This weekend Rotorua in New Zealand played host the the last big competition of the season, the 2009 World Cup Final. The 20" and 26" finals took place under a radiant sunshine and in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd. In 26", Kenny Bealaey took the victory over the Rotorua sections, in the same venue where he was crowned champion of the Elite World Cup in 2006, making it the sixth time that he has won this prestigious trophy. It was a good day for the Belaey family, his brother took up the second step of the podium ahead of German Hannes Hermann in third. World Champion Gilles Coustellier, who was net present at the final, had won enough points in the four previous rounds to take second place over all. Ben Slinger, fourth in the final, finished third overall in the World Cup, a just reward for an exceptional international season!
Before we do a full article on the event, here are some photos taken by Serge Froissart, the director of Fastt, who followed the riders that he coaches around at Rotorua, including Rick Koekoek, who finished on the podium at this round, as well as Guillaume Dunand and Andrei Burton. Serge has shared with us his photos of one of the highlights of the Rotorua World Cup, the Elite warm-up before the main competition... The Elite warm-up is always a pretty intense moment at the big UCI competitions, with each rider seeking to gain a psychological advantage over their adversaries before entering the sections. This always results in some fantastic photos and videos. Here are the photos of the eight 26" finalists warming up on Sunday afternoon.