Hawkes Hay downhill rider Brook Macdonald has finished third in the latest round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Andorra.
Macdonald, riding for the MS Mondraker professional team, scored his first World Cup podium in five years with a superb performance at Vallnord, finishing only 1.604s behind winner Lois Vergier (FRA).
Brook Macdonald in action at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Vallnord, Andorra today, and enjoys the podium. (The images are free for editorial use only. Credit: Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Media Content Pool)
The 26-year-old has been on the improve all season back with the MS Mondraker team, with a top performance threatening. He qualified fifth fastest and produced a superb effort today. His third placing lifts him to seventh overall on the world rankings with two rounds remaining in Canada and France.
Macdonald’s last podium was at Fort Williams in Scotland in 2013 when he was runner-up with his sole World Cup victory in at Val d’Isere six years ago. It was a strong day for the Kiwis downhillers, with Ed Masters (Pivot Factory Racing) finishing ninth and Sam Blenkinsop (NORCO Racing) 18th.
Macdonald moves to seventh in the overall standings with Blenkinsop ninth.
Queenstown’s Sam Robbie placed seventh in the junior men’s downhill with Subway National Performance Hub rider Sam Gale 19th, while Kate Weatherly was 10th and Virginia Armstrong 11th in the elite women.
