The 31-year-old athlete still pinched himself several minutes after the race to make sure he hadn’t dreamed.
“It’s just incredible and I don’t really know how to explain this victory. I thought I had a chance after qualifying and the rain started to fall for the final. You have to believe that it was my destiny to win and it’s a great feeling.”
Troy Brosnan said he was very happy with his victory and now it’s time to go back into diapers as a new dad. (Jean Carrier/The Sun)
Brosnan says he had an advantage being the last rider of the season.
“There’s always something more you can go for when you’re the last rider down. You can go for a little more intensity than the others and when I came out of the wood section, I felt a lot of grip and I gave everything after that,” explains the champion of the day who beat Lachlan Stevens -Mcnab and Laurie Greenland.
Crowd support
The one who wears the colors of the Canyon CLLCTC Factory team also appreciated the support of the people present.
“I really didn’t expect to see so many people today. People shouted for me and it gave me energy. It was a bit stupid at the end with the whole crowd running towards me to congratulate me at the foot of the podium after the race. I was ready to defend myself if necessary.”
An interesting fact is that Brosnan won his fourth career World Cup and each time he did it as the last rider to start.
“I need to finish first in qualifying more often,” he joked in closing.
Loic Bruni celebrates his victory in the men’s downhill cumulative ranking. (Jean Carrier/The Sun)
Loic Bruni was also rewarded for his season. The Frenchman won the cumulative ranking of the World Cup.
“I wanted to win the race. There was no question of taking it easy even knowing that I already had the title in my pocket, but I had some difficulties today. I’m still very happy, it was an incredible season in my case.”
The end for a legend
This descent was also the last career race for veteran Greg Minnaar. The 42-year-old athlete, whom many consider to be the best of all time in this sport, was happy to bow out in Quebec.
“I raced here in 1998 as a junior and always loved it coming back afterwards. I’m a little disappointed with my race and I wanted to do better. People shouted loudly for me and I thank them. It’s an incredible place and when you finish here you’re going to eat poutine to finish, I’m going to miss that,” explains the South African.
The four-time world champion assures that he still has some regrets even after such a successful career.
“You always want to do better. I had a shoulder injury in 2001 and only had surgery in 2008 to fix the problem. It’s an injury that followed me throughout my twenties and I would have liked to resolve it more quickly. Downhill has changed so much since I started. We go faster with better equipment and we train much better, I’m going to be bored.”
A champagne shower for champion Marine Cabirou. (Jean Carrier/The Sun)
Unexpected victory among women
It was Marine Cabirou who won the descent on the women’s side. The Frenchwoman was obviously all smiles after winning in the last race of the season.
“I made a lot of mistakes and I didn’t expect to win. It must be said that the track was very slippery. I still rode well and it paid off in the end. I’m happy.”
A major obstacle according to the 27-year-old athlete was difficult vision during the course.
“The fog complicated things to begin with. We couldn’t see very far and it was difficult to see where we were going. It really wasn’t easy, but you just have to push through to the end. It was that type of race.”
Canadian Gracey Hemstreet achieved her first career podium. The British Columbia native finished in second place, just over a second behind the winner.
“It was my first career final and to finish second in my country is just incredible. My parents are here too and I have to say it’s really nice that they were able to see this.”
Austrian Valentina Höll finished third in the downhill. She also got her hands on the title of champion of the cumulative ranking of the World Cup.
Till Alran makes his twin brother Max pay for his victory. (Jean Carrier/The Sun)
A very special double among the juniors
It was impossible not to mention the solid achievement of the Alran family in the men’s descent to the juniors. Twin brothers Max and Till took first and second place respectively in this race to achieve the family double.
“It’s very cool and it hasn’t happened all season. I’m really happy that it’s happening here,” explains Max, who also finished first in the general classification.
The two brothers promised each other a big party this evening.
“We have to, we don’t really have a choice after our performances,” Till finishes with a smile.
The only representative from Quebec, Loick Hudon took 19th place. He was satisfied after his race.
“It was more difficult than yesterday, but I am happy with my performance. I will keep good memories and I will now rest for a few weeks before resuming training.
For the women, a similar scenario as the men occurred with Erice Van Leuven who won the event while finishing first in the cumulative ranking. Quebecer Charlie Bernard finished in seventh place.
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