Hart cracks top 10 in Mens' DH

Eighteen-year-old Giant Factory Off-Road rider Danny Hart, a rookie pro on the World Cup Downhill circuit, had the best performance of his young career at Round 5 in Italy this weekend. Hart raced his Giant Glory to seventh place at the August 1 race, leading Giant’s squad of downhill and cross-country racers competing in the World Cup at Val di Sole, in Northern Italy.

Hart rode a terrific qualifier on the 1.6-kilometer downhill course, finishing sixth among some 200 pro men. Battling to crack the top-10 overall in the series, Hart put in an equally impressive finals run for seventh place. He now sits 11th overall in the series and is the top-ranked teenager on the World Cup.

This round of the Mountain Bike World Cup was the first to bring together all three disciplines—downhill, four-cross and cross-country. Giant’s cross-country efforts were led by 23-year-old Rabobank-Giant Off-Road rider Fabian Giger of Switzerland.

Racing on a similar course to the one used at the 2008 UCI World Championships, Giger finished 11th on his XtC Advanced SL. Amazingly, he was one of five Swiss riders among the top 11 finishers, including the day’s winner Nino Schurter. The 6.3-kilometer course challenged racers with steep climbs, and less than half the day’s 190 starters finished on the same lap as the leaders.

American Adam Craig, in just his second World Cup XC event since he had off-season knee surgery, rode his Anthem X Advanced SL to 17th, best among North American competitors.