The top women this weekend were on fire.  They were smashing sections with aggression, hitting the 60′ jump at the bottom, and just killing it in general.  I thought I’d give them their own post, because frankly they deserve the separate recognition with a limelight, instead of the bottom dregs of the typical race report.  I am constantly impressed with the progression in the women’s field.  The caliber of riding has increased ten-fold in recent years, and the competition is fierce.  For a little while, a couple of the girls seemed to have their own 3-person race each weekend, but now, there is a whole roster of faces knocking on the door for the win.  It’s exciting, and I’m keen to see how the rest of the season plays out.

Emmeline Ragot is still in school finishing her degree, but the extra work doesn’t seem to be slowing her down in the least.

Morgane Charre is a World Champion, but has yet to win a World Cup.  The focus in her eyes each weekend shows she is capable, and it’s only a matter of time before she’s on the top step.
It was Tracey Hannah’s birthday this weekend, but she abstained from cake and ice cream, and instead she smashed this section while looking like she was going to scare the course into moving out of her way.

Rachel Atherton, diving into the last gnarly section on the way to another win.

Casey Brown is hilarious.  I showed her this photos and she said, “Oh, yeah…I was asleep my whole run, that’s why I didn’t do well…”  I think she’s being modest about her Jedi skills. @caseybrowntown

Manon Carpenter has had a tough year, considering she is reigning World Champion and World Cup Champion from 2014.  She’ll be back on form in no time though,

Emily Steigenthaler is back on from with a 4th this weekend after sitting out most of last year with an injury.  Now healed and on a new team, we’re excited to have the Swiss Missile back on track. 

Jill Kintner showed up without support to this race and smashed out a 5th.  A great result for her, and a solid showing for American women!  I for one hope to see more of Jill at the World Cup rounds.

Tahnee Seagrave has been showing promise for many years, and now it’s all coming to fruition; two 2nd place finishes back-to-back, she is now aiming for the #1 spot.