In her first year with Trek Factory Racing Downhill, Rachel Atherton accomplished the unimaginable. She won every UCI World Cup event and the World Championships, achieving the first-ever perfect season in the history of World Cup mountain biking. Think about that for a minute… It’s an accomplishment so exceptional it will probably never be repeated in our lifetime. Mountain biking, and downhill in particular, is a sport of split-second decisions with real consequences. Races are won and lost by milliseconds, and one miscalculation can be the difference between first and DNF. To win a single race at World Cup level, everything must go exactly right. Each line must be perfectly executed, the bike must perform flawlessly, and, most importantly, the athlete must be in top form. These variables are what make back-to-back wins so rare and remarkable. Rachel, though – she won fourteen in succession. Rachel, we salute you!
