Danny Hart was relieved to have ended his drought as he claimed his first win of the 2019 season at the UCI MTB World Cup.

The former world champion qualified fastest for the downhill final in Snowshoe, USA and maintained his composure on the course.

Being the last rider meant Hart felt a weight on his shoulders but after gaining time in the last part of the course, he clinched victory in 3:03.627 ahead of Frenchman Amaury Pierron.

“It’s a massive win for me,” he said.

“I really felt the pressure at the top because I’ve qualified fastest for the last three races and I really wanted to win before the end of the season.

“I just pushed as hard as I could, and I knew once I got to the end of the pedal to let go of the brakes because you don’t need to brake from there.

“I’m going to go to Whistler now and chill out and ride for myself and ride for fun.

“There’s been such a good effort from the team all year long.

“This is good for them because we’ve been chomping at the bit to get the victory because we’ve been on the podium at every race.”

With this World Cup being the final one of the season, there was more than just victory at stake as the field were riding for their place in the overall standings.

The battle between Pierron and fellow countryman Loic Bruni came down to Hart’s ride and his victory ensured the former secured the World Cup title.

Hart finished fourth in the overall standings behind the French pair and Australian Troy Brosnan, while Brit Laurie Greenland placed seventh.

Tahnee Seagrave, who won the first World Cup race of the year in Maribor, secured fourth place in Snowshoe after missing some of the season due to injury.

And despite missing out on the last four races due to injury Rachel Atherton still ended the season in fifth place overall.