Troy Brosnan Takes Second Place | UCI MTB World Cup Fort William, Scotland

The 2024 downhill mountain bike World Cup is on a roll! Monster Energy congratulates team rider Troy Brosnan on taking second place in the Elite Men division at the 2024 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Fort William, Scotland. In the first race of the season, the 30-year-old from Adelaide, South Australia, took the win with a 4:06.104finish time. He was joined on the podium by 27-year-old Monster Energy team rider Luca Shaw from Hendersonville, North Carolina, in fifth place.

In the competitive Elite Women division, 34-year-old Camille Balanche from La Chaux-de-Fond, Switzerland, completed the notorious track with a 4:45.381 finish time, returning from an eight-month-long hiatus due to an injury.

From May 3-5, the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup brought the world’s best mountain bike racers to legendary Fort William for the official opening event of the 2024 season. Respected by riders as one of the most challenging tracks of the season, Fort William is known to produce surprise wins and epic showdowns.

The fans at Nevis Range, Fort William, were in for another showdown when Monster Energy’s Brosnan dropped into the course as the final rider of the day. With everything riding on the final run, the 30-year-old from Adelaide, South Australia, charged the course in aggressive pursuit.

After completing the first two sections of the course in a third-place position, the seasoned UCI World Cup expert improved his position to second place in the final two track sectors.

“It’s amazing - after qualifying, I was satisfied with my pace, I then won the semi-final,” said Brosnan. “It was almost a perfect start to the season after my second-place finish today, and I’m super stoked. I had the right bike and setup and the right people supporting me in the offseason and helping me build my confidence. I will keep charging.”

Brosnan was joined on the podium by 27-year-old Monster Energy team rider Luca Shaw from Hendersonville, North Carolina, in fifth place with a final time of 4:07.943.

“I had a good race,” said Shaw. “Admittedly, it was tough to re-energize after the long break between practice and finals, but I made it happen, and I am on the box! I’ve had some very good races here in Fort William in the past but never enough for a podium finish, so this was a great weekend for me,” Shaw continued on his podium run in Scotland.

When the action commenced in the Elite Women division, Monster Energy’s Balanche came into the race, freshly recovered from injury. Less than one month ago, the 34-year-old Swiss rider made her impressive return by taking first place in the French Cup DH Des Roches at Saint-Dié-Des-Vosges, France. In the final at Fort William, Balanche claimed a podium spot with a finish time of 4:45.38 for a solid fourth-place finish. What an epic way to start the season!

“After a slow start to the morning's practice to confirm my lines, I was pretty confident I could do a good run in finals, and that’s what I did,” said Balanche. “I’m super stoked. Everything went to plan, I cannot complain. After a hard off-season, this race proves I’m still on a high pace from last year”.

Next up, stay tuned as the 2024 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup heads to Bielsko Biala, Poland, from May 17-19, 2024.