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Everything you need to know about the Mont-Sainte-Anne MTB World Cup
With racing finally returning to the east coast of Canada, here's what to look out for as the world's best riders prepare to tackle Mont-Sainte-Anne.
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Over the course of its life the Mercedes-Benz UCI World Cup has seen races all over the globe, created two-wheeled heroes and produced some of the most spectacular sport the planet has ever seen. But one thing has remained constant… the terror that is Mont-Sainte-Anne.
That said we've not seen racing here since 2019 due to the Covid pandemic. Back then the venue held the World Championships. The athletes will be itching to get going again here on what is seen as the monuments of mountain biking. Here’s everything you need to know about for the cross-country and downhill racing that takes place at the classic venue.
Mont-Sainte-Anne is one of mountain biking's monuments
© Bartek Woliński/Red Bull Content Pool
01
What's the schedule for racing?
- August 5 – UCI MTB World Cup Mont-Sainte-Anne XCC
Watch the racing live on Red Bull TV from 9.20pm UTC:
- August 6 – UCI MTB World Cup Mont-Sainte-Anne DH Women's Final
Watch the racing live on Red Bull TV from 4.25pm UTC:
- August 6 – UCI MTB World Cup Mont-Sainte-Anne DH Men's Final
- Watch the racing live on Red Bull TV from 5.45pm UTC:
- August 7 – UCI MTB World Cup Mont-Sainte-Anne XCO Women's Final
Watch the racing live on Red Bull TV from 4pm UTC:
- August 7 – UCI MTB World Cup Mont-Sainte-Anne XCO Men's Final
Watch the racing live on Red Bull TV from 6.30pm UTC:
02
What's the downhill track like?
5 min
Downhill course preview – Mont-Sainte-Anne
Jackson Goldstone takes us for a ride down the freshly updated World Cup course in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada.
The downhill track is one of the great tests of the sport. Some contend that it's seen more brutal incarnations throughout the years but the modern version is still a horrifically intimidating! What makes it so hairy? Well, it’s very, very fast and very, very rough. If the riders aren’t skimming over premium Canadian dirt in the open then they’re in the woods battling rocks. The 2.9km track makes the most of the hillside by dropping over nearly 600m. The course is long and for 2022 is even longer with a new technical section added in the woods that adds around 40s to race times. Rain has affected many a races here and it can move in and out of the area in minutes.
Watch below as MyrIam Nicole explains the key sections of the 2022 course:
03
What's the cross-country track like?
The XCO track at Mont-Sainte-Anne, widely regarded as one of the most technical of the year, is being freshened up for 2022, and the news coming out of Canada is that the famous La Beatrice descent will not be part of the course for this year's World Cup race.
Find out what's in store for the athletes on the 2022 course with Emily Batty and Laurie Arseneault:
04
Where are we?
We're in sunny (mostly) Quebec on the east coast of Canada. The downhill and cross-country courses are located in the town of Beaupré, a mountain ski resort is 40km or so outside of the city itself. The mountain is part of the Laurentian chain and summits at 800m above sea level.
Welcome to Mont-Sainte-Anne
© Boris Beyer
05
What happened last time out there was a World Cup here?
The last time there was World Cup racing on the track was 2018. The women's downhill race saw a win for Rachel Atherton with Tahnée Seagrave second and Tracey Hannah third. Loic Bruni took the honours in the men's race with Troy Brosnan, second, and Danny Hart, third. Bruni also came out top on the track a year later at the 2019 World Championships while Myriam Nicole won in the women's category.
3 min
UCI DH World Cup Rd6 Mont-Sainte-Anne: Loïc Bruni race run
Watch Loïc Bruni's winning race run at Rd 6 of the UCI DH World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne on August 11, 2018.
9 min
Mont-Sainte-Anne 2018: XCO Highlight Show
A really hot day at Rd 6 of the UCI XCO World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada saw riders having to battle heat and humidity on top of a notoriously technical track.
Who to look out for in Mont-Sainte-Anne
Downhill
The women's race will probably a straight fightout between Myriam Nicole and Camille Balanche. Nicole has raced here several times, including that World Champs win in 2019, so that just about makes her favourite over Balanche, who's only previous experience of racing here was those 2019 Worlds, where she finished 17th.
For the men, Amaury Pierron won last week in Snowshoe, and wasn't even feeling 100%. A week later and feeling better he'll be hard to beat on the day, and he could wrap up the men's World Cup overall at the Canadian venue, depending on where he finishes. His fellow Frenchie Bruni will be looking for redemption following his DNF at Snowshoe.
Disappointment for Bruni in Snowshoe, who crashed on his finals run
© Bartek Wolinski/@wolisphoto
Cross-country
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