The second round of the UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup in Fort William, Scotland, saw Sabrina Jonnier (Maxxis-Rocky Mountain) repeat as the women's champion, and take the lead in the World Cup standings over Rachel Atherton (Commencal).
"It was a long run," said Jonnier. "I hit my pedal on the top section and lost all my speed, but I knew that I could make up the difference at the bottom, so I gave it everything there. All the people cheering were amazing, and it pushed me to go harder."
The women's race was expected to be a battle between Jonnier and round one winner Atherton. Atherton had qualified first, but Jonnier has a long history of winning in Fort William, including the world title in 2007.
Fort William is one of the favourite tracks for the riders, requiring both technical skills and endurance for runs that are over five minutes for the women. It also boasts some of the largest and most enthusiastic crowds of the series, with thousands lining the course. This year, the fast upper section was made more technical, and uncharacteristically dry conditions made for a loose, dusty track that had more than a few riders washing out.
Canada's Micayla Gatto (Commencal Marzocchi Young Guns) set the first sub-5:40 minute time, to take the lead and the hot seat, which she held until Celine Gros (Morzine-Avoriaz/Haute Savoie) knocked a further four seconds off. The Junior World Cup leader Manon Carpenter was the next to take the lead, but she barely had time to settle into the Hot Seat before Canadian national champion Claire Buchar (Chain Reaction) took the leading time below 5:30.
In quick succession Mio Suemasa (Funn Bike) and world champion Emmeline Ragot (Suspension Centre) each set faster times, but it was Tracy Moseley (Trek World Racing), the 2008 Fort William champion, who set the first sub 5:20 time of 5:16:46, only to have Floriane Pugin (Scott 11) immediately overtake her by an infinitesimal two-hundredths of a second.
Jonnier was next, and completely crushed the leading time by nearly five seconds, after a powerful ride on the bottom half of the course. This is where Atherton lost the race, having the fastest second intermediate time by half a second, but losing over two seconds on the final section.
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Jonnier overtook Rachel Atherton (Commencal) for the lead in the women's series by a slim 15 points.
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