THE finals of the UCI World Cup series in Fort William yesterday were celebrated with the usual array of high fives, hollering and fist bumps, but the most compelling reaction was between the two who triumphed in the downhill event.

Gee and Rachel Atherton had been confirmed as victors of their respective disciplines and shared a moment of quiet satisfaction in the winners' circle, the pair standing out given that all around them were united in revelry as the first leg of the tournament ended with a stirring kick to the senses.

The GT Factory Racing siblings had already stolen the focus. Rachel had arrived in the Highlands having failed to win at the event in six previous attempts but punctured any doubt this time by establishing a 10-second lead to surge into first place, before her elder brother followed in the men's series.

The cacophony which greeted their success has become a signature of the Fort William event since its inception in 2002 and the Atherton name was etched clearly into the Aonach Mor landscape, although the crowds had already risked becoming hoarse given the efforts of Scotland's Greg Williamson.

The Inverness-born rider had recorded the 26th fastest time in a qualifying run but held a lead in the finals before ultimately clinching a career-best finish. "The crowd were amazing – they were screaming my name the whole way down," said the 21-year-old. His Scottish success story was certainly worth shouting about but the main narrative belonged to the Athertons.

The success of the pair – alongside that of brother Dan, who finished second in round three of the 2003 World Cup – has given them a certain gravity within the sport, while the consistent travails suffered by Rachel on Scottish soil have drawn particular affection from spectators. That was illustrated yesterday by a hug from a man dressed inexplicably as a Christmas tree. "I want to give the people here something to say thank you but I can't give them goals, or flowers," she said. "Fort William is a high-pressure event and in the past that has got to me. But that experience has helped this year."

That and the advice of her brother, Gee. The pair enjoy (and sometimes endure) a typical sibling relationship – "We argue about little things - has your dog been on the sofa? Did you finish the milk? Can you cut the grass?" – but the success of their professional lives is enriched by collective experience. "The noise hits you as you come into the finish and you can feel the roar inside you, just booming," added Gee, a winner at Fort William in 2010.

The volume of interest is always turned up for the downhill riders – including Switzerland's Noel Neiderberger, who won the junior event – but it should not drown out completely the merits of other disciplines. Indeed, it had seemed as though it was all downhill for Katy Curd, too, but an injury suffered in competition two years ago caused the Bath-based rider to career off in a different direction: 4X. The sport – which involves four riders haring down a track side by side – was dropped, but then resurrected last year in the guise of the Pro Tour, with Curd winning round two of this year's women's event on Saturday.

Her success was all the more compelling since the movement in her left arm is still restricted as she continues to recuperate from that fall. "I snapped my arm in two and then separated my shoulder; I still have a bit of metalwork in my arm," said Curd, remarkably still able to shrug. "I was all strapped up and took paracetamol in the morning. It's working."

There was relief for men's winner Tomas Slavik after he recorded his inaugural 4X win on Scottish soil – a feat best described using the vernacular of the sport. "I am super stoked to win here," said the Czech. Word.

Slavik was inclined to be brief, since the demands of 4X are unremitting; races are held successively until the final four is established, with the potential for crashes far greater than in downhill as riders fight to squeeze into the lead on the banking corners. Such congestion cost two British riders a place in the men's final, with Will Evans, somewhat ominously of Ghost bikes, tended to by medics as he lay prone on the track following a dramatic spill in the men's quarter-finals, and Scott Beaumont finishing sixth after he was overcome at the last corner in the following round.

"If you ask the fans what they liked best, I think they will scream 4X," he said. "It was dropped two years ago and unfortunately when money and politics raises their ugly heads then it complicates what is an exciting way to showcase mountain biking to the masses. But we're getting there now with the Pro Tour and it's a privilege to be a part of such a cool sport."