  Aaron Gwin might not have been fastest in timed training today but he is a favorite for a win here in MSA, and a huge target for other racers. Will he show his cards in qualifying tomorrow?

Reigning King of St Anne takes a walk to scope the woods at day s end.
  Reigning King of St Anne takes a walk to scope the woods at day's end.

Hill s done it all before here but whether his shoulder is back to full strength is anyone s guess at least besides those deep behind the scenes of the CRC team.
  Hill's done it all before here, but whether his shoulder is back to full strength is anyone's guess, at least besides those deep behind the scenes of the CRC team.

After looking explosive as ever in practice shock news of the day is that World Champ contender Remi Thirion may be out with an injured possibly broken ankle.
  After looking explosive as ever in practice, shock news of the day is that World Champ contender Remi Thirion may be out with an injured, possibly broken, ankle. Fingers crossed on a better prognosis for Remi!

Even with a flat tire Brendan Fairclough is entertaining to watch.
  Detonation stations on Brendan's last run of the day.

A long day of hard shred and eventually the dirt stands up by itself.
  Some beautiful dirt formations standing tall after a long day of hard shred.

Threatening clouds were hanging over head all day today and a few rumbles of thunder could be heard close by but luckily no rain fell during practice. Instead it started to rain as soon as practice finished and continued on well into the night.
  Threatening clouds were hanging over head all day today and a few rumbles of thunder could be heard close by, but luckily no rain fell during practice. Instead it started to rain as soon as the bikes were back in the pits and continued on well into the night.



Dave Trumpore • Age: 35 • Years Shooting: 4
Dave spent the bulk of the past 17 years racing professionally before realizing that despite qualifying for the random World Cup final here and there, the next generation was just way too fast and way more talented. Upon hanging up his racing boots in 2010, it would be a few years until Dave picked up a camera and started shooting the odd race here and there as a way to stay in touch with all the friends he had made over the years, and the rest as they say is history. In just a few years time his photos have graced the pages of just about every MTB magazine and major media outlet, while his commercial client list includes a who's who of the cycling industry, and he is lucky enough to shoot regularly with some of the best riders on the planet. Currently at Pinkbike, Dave shoots the Downhill WC and the Enduro World Series as well as contributing to the occasional editorial story.


Matthew Delorme • Age: 40 • Years Shooting: 8
Matthew DeLorme is just one of Pinkbike’s motley crew of World Cup Photographers. He currently lives out of a Ogio bag, and calls the road his home. Delorme works for Trek Bicycle, covering their MTB racing programs. He can usually be found laying in the dirt trackside, cracking jokes and saying things that make little to no sense. He enjoys capturing accessory moments and the journey every bit as much as catching the action shot.


Nathan Hughes • Age: 28 • Years Shooting: 2
Nathan Hughes was snared as mainstay Pinbike media crew for the 2013 World Cup season and has been trapped behind the lens and the keyboard ever since. In between the biggest bike events of the year Nathan can be found on client shoots, making far-off travel stories and trying to catch a moment to spin the pedals himself. A great appreciation of the wilderness, the fear of a normal life and the quest for the perfect picture will have him hooked and looking to raise the bar for years to come.



MENTIONS: @natedh9 / @mdelorme / @davetrump



Author Info:
nathanhughes avatar

Member since Jul 19, 2007
313 articles

83 Comments
  • 53 1
 Gee what did you do to Remi !!
  • 5 0
 i was waiting for the fist fight pics
  • 2 0
 maybe classifieds . . it'll ruin his sportsmanship
  • 2 0
 Do we have a Nancy Kerrigan - Tonya Harding situation here? Did Gee hire Jeff Gillooly?
  • 1 0
 whats with gee and remi?
  • 2 0
 whats with gee and remi?
  • 1 0
 Rumor has it that Gee broke Remi's ankle...
  • 28 0
 great pics as usual !!! how the hell can Brandog ride with a bottle in his.... WTF !!
  • 10 0
 I bet lot of people will sell their hydratation pack, lol.
  • 4 1
 I can vouch that you don't notice it riding down, and even riding up having a bottle in your shorts isn't uncomfortable
  • 8 0
 If you race if Fontana everybody does that
  • 13 0
 Ass hydrated as you can be....
  • 14 0
 Definitely carrying a butt load of water.
  • 2 0
 If he was sponsored by the big s he could run swat bibs
  • 27 1
 Any chance redull could start filming the qualies? It would be a little more entertaining saying its such a short season.
  • 2 0
 100%
  • 5 0
 Wouldnt even bother me if it was "Beta" test for real broadcast...
  • 1 0
 Indeed... Even just one camera at the bottom to see the timings as they cross the line would be better than watching the UCI website.
  • 1 1
 Thinking about it, riders could see eachothers lines. Not sure how that would turn out... bad qualifyings? They still have points to grab.. Dilemma!
  • 21 0
 If Gwin will break another frame in his race run and still win, i will be amazed.
  • 5 5
 Frame? You mean chain, right?
  • 17 1
 No, he broke his demo during timed training
  • 4 2
 Chains can break but frames, uh no. Not good for spez.
  • 3 0
 @mate1998 Dude, give us some links. Please Smile
  • 4 14
flag torero (Jul 31, 2015 at 3:58) (Below Threshold)
 Yes, Demo is a shit bike.
  • 2 11
flag scotttherider FL (Jul 31, 2015 at 4:09) (Below Threshold)
 No demo is a race run bike....run it for one run then repeat with a new frame...
  • 10 0
 Protour comment in 3,2,1......
  • 3 2
 can someone explain me once for all what is this protour thing ? Smile (sorry)
  • 2 5
 carbon bikes = plastic bikes nowadays
  • 6 1
 Protour is the master PB troll of the Demo. He always has a rant ready about how the Demo is shit and Spesh have no clue what they're doing.
  • 2 0
 Few people wrote this under the Timed Training results article. If they are legit, photos were deleted as Spesh ask the media to shut their mouth about what happened. Unfortunate to them is that i have a friend who broke his demo 2 weeks ago on the National Championship right where the other tube is missing so i believe all the stories about this case.
  • 4 1
 I think Protour has retired from PB
  • 2 0
 nah he is here, have no fear
  • 4 0
 If this really happened, I get why spec doesn't want it coming out but a the same time isn't Gwin on a custom frame with custom parts? In other words, I think most reasonable people would say yeah Gwin is pushing the bike to the absolute max and on frame that is testing the limits. This is a good thing. Spec may have found the limit, which then allows them to make changes to the production bike so us Joeys here are on something solid...

Bikes break. The good companies are the one's that don't have bikes break a lot and when they do handle it quickly and fairly with their customers. Having worked in warranty, I can say that spec is one of the best in this area
  • 5 0
 he's still here, but he's aware of how foolish he keeps making himself look when he tries to bash the Demo but it continues to win world cups and sit atop the overall. Nearly all of the frames and suspension elements (and many other components) on the world cup circuit are ones you cannot buy in the store. They'll look the same but are either lighter or tweaked in some way to squeeze out more performance rather than be burlier for repeated use. If something should fail during a WC race it is not necessarily indicative of the quality of products that are available to you.
  • 2 0
 aah so protour is/was a user!! I'm lightenend
  • 14 1
 @RedBurn Protours fame began in 2013 when Gwin was seriously sucking, and many were blaming the Demo, just like what happened to Hill. Protour speculated that the chainstays on the demo (they were like 420mm on that model, very short) were too short for Gwin, making him feel like hes hanging off the back rather than being on the bike. Everyone gave Protour hate. A week later, Gwin was on a prototype bike with... longer chainstays, and in and interview said pretty much exactly what Protour said. Protour rode this wave of fame, and began his hate on the demo. It quickly turned ridiculous, and here we are today. Protour is probably the most famous person on pinkbike after @WAKIdesigns
  • 12 0
 @hamncheez wow. Incredible recap. You should probably be the PB forums historian...
  • 7 2
 Hamncheez is a filthy capitalist, Friedmanist, lover of free markets and banking. Protour's fame started with Lance Armstrong confession when he speculed that Gwin left Trek as a sign of protest
  • 12 0
 Brendog and Wyn seem to be in the form of their lives, I would be so psyched to see them in the top 10. I do not think Loic will get his first win here but probably podium. I think it is much more likely for Loic to win at Windham, in fact I am expecting it. Place bets here...
  • 3 0
 Brendan has been absolutely shreding.If he goes nuts tomorrow then i belive he can even get into top 5...
  • 2 0
 Brendog is getting lot faster this year, its because of mullaly, Claudio said
  • 1 0
 Yeah thats true,Mullaly is a fast rider and that motivates Brendan to train harder and go faster.Mullaly has not had a really good season so far,but I think its beacause he´s in a new team and on a new bike,it akes some getting used to Smile
  • 9 0
 It must be the twentieth time I've heard "never count Greg Minnaar out" this season alone. We know - we don't count him out...
  • 8 0
 hill for the win!!!! go stevie!!!!!
  • 5 1
 Are you Jeremy Clarkson in disguise....rooting for Smith to maintain your cover.....come back to Top Gear man I miss you
  • 3 1
 Haven't you heard the news? The boys signed with Amazon
  • 1 0
 That's great news
  • 8 0
 Fairclough should register a patent and name it "Buttle".
  • 9 1
 Remy for the win!!!
  • 6 0
 such a shame if he's going to miss world champs in Andorra
  • 10 0
 You guys talking about the same?
Rémi Thirion
Rémy Metallier
  • 1 1
 Metallier
  • 1 1
 will be good to see him up against the best, put the speculation to rest
  • 3 0
 Even if he had the pace and fitness, he has to learn an incredibly technical track in just a few runs (probably for the first time ever). I don't think it will happen
  • 1 1
 But what a sight it would be
  • 5 1
 Stop calling everything 'Photo Epic'... call it 'More epic than a photo epic'. because the standard of your photos is raising the bar
  • 6 0
 Did Gwinn break his bike? Someone put some pics or links up
  • 3 0
 yes, pics!
  • 6 0
 "Timed trying". Lol
  • 5 1
 Gee qualified 8th before his qualifying run, that's on par with winning without a chain!
  • 3 0
 it does not need any natural disaster to destroy a berm, loose the Dawg! and brace yourself!
  • 6 2
 Interested to see how Remy Metailler gets on.
  • 6 6
 He should totaly do Rampage
  • 4 1
 i really wanna watch remy metailler ride...agressive riding...
  • 2 0
 Has he never raced WC?
  • 2 0
 First World Cup according to his interview on WynTV.
  • 3 0
 I'd love to se brendog or danny on top of the podium! They deserved it like nobody else!
  • 3 1
 Waiting warner voice saying on blenki race "HE'S UP , HE'S UP " go angry kiwi !!!
  • 1 0
 Would love to see blenki stomp it!
  • 3 0
 How much longer till qualifying starts?
  • 3 0
 so freakin excited for the race!!!
  • 3 0
 This bug probably has the most grip!
  • 1 0
 What's the best time of a racing weekend to try and get a chat with a ryder.. Lets say Sam Hill for example ??
  • 1 0
 out of all of those riders brendog looks like he is having the most fun ! !
  • 1 0
 Are kona riders on the new 2016 aluminum operators? It looks like crimmins is on one in the picture.
  • 1 0
 Yeah Crimmins definitely is in that pic.
  • 2 4
 Yep because the carbon ones break.
  • 2 0
 GO MARCELO GOOOOOOOOO!
  • 1 0
 Am i the only one who thinks that Rachel's photo is the best?
  • 4 3
 hahahha brendog with his waterbottle in the ass hahaha
  • 1 1
 will markus pekoll e ver do so decent result in a XC ? he lives behind the top 15 pretty much every time
  • 1 0
 So many cool shots, the one of Emmeline is perv worthy







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