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Monster Energy / Specialized Rolls in to Pietermaritzburg

Oct 20, 2009
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<p>The Monster Energy / Specialized / Mad Catz team opened its 2011 World Cup downhill season at Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, during the weekend of April 22-24. When the dust had settled, current elite world champion Sam Hill collected a top 10 finish while reigning junior downhill world champion Troy Brosnan, with a 23rd overall, proved himself to be the fastest junior.</p><p>
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Quickest among the juniors</p><p>
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On his way to claiming the top junior spot, Brosnan put in an impressive performance when compared to the elite riders. He blazed to a 4:19.988, which put him 23rd among all the elites at 11.354 seconds off the fastest time of the day. </p><p>
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Brosnan had qualified in 24th with a time of 4:33.073, a result that seemed like a good sign of what was to come in the finals.</p><p>
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"I was confident at the start. I had warmed up well and then got into it," said Brosnan of his run in the finals. </p><p>
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"I had a killer top section and was able to hold that momentum through the middle. I pedaled as hard as I could. I kept my head down."</p><p>
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The course was a challenging one for many racers, with plenty of pedaling, especially down lower toward the finish. </p><p>
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"I found a little bit at the end to get me across the line. I was about 11 seconds off the win so I'm stoked."</p><p>
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Brosnan's performance boosted his outlook, and he is already looking forward to round two in Fort William in the United Kingdom on June 4-5.</p><p>
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The Australian raced to his fastest junior time on a Specialized Demo 8 bike. "I love my bike and couldn't ask for anything more," said Brosnan, who complimented his support crew on a fine tuning job prior to his runs.</p><p>
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A mixed day for elite team members</p><p>
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Hill was the top finisher for the team in eighth place with a time of 4:16.033, 7.399 seconds behind winner Aaron Gwin. The Australian was disappointed not to make the podium, but was happy to log a top 10 on a course that didn't play to his strengths.</p><p>
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"I had come here wanting a top five but in the back of my head, I knew if I could get a top 10 and cruise from here on, things would be looking up for the rest of the (World Cup) series, which is my goal," said Hill, who knows as well as anyone that some of his favorite courses are still to come.</p><p>
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Hill had qualified eighth in a time of 4:27.112, which was 4.954 seconds off the fastest time in that round. But in his final run, he significantly improved his time despite not having the perfect run.</p><p>
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"I started off not that flash. I hit a root and then a tree stump and then I didn't really get into it as I'd have liked to," said Hill. </p><p>
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"I was carrying good speed down at the bottom into those tabletops and I flatlined pretty much both of them, so I lost a bit of momentum for the flat bit at the end," said Hill. "Then I pedaled as hard as I could until I was about to black out, and I managed my way to the finish."</p><p>
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"I was really hoping for a podium," said Hill. "I'm pretty sure I was about a half-second or 0.6 seconds off it, which bums me out." In fact, Hill was just 0.59 seconds behind the fifth and final podium placing.</p><p>
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His top 10 result came aboard the same kind of bike as that of Brosnan - a Specialized Demo 8. "It's an amazing piece of machinery," said Hill. "It's like riding a magic carpet down the trail, it's that smooth."</p><p>
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Hill's fellow elite teammate Brendan Fairclough had a tough race in qualifying, logging a DNF that cost him an appearance in the finals.</p><p>
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"I'm bitterly disappointed. I knew this wasn't going to be my strongest race, but I've been training well in the off season and I was curious to see where I'd end up," said Fairclough. "I had wanted to carry a lot of points into the rest of the races, which I feel will be pretty good for me."</p><p>
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Things got off to a rough start early in the qualifying run. "I made a bit of a mistake up near the top. I slipped my foot off my pedals and stamped it into the floor," said Fairclough.</p><p>
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"I think I've done something to my knee. I'm not sure how bad it is, but I'm flying home on Monday and will have an MRI scan and we'll see. I'll keep everyone updated," he promised.</p><p>
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Before leaving South Africa, Fairclough had an x-ray to confirm what he'd thought: that no bones were broken. "That's a good sign though it may be something more complicated," he said.</p><p>
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Already thinking ahead, he added, "I'll go home and get physio and be back for Fort William I hope. The season is far from over. We still have five or six races on decent tracks, and I feel strong. I'll keep training and it will be good."</p>

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