Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada set a decidedly muddy scene for the final XCO World Cup race of the year. With downpours on the day and a course that turned to mud before the end of the first race, conditions were harder than ever before. This type of technical riding doesn’t suit many of the racers, meaning upsets to the leaderboard on the day are expected. It takes a lot of skill and pure grit to maintain your standard of riding in such extreme conditions – and Luke proved himself to be one of those special riders on an intense day.
Thursday’s XCC on 5 October 2023 provided a wild ride on a very fast course. With only 42 seconds between the Top 20 after nine laps of racing, competition was fierce. Luke finished 15th, a mere 35 seconds behind the winner, securing what would be a crucial 2nd row start for the XCO on Sunday 08 October. Luke also achieved the 3rd fastest lap time of the race, twice!
The course experienced torrential rain over the whole of Saturday night. The u/23 men were first off on Sunday at 09h00 – and the course was already a mud bath. Incredibly slippery and also tacky in places, several of the climbs had to be run and the rock features caused a number of crashes throughout the group. Luke put in an impressively consistent first five laps and stayed between 18th and 20th. Throwing caution to the wind and revelling in the extreme conditions, he put in a flyer of a final lap, closing down 40 seconds and finishing in 16th!
With the points from this finish still to be tallied, Luke is currently sitting at 27th overall in the u/23 men’s classification, and 77th amongst the Elite men. Three top 20 finishes this year prove that Luke’s new coach and training regime, paired with his determination and skill, are working to move him forward in the sport.
After a good rest, Luke will begin building up to his final year as an u/23 rider, with Top 10 and podium finishes in his sights. We can’t wait to see what next year brings!