Mont-Saint-Anne – The final round of the inaugural UCI MTB World Series was here. With some overall titles already decided while others were wide open, many team’s seasons came to a thrilling conclusion in Canada. Talk about a perfect venue for a World Cup; MSA is a raw, rocky and rough place to ride bikes, with the added element of rain, which makes for insanely slick sections of track. Canadian fans showed up to all the events, cheering on their hometown heroes as those athletes competed for glory.
First up was the U23 XCC race, where Ronja Blöchlinger (Liv Racing) wrapped up her 2023 season with another win, remaining undefeated. Ronja takes the overall title and this incredible momentum into 2024. In the U23 Men, Carter Woods (GFORT) took a podium position in second place following a great race by this young Canadian.
Next, the Junior DH racers took to the track. After a fantastic year, young Valentina Roa Sanchez (Transition Factory Racing) took both the win in Junior Women and the 2023 overall title. The future looks bright for downhill!
Friday evening meant it was time for the final Elite XCC race of the year. Rebecca Henderson (PMG Racing Team) had a good outing on the bike, launching into a third-place finish on the Elite Women’s podium. The ever-consistent Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took fifth on the day, as did Scott SRAM’s Nino Schurter in the Elite Men.
With titles on the line, the final DH World Cup of the year was a memorable one. Nina Hoffmann (SC Syndicate) excelled in tough conditions, taking another second-place podium to finish a fantastic 2023 season for the German rider. Nina would place second in the overall standings on the year with fellow Maxxis athlete Marine Cabirou (Scott DH Factory) in third. On the Elite Men’s side of things, Jackson Goldstone (SC Syndicate) had the day of his life, taking his second win of the season in front of his home crowd. Jackson also ended up second in the Elite Men’s overall standings after his first Elite season.
Finally, Sunday’s XCO races wrapped up an incredible year for Maxxis athletes and teams. Ronja Blöchlinger, using the Maxxis Severe XC mud tire, catapulted to a gold medal in the U23 Women’s race, securing her SECOND overall title on the season. Luca Martin (Orbea Factory Team) finished fifth in the U23 Men. After the Elite races, Maxxis would emerge with three out of the four overall titles in the Elite and U23 categories, with Nino Schurter taking the Elite Men’s title and Puck Pieterse securing the Elite Women’s.
What a year for Maxxis’ family of teams and athletes competing in the first-ever UCI MTB World Series. Our riders embraced “Tread Victoriously” and took many wins and podiums in 2023. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2024!
