Monster Energy congratulates team rider Izabela Yankova on taking second place in the Junior Women division and Troy Brosnan on Taking Third in the Elite Men at the UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada, this weekend.
MONT-SAINTE-ANNE, Quebec, Aug. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Toughest race of the season? Monster Energy congratulates team rider Izabela Yankova on taking second place in the Junior Women division at the UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada, this weekend. In the season's seventh race event, the 18-year-old from Teteven, Bulgaria, finished the freshly redesigned course in 5:16.084.
Also rising to the podium in Mont-Sainte-Anne, 29-year-old Troy Brosnan from Adelaide, Australia, claimed third place in the highly contested Elite Men division race. On a challenging course that saw several top contenders crash out of the competition, Brosnan finished the penultimate race of the season in 4:15.221.
The only Canadian tour stop on the 2022 Mercedes-Benz UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup was contested only one week after a grueling race in Snowshoe, West Virginia. Riders had minimal time to rest and recover and faced one of the season's toughest downhill courses.
Just in time for the penultimate race of the season, the beast that is the Mont Ste Anne downhill track received a facelift. The legendary wheel-eating high speed rocky sections remain in place, but a couple of fresh, long rooty sections in the woods added to the excitement and kept riders on their toes. Adding at least 15 seconds to an already exhausting track, the lengthy technical sections made sure everyone was running on empty by the time they crossed the finish line. With rain earlier in the week, race day dawned dry and dusty sending speeds higher than before and creating drama as flats and crashes marred the afternoon's racing.
In front of a high-energy crowd, Monster Energy's Izabela Yankova dropped into the Mont-Sainte-Anne DH Park fresh off a third-place finish at the World Cup in Snowshoe the previous weekend. She also won the U19 Female division race at Crankworx Innsbruck 2022 this summer.
When it came to tackling the unruly course in Canada, Yankova demonstrated skill and strategy to reach the finish line in one piece and claim a podium spot. When the dust settled, Yankova finished the track in second place with a 5:16.084 total time.
"I'm happy to be here because this track has a lot of history. It's gone well all year. Everything seems to be falling into place, I felt good, and I just tried to let it go. This track is really physical, but I wasn't as tired as I was in Snowshoe, I think it was worse just because of the mud. I think it was good for me because I'm strong and I liked it," said Monster Energy's Yankova in Canada. Looking ahead at the World Championships, Yankova added: "Les Gets is going to be exciting, I'm super happy to wear that jersey through the whole season and I hope I can do it again. Expectations are high and I'll do my best!"
Yankova is the Defending UCI MTB World Champion in the Junior Women division. The prodigy from Bulgaria currently ranks in 4th place on 2022 Junior Women division leaderboards with 245 points.
When the action moved into Elite Men division races, Monster Energy's Troy Brosnan from Adelaide, Australia, showed his grit in a podium-worthy performance. Previously, the 2022 season had proven a rollercoaster for Brosnan after serious injuries early in the season.
With Canadian Finn Iles taking the top spot, Brosnan completed the race in 4:15.221 in third place. The return to the podium arrived at the perfect moment for Brosnan with World Championships around the corner.
"It feels amazing! Getting a podium and a Top 3 feels amazing. I didn't think it would be this hard to come back from an injury and it's been so hard. I'm so stoked for myself but I'm super stoked for Finn. I can't even imagine winning at home in front of this crowd," said Monster Energy's Brosnan.
Earlier this week, overall leader Amaury Pierron crashed after losing the front end in a corner and going down in a cloud of dust. Still holding a comfortable lead in overall 2022 season leaderboards with 1245 points, it all comes down to the final race in Val Di Sole, Italy, in a few weeks for Pierron. Will the Flying Frenchman take the title?
Still leading the series in the Elite Women division with 1335 points, Monster Energy's Camille Balanche crashed hard in practice and broke her collarbone, jeopardizing her plans for securing the overall title in Italy after leading for the majority of the season. Surgery is planned for early this week.
What's next for the 2022 downhill season? The iconic track in Les Gets, France, will host the UCI MTB World Championships from 24 to 28 August 2022. Then it's time for the final showdown in Val Di Sole, Italy, on September 2, 2022. With so many titles on the line, it's going to be one for the history books!
For more on Izabela Yankova, Troy Brosnan, and our team of mountain bike athletes, visit http://www.monsterenergy.com. Also follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok for exclusive updates from the 2022 MTB season.
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About Monster Energy
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