Race Report: Canada Cup Round 1 - Mont Tremblant, QC

The first round of the Canada Cup series went down last weekend in Mont Tremblant, QC, marking the official start of the 2015 race season. The racers were greeted by iffy weather during Saturday's practice time as periods of rainfall transformed packed dirt into ruts slowing things down. Thankfully, the sun rose and so did the pace for the rest of the event, which made for a great weekend of racing. In classic Tremblant fashion, the course, and most notably the 'Slick Rock' upper rock section, was taking chunks out of derailleurs and chain guides. The old school track brings both mountain bikers and tourists alike every year to the Tremblant venue as it takes place during a long weekend and as a result, curious herds unloading from coach buses armed with humungous DSLRs crowd the pits every so often asking endless questions regarding the bikes and sport.

You weren't getting by her without a number plate. Time to hike the course!

The Weather Network app was going bananas trying to figure out Mother Nature.. We just had to wait 'n' see.


Puddle Jumping.

A common occurrence. If you made it out rubber side down, consider yourself lucky!


FOR THE LADIES

The Women's Elite category was limited in riders however still an exciting battle to watch. The ladies tackled the terrain, running non-stop practice laps eager to tame the course. After the dust settled, Kristen Courtney (Adrenaline/Giant/Liv) from Ontario took the top spot on the podium, followed by Quebec's Audrée Vaillancourt and Maria Darquier racing out of British Columbia. The podium also included Genevieve Baril and Catherine Harnden, finishing 4th is 5th on Monday.

Kristen Courtney putting in the wattage on the final straight.

Audrée negotiating lines in the upper woods.

BC's Maria Darquier dancing through the 'Disco Rock'.

Catherine Harnden | Genevieve Baril.



WEST SIDE

Sidney Slotegraaf.

Remi Gauvin.

Regardless of the scheduling conflict with the NW cup out west, there were still a few heavy hitters from outside of the province. Sidney Slotegraaf and Remi Gauvin (both above), finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively in the Elite Men's category, made the trek east for this race. Also from out of town, Bas Van Steenbergen and Rob Fraser slipped into the top 10 with a 4th and 6th place finish.

Rob Fraser navigating.


A MAJOR WIN

Sam Thibault (Banshee/Major Cycles) spent the winter away from the cold Quebec snow training hard for the 2015 season. He had been looking quick and confident all weekend long on his new bike storming through the rocky track. All that hard work payed off come race day as he took 1st place by a whopping 4 seconds!


Rock garden? What rock garden?

Champagne showers on the Elite Men's podium.


LAMAS ON THE LOOSE


The Lama Cycles race team was out full force this past weekend on the track. The winter training had been proving well with the crew and they were ready to take on between the tape. The bigger wheel size of this year's NS Fuzz team bikes seemed to be doing its job through the baby heads and rutted ground. The Lamas were looking fast, carefully choosing their lines, searching for extra seconds. At the end of Monday's final, our U17 ripper, Lucas Rey-Sierro took the top step! The newest recruit, Liam Rourke, soon after crossed the line good enough for a solid 5th place result in the Junior Expert class. Finally, Phil Ricard, racing Elite Men, nailed his sneaky line in the upper woods but with some trouble later on course, he placed a respectable 10th. All three team mates are hungry for more and now with about a month until the next race, training will be the number one priority.

Phil Ricard full torque.

Lucas Rey-Sierro focused on the finish line.

Liam Rourke splashing through the upper woods.





Make sure the check out the rest of the PHOTO ALBUM from the event!

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

We invite you to meet up with our riders at Ski Bromont, 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 2015 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 are sponsored by:
RaceFace, Dainese, FiveTen, Maxxis, Industry Nine, Formula Brakes, Spy Optic, MRP, Bell Bike Helmets, Manitou Suspension, Maxima, Ski Bromont, Pro Circuit, Thule, NSK and Thomas&Betts.

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MENTIONS: @LamaCycles, @ns-bikes, @FiveTen, @Maxxis, @BellBikeHelmets, @ManitouSF

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