Race Day Action from the Cairns World Cup DH

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Loic coming to grips with the semi slick he chose to run today on his last practice run. Yesterday this section was slimy and muddy but by the time racing started it had changed to dust. He pushed back up and hopped this root over the log and into the right-hander. Making adjustments this late in the game is part of adapting and racing and it paid off. -Sven Martin

Long time coming after so many 2nd places and crashing while ahead at the splits. Loic's maiden World Cup win will surely be remembered as it was deservedly earned by beating worthy, in-form competitors. Even the local Aussie fans who had their two riders bumped back a spot on the podium were equally happy for Loic. -Sven Martin

Rachel Atherton continues to dominate the female field with an impressive 28th World Cup DH win. Soon people will only be kicking up a fuss if she loses. -Duncan Philpott

Elite Women's podium. @maddogboris

Troy Brosnan railing a perfectly tacky berm while Tarzan hangs from some twirly vines. -Sven Martin

Tracey Hannah 2nd at every split, low and tucked just like her brother. -Sven Martin

Consistent speed all the way down the track earned Matt Walker the Junior win today. -Duncan Philpott

Mick Hannah came and conquered, no matter what the condition. Slippery tech and wet he was fast. Dry and perfect ,he was still just as solid. Good to see him back and his 3rd place will surely boost his confidence. -Sven Martin

Gwin giving it his all on the long sprint out of the jungle. A few-hundred-meter flat sprint after an exhausting run was the final test. 4th place, retaining the World Cup lead. -Sven Martin

Josh Button Aussie as, bro. -Sven Martin

Harry Bush in one of the "hairier" sections near the bottom. 2nd place for the quick Aussie junior. No one ended up gapping all the way to the off-camber in the end. One more dry practice day and I think we would have seen it. -Sven Martin

Manon Carpenter was pinned all weekend and earned her 3rd place. @maddogboris

Remdawg Morton finished 2nd in the Junior class...with a crash! @maddogboris

George Brannigan pulling on the bars for maximum pedalling power over the roller on the way to the finish. Less than a second off the podium. -Sven Martin

Happiness all around with today's results. -Sven Martin

Loris Vergier less than 0.3 sec off the podium. 7th place for friend and team mate of Loic. -Sven Martin

Aussie ripper, Graeme Mudd, has paid his dues. He is used to working some tough physical jobs to pay for his racing. Expect to see more of this surprise Top 10er as he will be racing the rest of the World Cups this year. -Sven Martin

Eliot Jackson finally made it to the main event here and smashed it home to 14th place. Third-fastest American right behind Luca Shaw. -Duncan Philpott

Stevie Smith showed his wheelie skills and manualed to the finish line out of the woods. A front flat early on ruined his day. @maddogboris

Elliott Heap flying low and fast during his race run. -Sven Martin

GT continuing the tradition with an open-invite BBQ for all. #beerandmeats -Sven Martin

Morning prep for both Joe and Rachel. Some brake tuning and some yoga stretching. -Sven Martin

Morgan Charre on the podium this weekend. "Flat pedals win medals" rings true for the women, too. -Sven Martin

Trek Factory Racing security system. -Sven Martin

Eddie talks about race day ESKI prep. Factory. -Sven Martin

Tahnee Seagrave couldn't match her speed from the last round and took the 4th spot. -Duncan Philpott

Connor Fearon reversed his splits from yesterday, setting a blistering pace at the top only to lose time and wind up 12th. -Duncan Philpott

Loic finally avenged, although it could bemore like eightfold if anyone is counting. -Duncan Philpott

Remi Thirion coming closer to his normal form with a solid 10th place. @maddogboris

What a ride from Josh Button! His last World Cup finish was a 19th back in 2012 and today he wound up 5th after a very long sit in the hot seat. -Duncan Philpott

Loic's mechanic, Jack stoked! @maddogboris<br />

You can't see the crowd for the dense jungle canopy. -Duncan Philpott

As Troy crosses the line, losing his advantage on the pedal section, Loic can't contain his excitement. -Duncan Philpott

Rachel takes good care of the other women pre-podium. Makeup and mirror on hand!. -Duncan Philpott

That first world stage win is an infectiously happy feeling. -Duncan Philpott

It's not often that rainbow stripes are used as a stepping stone to the first World Cup win. We all know Loic definitely had this one coming for a while! -Duncan Philpott

Team overall selfies don't need that Loic Bruni dude. -Duncan Philpott

Yeahyeahyeah! The moment when Loic crossed the finish line and won his first World Cup! @maddogboris

Alex Marin getting extra low on the final stretch to the finish line. -Sven Martin

Troy Brosnan gave everything and was totally done after his finish sprint. He missed the win by only .493 seconds. @maddogboris

Gwin is not unbeatable! The season will be fire fight. @maddogboris

5th place Lourdes finisher, Amaury Pierron, is still smiling even with two broken wrists. Legend. @maddogboris

Post-race fun with Manon and Tahnee! Oh what a feeling. @maddogboris

#vanzacs super support crew! @maddogboris

Vital is proud to call them before the race happens. Hanging out with Josh Button the other day, then featuring him in all the shows. Keep it going Josh! -Sven Martin

Too hot to touch! -Sven Martin

Stoked! Rachel and her winning bike. Will Boris make it out of Australia? @maddogboris

YES! Three Aussies, a Frenchy and the American. The World Cup continues to surprise and entertain us. -Sven Martin [Vital thanks Sven, Duncan and Boris for their ability to capture the spirit of World Cup DH and to avoid being eaten by spiders. YEWW! See you in Fort William!]

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The Top 3 Elite Men separated by less than a second, another impressive win in the Women's field, huge spiders, perfect racing conditions and locals on the podium...the World Cup DH in Cairns, Australia delivers. Go deep into the racing with photos and rider interviews by Sven, Duncan and @maddogboris!

Vital thanks Sven, Duncan and Boris for their ability to capture the spirit of World Cup DH and to avoid being eaten by spiders. YEWW! See you in Fort William!