Tracey Hannah wins Fort William DH World Cup

Round 2 of the UCI Downhill World Cup saw lead changes in both the men's and women's overall standings, with Australian champion Tracey Hannah (Polygon UR) moving into the leader's jersey for Elite Women.

Tracey Hannah (Aus) Polygon UR. Source: Rob Jones

Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate) won the men, just ahead of Australian national champion Jack Moir (Intense Factory). Both Minnaar and Moir rode 29-inch wheel bikes, with this the first World Cup victory on the wheel size. 

Held in the Scottish Highlands outside of Fort William, Scotland, Fort William is a fixture on the international downhill circuit, having hosted World Cup events continuously since 2002 (except for 2007, when it was the site of the world championships). It boasts the longest course on the World

It boasts the longest course on the World Cup and requires both technical skills and the highest level of physical fitness. Rain during the week made the mid-course forest section extremely muddy and rutted, with multiple riders crashing.

The Elite women's race had an upset even before the final when world champion and World Cup leader Rachel Atherton (Trek Factory) was unable to start after dislocating her shoulder in a crash on her final training run. 

Atherton had won Qualifying and was favoured to win her 15th consecutive World Cup, however, her withdrawal opened the door for a new winner for the first time in over two years. That winner was Hannah, second to Atherton in qualifying. 

Hannah beat French rival Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Vallnord) by over 10 seconds, with Emilie Siegenthaler (Pivot Factory). She moves into the overall World Cup lead with 425 points, 90 ahead of Nicole, with Atherton dropping to third with 290 points.

"It's unbelievable," Hannah said. "I never come to Fort William expecting to beat the British riders because they are so amazing. I just can't believe it, I'm very emotional.

"Obviously I feel for Rachel ... I had to just put it out of my mind [for the run] and do the best run that I could. I had a crazy run, it was so hard; I wanted to stop pedaling but I just had to push through it."

Greg Minnaar (RSA) riding for Santa Cruz Syndicate taking his seventh win in Scotland. Source: Rob Jones

Minnaar has a exceptional history at Fort William, with this being his seventh win in Scotland. The South African also added the 20th World Cup win to his resume, the most by any male rider.

The top-3 came down to last five starters, with defending World Cup champion Aaron Gwin (The YT Mob) taking the lead with five to go, then Moir moving ahead of the American with three riders to go and, finally, Minnaar, the last starter, smashing Moir's time by nearly three seconds for the win.

With his victory, Minnaar takes the leader's jersey in the Series with 292 points, two more than Marcelo Gutierrez (Giant Factory), with Moir in third at 269 points. Australia's Connor Fearon (Kona Factory) is sixth in the standings.

"This was my toughest win here for sure," Minnaar said. "The rain was affecting my vision and I had to tear off a strip on my googles before entering the woods because I couldn't see anything.

"I took a bit of a risk going into the woods and nearly went off course, so I tried to calm it down and ride smooth to the finish from that point. When you've got the rain in your face it doesn't matter what size wheel you've got."

In the Junior categories, Matt Walker (Madison Saracen) won the men's competition, ahead of world champion and Round 1 winner Finnley Iles (Specialized). Iles continues to lead the overall standings, with 100 points to Walker's 60.

In the Junior Women, it was Great Britain's Megan James who took the win, followed by Round 1 winner Melanie Chappaz (Dorval AM Nicolai). Chappaz continues to lead with 100 points, followed by James at 60.