Downhill season kicks off
The Monster Pro Downhill Series opened at Ride Rock Creek (North Carolina) with a stacked field and fast, dry runs on a technical track built by Neko Mulally. (vitalmtb.com) Full results and race recaps are live for anyone tracking spring MTB form and course tech. (vitalmtb.com)
Aletha Ostgaard won the Pro Women final in 2:05.755, edging Anna Newkirk by 0.757 seconds. (pinkbike.com)) Ostgaard overturned a deficit of just over 0.8 seconds at the second split with a faster bottom half, posting the day’s quickest times in sectors 3 and 4 to close the gap. (pinkbike.com)) Luca Shaw took the Pro Men win in 1:50.955, finishing just over a second clear of Ryan Pinkerton (+1.006) with Asa Vermette third at +2.021. (pinkbike.com)) Shaw led through the first three track sectors and stayed fastest on the upper sections, while the bottom sector was won by Dante Silva, underlining how split performance decided the podium gaps. (pinkbike.com)) Organizers reported 135 Elite Men took to the line at Ride Rock Creek, and timing notes highlighted a sharp temperature swing — seeding in the mid-80s, near-freezing overnight, then mid-50s on race day — that affected track grip and dust. (vitalmtb.com)) Round 2 of the Monster Pro Downhill Series is set for Mountain Creek, New Jersey in early May, with series coverage and points implications already shaping team strategies for the month ahead. (vitalmtb.com))
