Team Playbiker – Iron Horse is about the fly back to Europe after the long overseas trip to race the double World Cup header in Mont Saint Anne and Bromont, with very good results in its bag.

Mont Saint Anne is a classic location and its downhill track is both loved and feared by riders. For many of our team members this was their first trip to Canada, while other were glad to be back on this great track.
Such as Nathan Rankin, who rode strongly to finish 18th, a great placement during his comeback race in the World Cup after his shoulder injury, which shows that Nathan is well ready to always be a threat to the high places of the ranking. Togheter with Nathan in the finals were Adam Brayton, Lorenzo Suding and Mike Skinner. Adam finished with a good 53rd spot and a massive whip off the final jump, while both Lorenzo and Mike suffered from mechanical problems. Bad luck also for Floriane Pugin, who, after qualifying 5th, finished her final run with a flat tyre. Elisa Canepa was out of the finals for a few seconds, as did Luca Bertocchi, while Edoardo Franco also suffered from a flat tyre.
After a few days of rest, relaxation and a brief trip to “nearby” NYC, the team moved on to Bromont, another classic location and a welcome return on the World Cup circuit. The course was very different from the one in Mont Sain Anne, but not less challenging, due to the heavy rains throughout the race weekend. This time it was Floriane’s time to shine: she got back on the podium with a 5th place that shows she’s ready to challenge riders with lots more experience. Great ride also for Elisa Canepa, who not only gained access to the final but scored a reassuring 13th place. Adam Brayton leads the boys of the team with a 37th place in the finals, while Nathan Rankin (68th), Lorenzo Suding (68th) and Mike Skinner all had bad falls which ruined their results. The team anyways managed to place 6th amongst those participating at the event and is now just one step back from re-entering the UCI Trade Team’s top 10 ranking.

A special thanks goes to our friend JP Da Silva and his team DHracer.com who helped us with the logistics for this events, making everything better and easier.
The team is now ready to fly back to Italy where after a brief rest it will take part in a series of promotional events (starting from the weekend of august 15th-17th in Pila) before going back to racing with the World Cups in Canberra and Schladming and the final stops of the italian national circuit in Ravasceltto and Abetone.

Playbiker – Iron Horse is the first international UCI Trade Team specialized in gravity racing based in Italy. The team is supported by factory sponsors: Iron Horse Bicycles, UFO Plast, Kenda tires, Pila MTB Planet, Funn components, e.thirteen components, RMS Component Selection, Formula, A-Class Wheels, Five Ten, POC, SRAM, Rock Shox and Insight Productions.