The second round of the World Cup takes place this weekend in Heubach, Germany, just 100km from the French border, as a part of the Bike the Rock 2009 festival. It is the venue where Gilles Coustellier and Rafal Kumorowski won their European Champions jerseys, which features impressive and varied sections, mixing artificial (pipes of all sizes, concrete blocks, massive cable reels, beams, etc.) and natural (rocky passages, tree trunks, etc.) obstacles. This big festival, which came into being in 2003, gains more and more importance each year. It was not by chance that in 2006 the UCI conferred on the event the highest status of HC (Hors Classe - Unclassified), which allows access to much bigger prizes and World Series points for professional competitors. "Bike the Rock" maintained this status during 2007 and 2008, along with only two other towns!
After the 2008 World Championships, thise 2009 Trials World Cup really is the icing on the "Bike the Rock" cake, and promises to be particularly intense! All eyes will be on the Elite 26" competition, which will be full of suspense - Gilles Coustellier told us of his determination in a recent interview after his victory in the First Round in Ripoll ("Next stop Heubach ! I’m hoping to win and get a bit further ahead ! I like the venue too, that’s where I became European Champion for the first time!"), but he was recently injured in training. So will Heubach mark the long awaited return of Giacomo? Last year he effectively guaranteed his hold on the title of European Vice-Champion. The 20" competition should also have some surprises in store - Dani Comas is back on little wheels and took the lead in the World Cup ahead of Benito Ros, who will do everything he can to take it back in Heubach. Tribal Zine will bring you the results from Heubach as soon as they appear and you can also follow them as they happen here.
Mens Quarter Final results:
The Elite and Junior 20" qualifiers took place on Saturday morning between 9.00 and 13.00s and the 26" qualifiers were in the afternoon between 14.00 and 18.30. Following each of these qualifiers, the ten best riders went through to the semi-final, along with the top ten UCI ranked riders. Here is a list of all the riders who qualified after the quarter finals and went through to the semis on Sunday. Dani Comas, unsurprisingly, took the lead in the 20" qualifiers, with Aurelien Fontenoy and Marc Caisso went through with just a one and a five respectively!
Elite 20" quarter finals:
- Qualified riders:
- Full results:
Elite 26" quarter finals:
- Qualified riders:
- Full results:
Women’s final results:
After the women’s final on Saturday morning, Swiss rider Karin Moor kept her hand on the World Cup by winning this round two points ahead of Mireia Abant Condal and three ahead of French rider Julie Pesenti!
Men’s semi-final results:
The semi-final was very exciting! Benito Ros rode brilliantly and only conceded four points in Elite 20". Dani Comas was relegated to second place, ten points behind, while Abel Mustieles Garcia, who is only a Junior (!), took third. In 26", Gilles Coustellier, who wasn´t doing brilliantly on his first lap, sitting down in 9th positions, no doubt because of his ankle injury, and only qualified fourth. Giacomo won the semi-final with just seven points on his card. Here are the 8 20" and 26" finalists who would go on to compete against each other on Sunday afternoon in the finals:
Elite 20" semi-final:
- Qualified riders:
Elite 26" semi-final:
- Qualified riders:
Men’s final results:
The Elite 20" and 26" finals took place on Sunday afternoon,following a new format with staggered, ski race style starts (will this second round be televised?). Each rider set off individually, three minutes apart in order of their semi-final positions. Eighth place set off first, followed by seventh and so on, with the semi-final winner setting off last. All sections had to be ridden in order, from one to six, and each lap had to be completed in less than 20 minutes.
In 20", Benito Ros gave no chance to his adversaries, putting in two exceptional laps and retaking the lead in the World Cup. Polish rider Rafal Kumorowski took second place and Dani Comas found himself relegated to thirs. Benito now has 235 Cup points, ahead of Dani with 230 and Rafal with 215.
In 26", Kenny Belaey, who finished second in the first round at Ripoll, won this round after an excellent second lap of just six points. Gilles Coustellier had to content himself with second place, three points behind the belgian, and Vincent Hermance takes third place, 12 points behind Kenny. Gilles and Kenny are now tied for first place with 235 Cup points each, with Vincent in third on 210.
Elite 20" Final:
- Full results:
Elite 26" Final:
- Full results: