The downhill final was a chance for Aaron Gwin to win his second straight event to start the year but the winner from Lourdes was unable to do so finishing almost three seconds behind winner Loic Bruni of France. Bruni came closer to Gwin’s series lead but Gwin still leads Bruni by 28 points and leads second place Troy Bosnan by 13 points.

While Gwin couldn’t match his finish from Lourdes the other three Americans in the final all improved on their previous season high. Luca Shaw finished 13th after a 21st place finish in Lourdes while Eliot Jackson was 14th after not participating in the first event. Neko Mulally was 23rd on Saturday after a 45th place finish in Lourdes. Shaw is the only American other than Gwin in the top 25 as he sits 19th.

Sunday will be the cross-country event and six men and five women will be competing for the US. The top American finisher from last year’s series in the field on the men’s side is Stephen Ettinger who was 36th while on the women’s side Lea Davison was one of the top riders finishing third for the season. Three other Americans, Chloe Woodruff (21st), Georgia Gould (22nd), and Erin Huck (24th), finished in the top 25 last season.

Previous Mountain Bike World Cup Cairns Coverage:
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Day 1 Update