SPANK INDUSTRIES CELEBRATES BEST DH WC SEASON IN HISTORY!

Two World Champions and the Best Team in the World!

There is no doubt that 2018 marks a milestone in the company’s DH records!  Here’s a quick recap after the season finale at La Bresse ahead of World Championships in Lenzerheide.

We celebrate 3 out of 4 Overall UCI DH World Cup Category Podiums this year (Elite Men, Junior Men and Elite Women), with the outright championship performance of both Amaury Pierron and Thibaut Daprela, earning them Overall Elite Men’s Champion and Overall Junior Men’s Champion respectively!  Add in Myriam Nicole’s 4th Overall and Remi Thirion’s 12th Overall, and we also proudly honour the Official 2018 UCI DH WC Best Team of the Year!

Amaury Pierron seemed to come out of nowhere this season!  The surprise of his first WC win was quickly followed through with 3 consecutive wins, earning him the Overall DH WC Champion Title at La Bresse two weeks ago.  Amaury has clearly staked his claim on that WC Podium and we couldn’t be more amped to see what the 2019 season has in store!

 

“I always dreamed about a World Cup win, but I never thought I could win three in a row! I can't thank enough all the people and sponsors who have helped me to achieve this; I'm so so happy."  Amaury Pierron, 2018 World Cup Champion

 

Thibaut Daprela dominated the 2018 season with a total of 5 out of 7 WC Race wins!  If you have a mind for detail, go check his finishing times compared to Elite Men and you’ll gain a new respect for the level of Junior Men’s racing!  2019 will be Thibaut’s final season racing as a Junior before he transitions to Elite Men in 2020.

 

 

“It's really crazy! I dreamed so much about this and it came true. I really wanted to finish the season with another win, and I'm so glad I got it. I'm now focused for the World Champs, I'm going there for the title and if I get it, my season will have been absolutely perfect!”  Thibaut Daprela, 2018 Junior World Cup Champion

 

Myriam Nicole, 2017 Elite Women’s Champion, started her season off in championship style, but an unfortunate crash leading to a back injury at Val di Sole saw her missing Vallnord and logging a DNF at Mont Sainte Anne.  Nevertheless, Myriam’s positive attitude and sheer professionalism saw her giving her best to the end in La Bresse finishing with podium and 4th Overall for the season!

 

 

“It was important for me to get a good result here [La Bresse], before the last goal of the season. I'm not disappointed with my season because I know I've done my best and I always came back after each of my injuries, so I'll be back. I'm so happy with what my teammates have achieved during the whole season, and I can't wait for the Worlds.”  Myriam Nicole, 2018 Elite Women 4th Overall

 

2018 was Thirion’s ‘comeback season’.  After one of the circuits nastiest crashes in 2017, leading to a back injury that put him out for the rest of the season, Remi came back with a vengeance, landing a 4th place podium at La Bresse.  Bring on World Champs and 2019 for Remi!

 

 

“This season was hard for me, since my crash last year, I had a few bad moments but everybody around me kept believing in me. This podium at home, in front of my family and friends, feels as good as my World Cup victory in 2013 in Vallnord! Rémi Thirion, 12th Overall Elite Men

 

 

Gaëtan Ruffin hadn't raced since his crash in Val di Sole - it took him six weeks to recover from his broken scaphoid. He was certainly glad to be back on the bike for the last leg of the 2018 WC, and it was great to see him going into finals.

Gaëtan Ruffin, 2018 Mens Elite 48th Overall

 

While SPANK Industries has been supporting DH WC Racing for over a decade and has been proud to see numerous WC podium results over the years with the likes of Mick Tracey Hannah and the UR Team, 2018 is definitely a season for the history books! Two seasons past, we signed up to support the Commencal Vallnord Riding Addiction Team.  The team’s tight family dynamic and utmost professionalism impressed us from the start.  Combine this with the dedication and talent of the individual athletes, along with the absolute commitment from the team mechanics, engineers and support staff at both Commencal HQ in Andorra and Spank Industries in Taiwan, and the results speak for themselves.

 

 

"Well, I could say this is a dream come true... but it was so elusive and unthinkable, that it feels more like just waking up from a dream than having a dream come true! I would have definitely signed for a win in each category this year, and now we have had podiums at every World Cup, a win at each stop, plus three overalls out of five! “ Thibaut Ruffin, Team Manager

 

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Please credit ©Kéno Derleyn - COMMENCAL/VALLNORD DH Team – Spank Industries

 

 


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