The season of 2025 is over! The riders on Monster Energy’s mountain bike squad are commended for their outstanding performance at this Saturday’s UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada.
Marine Cabirou, a 28-year-old from Millau, France, won the Elite Women division in the season’s last race in 2025. This is Cabirou’s second win of 2025, capping a challenging season marred by injuries.
Luca Shaw, 28, of Hendersonville, North Carolina, also made it to the podium after a strong effort to take second place in Elite Men. Shaw places third overall in the UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup rankings at the end of his 2025 campaign.
The 2025 UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup took place in the season’s last race at the storied Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada, from October 9 to 12. Riders were looking forward to the final matchup after a turbulent season that included eight races throughout Europe and one round at Lake Placid, New York.
The UCI World Cup has been held at the storied Mont-Sainte-Anne course in the Laurentians mountains close to Quebec City since 1998, making it the circuit’s oldest venue. The 30th UCI World Cup was held at the bike park this year, and the excitement among the riders and the more than 35,000 spectators in attendance for the major event was evident.
The enthusiastic audience cheered Monster Energy’s Cabirou on her triumph journey throughout the Elite Women’s final. The French team rider finished in first place, only a fraction of a second ahead of her rivals, after qualifying in fifth place. In the end, she turned up the heat.
After struggling on the first split, Cabirou managed to make it into the next section in seventh place. However, Cabirou took the lead in the last stages of the race after finding her line and posting the second-fastest timings of the day on Split 2 and Split 3. Cabirou won the second UCI World Cup of the season at Mont-Sainte-Anne with a final time of 3:34.905.
“It’s incredible to take the win today at this venue,” stated Cabirou. “To end the season like this is a dream come true. I had some tough results this year, mixed with some really good ones, so this one felt really nice. I made a few big mistakes during my qualification run and had to switch up some lines this morning, which paid off! I gave it my all, and to win my 11th World Cup here is amazing!”
The triumph brings Cabirou’s challenging season to a successful end. She was hospitalized after a severe crash at the World Cup at Pal Arinsal, Andorra, in July, and missed the next event. She bounced back fast, and to increase her score, she had earlier won the World Cup in Val di Sole, Italy. With 1280 points overall, Cabirou concluded her 2025 season in fifth position.
With 1176 points, 35-year-old Camille Balanche of Le Locle, Switzerland, finished the 2025 season in sixth place overall after finishing her race at Mont-Sainte-Anne in 13th place. For the legendary rider, Mont-Sainte-Anne is the last event before Balanche retires from professional mountain bike racing, therefore it’s a bittersweet moment.
In a historic career, Balanche claimed the 2019 European Championship championship, gained first place in the 2020 Downhill World Championship at Leogang, and earned the 2022 UCI Downhill World Cup overall title. She advanced women’s mountain bike racing and achieved 13 podium results, including four wins, in World Cup competitions. From all of us at Monster Energy, thank you!
With quick changes in the scoreboard and performances deserving of a season finale, the Elite Men’s division final thrilled spectators. Monster Energy’s Shaw emerged as one of the leading contenders in the fierce struggle on the steep and technically difficult course that eliminated other favorites. The North Carolina native finished second at Lake Placid, the season’s only U.S. stop, only one weekend earlier. Could he place third in Canada at the end of the season?
He certainly could! Shaw once again demonstrated his capacity to perform well under extreme pressure after finishing in second place and making it to Saturday’s final. The American spent most of the race outside of podium contention, working the track with distinctive lines. However, Shaw narrowly lost second place on the last stretch with a final time of 3:32.340, having finished Split 4 as the fourth-fastest rider of the day.
“That was so hard. The track actually dried up a lot and became so slippery in some sections that it became tough to gauge between sectors,” stated Shaw. “I felt so good again this weekend, and I was pretty happy to put down a clean fast run! I crossed the line pleased with what I’ve done, and that also translated to a second place to finish off the season. I’m over the moon with that. It’s a super long and demanding track, and to have a perfect run is really hard here, so I’m stoked on my day for sure. Thanks for all the support this season! See you in ’26!”
Shaw’s podium result on Saturday places him third overall with 1366 points in the 2025 UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup rankings.
The 28-year-old Loris Vergier of Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, finished fourth overall and also placed in the top five of the 2025 season rankings. With notable performances, such as his second-place finish at the World Cup in La Thuile, Italy, Vergier earned his 1199 points.
The 29-year-old Brioude, France resident Amaury Pierron, came in fifth position overall with 1170 points, close behind. In June, Pierron suffered a fractured collarbone in a crash on the first practice day in Val di Sole, Italy, adding to the season’s challenges. At the September Lenzerheide World Cup, he recovered swiftly and won without hesitation.
Troy Brosnan of Adelaide, South Australia, received 1018 points to finish sixth in the 2025 UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup. His second-place result at the June Val di Sole round was the Australian’s season high point.
It’s also worth noting that Ryan Pinkerton, 21, had a breakthrough 2025 season, finishing fifth at Mont-Sainte-Anne and seventh at Lake Placid. The American rider, who was just moved from the Monster Army program to the Monster Energy pro squad ahead of Lake Placid, showed significant growth and consistency throughout the year, concluding the 2025 season with a respectable finish of 11th overall.
Congratulations on a fantastic 2025 UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup season to all Monster Energy athletes and Monster Army riders!
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