The 2014 season was a tough one for Rachel, she bagged an early win in Cairns but a viral infection sidelined her for a lot of the season. It was Manon Carpenter who took advantage and won the overall. Rachel wasn’t far off it though and, had she not been disqualified for taking assistance from a marshal at Fort William, she could well have won it despite her problems. She showed how close to she was to her best as she lost the World Championships in Hafjell by only 0.088 seconds.

Lourdes opened the 2015 season and it was Emmeline Ragot that bagged a win on her home track. She put two seconds into Atherton but it was the last time anyone would finish above Rachel in any competition for over a year (we’re not counting Foxhunt – sorry Bex!).

The Winning Run

1.Fort William – June 7 2015

Rachel’s first win on the record breaking streak fittingly began at Fort William, but 2015’s race was a total contrast to 2016, with rain and winds battering riders.

Emmeline Ragot went over the bars on a drop in the woods and Manon Carpenter was the only girl to go off the Visit Scotland sender but suffered a huge yard sale as a result. This left Rach to cruise to victory by nearly eight seconds over Tahnee Seagrave.

Margin of victory – 7.989 seconds

2. Leogang – June 14 2015

One week later the World Cup headed to Leogang and although the weekend will largely be remembered for Gwin’s chainless miracle, Rachel picked up a big win in the women’s race. Manon was controversially disqualified for cutting the tape on the final jump and Rachel went three seconds quicker than the rest of the field.

Margin of victory – 3.018 seconds

5. Windham – August 8 2015

Rachel stamped her authority in Windham. There’s not much to say other than it was simply a massacre. She ended up nine seconds clear on a three-minute track.

Margin of victory – 9.360 seconds

6. Val di Sole – August 23 2015

Rachel already had the series sewn up at Val di Sole but she wasn’t going to let that slow her down. Having said that, it was the closest she’s come to losing in the past year, as Myriam Nicole went (only?) 2.239 seconds slower.

Margin of victory – 2.239 seconds

9. Fort William

In Fort William, Rachel matched Anne Caroline’s long standing record with a 12 second victory over her competition. This was the biggest margin of victory she’d had in the winning streak and only showed how far ahead she still was of the rest of the field.

Margin of victory – 12.049 seconds

10. Leogang

With the record on the line Rachel took to the start line in Loegang a nervous wreck having thrown up in the pits just a few moments before. She overcame difficult conditions and a track that was packed with potential pitfalls to take the win by more than five seconds. Ten in a row for Atherton – a phenomenal run with no sign of it ending soon.

Magin of victory: 5.370 seconds