The Syndicate made a great showing at the Nissan UCI World Cup Downhill race today at Mt. Ste. Anne, Quebec, Canada, with Steve Peat placing 3rd and Nathan Rennie in 6th.
These two riders held the 1st and 3rd place race split times at 2:11.48 for Peat and 2:12.20 for Rennie (Hill 2nd fastest split at 2:11.48),. But the race didn't end halfway down the course, so on the bottom half of the track they made some mistakes. Sam Hill takes the win; Greg Minnaar comes second even when his trick shoulder popped out on the way down the track.
The racing was exciting and with Rennie on track coming into the home stretch, Peter Graves, the voice of mountain biking, announcing Rennie as the "Gentle Giant" Rennie took the hot seat. Rennie said, "I'm happy to have a good, solid run." The excitement grew in the crowd as the last rider down, Peat posts the fastest split time, but Peat struggled in the bottom half and came into the tabletop jump in too hard of a gear and crosses the line in 3rd. Peat says of his run, "I qualified good and knew I had a few seconds to play with. But in my run I rode awkward, struggling to keep speed, which was crucial, where in qualifying I was smooth and flowing." Hill moves into the overall point's lead, Steve drops to 2nd, Rennie moves to 11th.
Here's how the week went:
It wouldn't be a Syndicate Mt. Ste. Anne experience without the annual trip to the local kart track. We planned to go straightaway after day one practice. We were excited to join in a group that made the race a 28-person field! After a 10 minute qualifier, Steve Peat qualified fastest, Jared Rando second, Amiel Cavalier third, and myself 4th! I was stoked, but then I spun out in the first lap taking out Mike Redding (Troy Lee Designs). What a blonde moment.
Anyway, 20 minutes later Peat emerges victorious winning the grand prize put up by the cyclists in attendance, which was one whole beer!
Practice went well for Peat and Rennie, but they were not immune to the wheel-chewing course, keeping Syndicate mechanics, 'Hatrick' and Rick, flat out. They praised the DT Swiss wheels, "I'm in awe that we didn't flat with all the abuse the wheels took!" said Hatrick. And about the track conditions, Peaty has this to say, "They made the track easier, but it is still quite hard to ride, but it definitely still has the typical Mt. Ste Anne fun. One crucial thing on this track is making sure you have the right line to stay away from the sharp rocks. Going one inch left or right can make the difference between getting a flat or not (which are seen in abundance here). The Santa Cruz V-10 and RockShox suspension works so well to get you over things on this course." Rennie said, "This is my 10th time here and I like it. There are some sections that get me excited and I've got a grin from ear to ear. Today in practice I hit every section at 100%, so I feel prepared."
Qualifier just ended and Peat is on top with a time of 4:32.85 , collecting top qualifier points, Sam Hill is 2nd with a 4.:33.53, 0..68 behind Peat, and Greg Minnaar 3rd with a 4:35.59 Rennie icomes in with a 4:39.08 for 7th. With 4 and a half hours until they start they are relaxing, and napping. (Now, back to the top of this report)
As always, the organizers of this event, GESTEV, lead by Patrice Drouin, Chantel LaChance and Lisa Linton have delivered another fantastic race experience. I must go on about the VIP hospitality area, the parties that entertain each night, capped off with the best party, the all night long Blu Neit, which is yet to come in a few hours. Clearly this venue rocks, the hotels and condos are on site, the courses are brilliant, and the organizers pull out all the stops to make sure that everyone has a great experience.
PRO MEN'S FINAL RESULTS:
1 HILL Samuel AUS 4:29.58
2 MINNAAR Greg RSA 4:31.27
3 PEAT Steve GBR SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE 4:31.30
4 LEHIKOINEN Matti FIN 4:33.00
5 BAREL Fabien FRA 4:34.64
6 RENNIE Nathan AUS SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE 4:34.70
7 LEOV Justin NZL 4:37.26
8 BEAUMONT Marc GBR TEAM MBUK SANTACRUZ 4:38.07
www.santacruzbicycles.co.uk
