The main downhill race in Mont Saint Anne, Canada, produced an old winner. Former scene dominator and multiple world champion Sam Hill celebrates his comeback on the top step of the podium with a great run. However, there is plenty of excitement early on in the race, as some of the top drivers start earlier than usual due to mediocre qualifying results. Loic Bruni starts 18th last as a contender for victory. The young Frenchman promptly snatches the best time from his compatriot Rémi Thirion. After this change in the lead, the finish area is quiet again for the first time, as none of the following riders can match the top time. Only Gee Atherton (GBR) made things exciting again, but narrowly missed out.

Shortly afterwards, it was the reigning world champion Greg Minnaar (RSA) who ousted Bruni from the throne. Then it goes in quick succession. First New Zealander Samuel Blenkinsop, then Brit Danny Hart and shortly afterwards Australian Sam Hill set the fastest time. Hill's time is worth sixth place at worst, as there are still five top-class downhill riders at the start. However, one after the other, one after the other, the best time is being scratched and the spectators' eyes are on the last rider. Josh Bryceland won the fourth World Cup race in Leogang and is therefore at the top of the list of favorites here too. At the first intermediate time, the Brit is twelve hundredths of a second ahead of Hill. After that, Bryceland's riding style became more chaotic, which resulted in him falling behind at the second split time and crossing the finish line in second place.

For Sam Hill, this is not only the long-awaited first World Cup victory since 2009, Mont Saint Anne has always been one of Hill's favorite courses. The Australian last won his last major race at the World Championships at the same venue in 2010. "I can't even describe this moment yet. It's been a long road back to the top since then. I was really worried in the last five minutes when rider after rider came so close," said a visibly relieved Hill.

Swiss on the road to recovery
Nick Beer has not yet been able to build on his previous performances. The reigning Swiss champion started the season in impressive form. However, a crash at the World Cup opener threw Beer off track and it seemed as if nothing was going to work out. Now the man from Bern is back on the rise with a solid 19th place - despite a cold. "The run was good, but pretty close to the limit. You can't take too many risks here, otherwise you'll crash. Now it's about taking as much as possible from here and taking the next step next week in Windham," explains Beer, who already finished fifth and sixth there in 2011 and 2012.

Noel Niederberger, who started his first elite season with even more difficulties than Beer, is also performing well. With his confidence boosted by some top results in smaller racing series, Niederberger finished in 39th place. This means that the number two Swiss downhiller is well on his way to even better results.