Gwin and Ragot win in Lourdes, Bruni second.

American Aaron Gwin took home the win in front of a full house in Lourdes, France today at the first DH World Cup of the 2015 race season. Sdg Rider Loic Bruni was second for the men and Emmeline Ragot won for the women.

This is the first time that the World Cup has made a stop here in Lourdes, on the southern border of France.  The track was rough and awkward at first, but a groove wore in over the week and by race day it was still rough, but as fast as most riders will ever experience on a downhill track. Large rock gaps and tricky corners made all the difference and separated the world's best from everyone else.

Gwin took the win by a large 6 second + margin, after crashing hard in qualifying the day before.  Bruni, who won qualifying, was the partisan crowd's favourite, and you could follow him down the mountain by the cheers alone. Joining them on the podium was Danny Hart in 4th place.

Ragot got her season off to a start in a hurry after returning to the Austrian MS team. The French rider also had the crowd's support as she made her way down the mountain, taking an impressive win against a staked women's field.

Other SDG riders included Troy Brosnan in 8th and Brook Macdonald in 12th.