July 17, 2009 (Massif du Sud, Quebec) – The 2009 Canadian Downhill Championships are taking place at Massif du Sud, Quebec, located near Quebec City this weekend. Home to a Quebec Cup downhill every year, Massif’s course is steep and technical and usually very, very muddy.

This year should be no exception in the greasy department, as rain is forecast every day this weekend, with some torrential downpours on the schedule for Saturday. Seeding runs will take place for Elite and Junior Expert riders on Saturday afternoon, so the start order for Sunday may be a bit out of the ordinary as some riders may get caught in the rain.

Favourites and world cup stars Steve Smith (MS Evil) and Claire Buchar (CRC/Intense) are both in attendance, however it will be surprising if either of them actually takes home the win. Due to UCI rules that national champions must wear their national team jersey at World Cups, many pro riders are now pulling up before the finish at their respective National Championships so as not to upset sponsors by not being able to wear their trade team kit.