viernes, 29 de abril de 2011
jueves, 28 de abril de 2011
Alberto contador en la subida GIRO
Alberto Contador and key Saxo Bank-Sungard teammates previewed the decisive climbing stages for the upcoming Giro d’Italia and came away impressed.
Contador skipped racing Liège-Bastogne-Liège to have a chance to scout four major mountain summits that are looming in next month’s Giro d’Italia. Speaking to the Spanish daily MARCA, Contador said he couldn’t believe what they encountered in the Dolomites.
“We saw four stages – the climbing TT at Nevegal, Grossglockner, Monte Zoncolan and Val di Fassa. I find it hard to put into words, you have to see it to believe it,” Contador told MARCA. “It’s incredible. It’s like four ‘queen stages’ at the Tour all in a row.”
Contador was joined by teammates Jesús Hernández and Dani Navarro in the four-day scouting mission across northern Italy and Austria. Contador said he’s never seen anything like what lies in store in the final week of the Giro, set to start May 7 in Torino with a team time trial.
“The stage of Val di Fassa, for example, has 6,500 vertical meters of climbing. It has five climbs and 230km of racing. I am not sure, but the most we ever climbed in the Tour in one stage is around 5,000 vertical meters. And the stage the day before, in stage 14, will also have 5,000m of climbing, 210km and with the finale up Zoncolan,” Contador continued. “The stages are long, hard and dangerous, they have everything.”
Contador also tested new material and rode with 34×32 gearing during the training rides. He is even considering the option of changing bikes for the descent off the Monte Crostis, which is already being called one of the most dangerous descents in recent racing history.
“That descent off the Crostis, which is the climb before Zoncolan, I don’t know how we’re going to get down that. I don’t know if they’re going to repave it, or if they will put nets on the corners like on ski runs, because the drops there are tremendous. All I know is that even in a car, the descent puts your hair on end. I only hope nothing unfortunate happens that day,” Contador said. “(On switching bikes for the descent), I wouldn’t count it out, but in the end, I don’t think I would do it. I am glad to have seen it, just to be able to get ready for it in my mind. But if it’s raining or snowing … I don’t even want to think about it.”
Contador is pushing ahead with his racing schedule and refuses to be distracted by his upcoming hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, likely to be scheduled for sometime in June ahead of the Tour de France.
Contador resumed racing in mid-February after the Spanish cycling federation cleared him on clenbuterol charges and he has set the Giro as his first major early-season target. Contador won the Giro in 2008 and says he will be ready to race despite the distractions of his ongoing doping case. The International Court of Arbitration for Sport announced Wednesday that the panel to review the UCI’s appeal in the case has been named.
Contador also said he’s recovering from a light cold that zapped him in early April and he hopes to be in fighting shape to try to win the Giro for a second time.
“I am still feeling the effects of the cold I got just before the Vuelta a Castilla y León, but I believe it will be cleared up in a few more days,” Contador continued. “For everything else, things are going well. I just got back from Italy and the sensations are good, but until you line up for the race and see how your rivals are going, you really cannot say. Overall, the preparation has gone pretty well.”
The road up Zoncolan was used in 2010, too. It's brutal, but it's the descent before the climb that has Contador worried.
“We saw four stages – the climbing TT at Nevegal, Grossglockner, Monte Zoncolan and Val di Fassa. I find it hard to put into words, you have to see it to believe it,” Contador told MARCA. “It’s incredible. It’s like four ‘queen stages’ at the Tour all in a row.”
Contador was joined by teammates Jesús Hernández and Dani Navarro in the four-day scouting mission across northern Italy and Austria. Contador said he’s never seen anything like what lies in store in the final week of the Giro, set to start May 7 in Torino with a team time trial.
“The stage of Val di Fassa, for example, has 6,500 vertical meters of climbing. It has five climbs and 230km of racing. I am not sure, but the most we ever climbed in the Tour in one stage is around 5,000 vertical meters. And the stage the day before, in stage 14, will also have 5,000m of climbing, 210km and with the finale up Zoncolan,” Contador continued. “The stages are long, hard and dangerous, they have everything.”
Contador also tested new material and rode with 34×32 gearing during the training rides. He is even considering the option of changing bikes for the descent off the Monte Crostis, which is already being called one of the most dangerous descents in recent racing history.
“That descent off the Crostis, which is the climb before Zoncolan, I don’t know how we’re going to get down that. I don’t know if they’re going to repave it, or if they will put nets on the corners like on ski runs, because the drops there are tremendous. All I know is that even in a car, the descent puts your hair on end. I only hope nothing unfortunate happens that day,” Contador said. “(On switching bikes for the descent), I wouldn’t count it out, but in the end, I don’t think I would do it. I am glad to have seen it, just to be able to get ready for it in my mind. But if it’s raining or snowing … I don’t even want to think about it.”
Contador is pushing ahead with his racing schedule and refuses to be distracted by his upcoming hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, likely to be scheduled for sometime in June ahead of the Tour de France.
Contador resumed racing in mid-February after the Spanish cycling federation cleared him on clenbuterol charges and he has set the Giro as his first major early-season target. Contador won the Giro in 2008 and says he will be ready to race despite the distractions of his ongoing doping case. The International Court of Arbitration for Sport announced Wednesday that the panel to review the UCI’s appeal in the case has been named.
Contador also said he’s recovering from a light cold that zapped him in early April and he hopes to be in fighting shape to try to win the Giro for a second time.
“I am still feeling the effects of the cold I got just before the Vuelta a Castilla y León, but I believe it will be cleared up in a few more days,” Contador continued. “For everything else, things are going well. I just got back from Italy and the sensations are good, but until you line up for the race and see how your rivals are going, you really cannot say. Overall, the preparation has gone pretty well.”
miércoles, 27 de abril de 2011
martes, 26 de abril de 2011
reporte del equipo transition
Bryn Atkinson places 11th at the first round of the World Cup DH this weekend. placing just 1.5 seconds off the podium he is sitting well heading into round #2 in Fort William. This weekends course is renowned for is requirements of physical ability and effort. Bryn's efforts in the off season were proven here. He and Jason worked hard all week ketting his TR-450 perfectly dialed for the conditions on Sunday.
"The first round of the World Cup was on this weekend in South Africa. All new venue and country for me, I didn't make it down here for the race in 2009. Pretty amazing experience. The weather was so nice all week, some evening showers throughout the first few days of practice kept the track slippery in the mornings but perfect after a bit of midday sun. The race venue was right in town, next to a mall, Marshy and I actually pitted out of the mall car park under the trees. A big spectator turnout, i think 10,000 was the number getting thrown around.
Qualified in 15th on Friday, wich was alright after limited practice due to some mechanical issues, and the 1 run an hour shuttle system.. For Finals, again perfect weather, I had a pretty pinner run, pedalled my ass off and finished 11th, only 1.5 seconds off 5th.. Tight competition right now. Pretty stoked to be heading into Fort William with some solid points, and having Jill and Scotty Sharples Join Marshy and I for the rest of the World Cups. Good crew!"
Next up for Transition Racing
A few weeks off for training and then the Highland New Hampshire Pro GRT #2 - 14th and 15th of May. See you there!
Transition Racing is supported by:
FOX Racing Shox, Crankbrothers, KORE, Maxxis, JETT, Shimano, TLD, ODI, 5.10, e.13, Jetlites, Jagwire, Cane Creek, Kinetic, Feedback Sports, Contour HD, and Stans no tubes
Reporte del equipo chain reaction cycles/Nukeproof
Team ChainReactionCycles.com/Nukeproof raced at the first round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup over the weekend in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, where downhill riders Matti Lehikoinen and Joe Smith finished 15th and 38th place, respectively. In the 4X competition, Michael Mechura went out in the first round of the finals, with older brother Lukas making it through to the quarter-finals. Here’s Team Manager Nigel Page with his round-up of the weekend’s action: The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup campaign kicked off this past weekend in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, with the racing insanely fast as it always is at World Cup level. The track wasn’t to everyone’s taste with the hugely long flat pedalling section in the middle. It was like two great downhill tracks – one at the top and one at the bottom with a one minute-plus long flat section joining them up. It was so flat that the riders were using semi-slick rear tyres, and some even resorted to using Gravity Dropper seatposts to enable them to sit down and pedal properly. Not amazing for World Cup downhill but other parts of the track were amazing to watch the riders on, with huge jumps and insane speeds. The South African weather and crowd didn't disappoint either. Scorching weather made the track hard-packed and fast, with the race fans screaming encouragement to the fastest racers in the world. |
With only two of our four riders competing (as Matt Simmonds and Lewis Buchannan are currently out with injury) Matti Lehikoinen and Joe Smith gave it their all in the first World Cup race on the new Nukeproof Scalp bikes.
This track didn't particularly suit Matti or Joe as much as some of the steeper more technical tracks later in the season, but they both put in great runs and times qualifying easily for the Sunday finals.
Joe Smith ended up in 38th place, a little disappointing for him position-wise, but with a great time and showing great skills and style on the live TV screen. Matti Lehikoinen pulled out a great result finishing in 15th place in a very tight race and stacked field.
It was a great solid start for Matti in his 2011 World Cup campaign, and a fantastic result for Nukeproof’s first World Cup downhill outing. The bike proved it’s as good on the pedally tracks as it on the rougher, more technical tracks the team have raced on so far this season at the UK Nationals.
The race ended up being really exciting with the top places being decided by the last guys down the hill. American rider Aaron Gwin took his first ever World Cup win with a staggering run, narrowly beating crowd favourite and home town hero Greg Minnaar by just 0.2 seconds. Gee Atherton finished in third, Fabien Barel fourth and the legend Steve Peat rounded out the podium in fifth place.
It was sad to see Mick Hannah going down hard on his race run after qualifying fastest – thankfully he wasn’t too badly injured.
Current World Champion Tracey Moseley narrowly took the win by 0.2 seconds over fellow Brit Fionn Griffiths in the women’s race with France's Emmeline Ragot in third.
Disappointing 4X result for the Mechura brothers
In the 4X on Friday night, Team ChainReactionCycles.com/Nukeproof riders Lukas and Michael Mechura didn't have the first World Cup round results they were hoping for. Michael went out in the first round of the finals with a crash near the end of the long track, battling for the second position and transfer spot.
Lukas made it through the first round but was knocked out of the competition in the quarter finals by eventual first and second place finishers Jared Graves and Michal Prokop – both former World Champions in 4X, so a really tough quarter final race for Lukas.
Both Michael and Lukas need to work on their qualifying runs to give them easier early rounds and gate positions.
All-in-all it ended up being a really exciting start to the World Cup season and not a bad result for the team. We are looking forward to the next round at Fort William and the rest of the races with more typical style downhill tracks, and hopefully a full team with Matt and Lewis back.
Look out for all our team coverage from South Africa and some great video and photography from MTBCut.
Thanks to Dave and Carl our team mechanics for keeping the bikes running smooth, and to Shirley and Rob our amazing hosts at Fountains BB for the best food and accommodation. Check out some more pics of the weekend, courtesy of MTBCut:
lunes, 25 de abril de 2011
3 Lugar para Gee
Bettering his previous result on the long physical course, Gee Atherton of Commencal took third spot at the first round of the World Cup Series in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
The defending World Cup Champion worked hard all week to start his season off on a flyer, with bike set up key on the demanding course. Placing 5th in qualifying Gee knew he had to step it up on the 3.1km track, the weather had been mixed all week but it was glorious sunshine and track temperatures of 33 degrees that greeted the riders for Sundays finals.
Pic: Sven Martin
The early pace was set by fellow Brit Steve Peat who stepped up his riding from qualifying with a time of 4.15.443. A time that was smashed by Aaron Gwin a few riders later by a staggering 6.809 seconds which meant 4.08.634 was the time to beat. Frenchman Fabien Barel came close and suddenly it looked possibly to topple Gwin from the top spot. Gee up next had a few bobbles up top meaning his first split wasn’t great, 3.392 seconds down at intermediate one left him a lot to do on the rest of the track. He dug in deep and clawed it back to 1.642 before intermediate two. Coming into the finish Gee launched the final two hip jumps and crossed the line into second place just 1.921 from Gwin.
Local hero Minnar rode super strong all the way down and took it to the line, the crowd held there breath while the cloaks ticked through but it wasn’t to be for the South African meaning only Mic Hannah the fastest qualifier could topple Gwin. Mic crashed up top and didn’t even make the first intermediate leaving Gwin with his first World Cup win.
Local hero Minnar rode super strong all the way down and took it to the line, the crowd held there breath while the cloaks ticked through but it wasn’t to be for the South African meaning only Mic Hannah the fastest qualifier could topple Gwin. Mic crashed up top and didn’t even make the first intermediate leaving Gwin with his first World Cup win.
Pic: Sven Martin
“We came here for a top three and I am happy we got that, my run was good but definitely room for improvement before Fort William” Commented Gee who refereed to his home World Cup and Round Two of the World Cup Series.
Gee will be joined there by brother Dan and sister Rachel both returning after injury, with the family in full force there could be no stopping the Atherton crew in Scotland.
Gee will be joined there by brother Dan and sister Rachel both returning after injury, with the family in full force there could be no stopping the Atherton crew in Scotland.
Doblete historico para el equipo TREK WORLD RACING
At the opening round of the 2011 Downhill World Cup, Trek World Racing's Tracy Moseley (GBR) and Aaron Gwin (USA) have walked away with the leaders' jerseys of the series after a display of blistering speed, strength, and determination in front of a huge crowd in sunny Pietermaritzburg. For Tracy it was her first World Cup win in the coveted rainbow jersey of the World Champion, and for Aaron, it was his first World Cup win ever, and the first by an American male since 1999.
Aaron qualified 7th 2 days ago, but in the time between that race and today’s final, he worked with the Trek World Racing mechanics to find the ideal set up for what was going to be a much faster and drier race. His FOX Racing Shox suspension was perfectly dialled as was his choice of Maxxis rubber, and together with a supreme show of speed in the first and second sectors the Californian, who only started racing World Cups in 2008, scored his 8th World cup podium, but an all-important first win for his career, and his new team.
For Tracy Moseley, who did the same thing as Aaron here in 2009 when she won her first World Cup for Trek World Racing on her first outing for the team, it was her 13th career win, and her 3rd for the team. After winning qualifying on Friday by nearly 6 seconds, it was a much tighter affair today winning by 0.28secs. The course was running about 15 seconds faster for the women and the effort to get the bike to the line was huge.
Tracy said: "That was so tough today. Towards the end I was running out of steam and had the rear kick up on something in the lower section of the track; then I heard the onsite commentary say it was going to be close, so I dug deep until the end. It means a lot to win my first World Cup at my first attempt since earning the World Champs jersey, it just means so much."
Aaron said: "I'm pretty speechless actually. It's a dream. In the first sector I made a little mistake, hitting some trees with my shoulder, but then I just regrouped and put as much power down as I could in the middle sector. By the end, the legs were really feeling it, and then it was a pretty nerve wracking waiting in the hot seat. The bike is amazing, I can't praise it enough, and the whole time here in South Africa with the team has been so great. Can't wait for Fort William, I love that track."
Team Director Martin Whiteley said: "Three years ago Trek, like Aaron, wasn't racing at the top level of World Cup Downhilling. Here we are today with clearly a winning package and I can't speak highly enough of the engineers in Madison, and our key sponsors who give our talented athletes such an amazing set up to do their job. I'm so proud of everything this team has done since we arrived in Africa 4 weeks ago, and I'm really looking forward to a thrilling 2011 season".
There are 6 weeks until Round 2, in Fort William (SCO), but between now and then, the Trek World Racing boys will be racing on the east coast of the USA.
Aaron qualified 7th 2 days ago, but in the time between that race and today’s final, he worked with the Trek World Racing mechanics to find the ideal set up for what was going to be a much faster and drier race. His FOX Racing Shox suspension was perfectly dialled as was his choice of Maxxis rubber, and together with a supreme show of speed in the first and second sectors the Californian, who only started racing World Cups in 2008, scored his 8th World cup podium, but an all-important first win for his career, and his new team.
For Tracy Moseley, who did the same thing as Aaron here in 2009 when she won her first World Cup for Trek World Racing on her first outing for the team, it was her 13th career win, and her 3rd for the team. After winning qualifying on Friday by nearly 6 seconds, it was a much tighter affair today winning by 0.28secs. The course was running about 15 seconds faster for the women and the effort to get the bike to the line was huge.
Tracy said: "That was so tough today. Towards the end I was running out of steam and had the rear kick up on something in the lower section of the track; then I heard the onsite commentary say it was going to be close, so I dug deep until the end. It means a lot to win my first World Cup at my first attempt since earning the World Champs jersey, it just means so much."
Aaron said: "I'm pretty speechless actually. It's a dream. In the first sector I made a little mistake, hitting some trees with my shoulder, but then I just regrouped and put as much power down as I could in the middle sector. By the end, the legs were really feeling it, and then it was a pretty nerve wracking waiting in the hot seat. The bike is amazing, I can't praise it enough, and the whole time here in South Africa with the team has been so great. Can't wait for Fort William, I love that track."
Team Director Martin Whiteley said: "Three years ago Trek, like Aaron, wasn't racing at the top level of World Cup Downhilling. Here we are today with clearly a winning package and I can't speak highly enough of the engineers in Madison, and our key sponsors who give our talented athletes such an amazing set up to do their job. I'm so proud of everything this team has done since we arrived in Africa 4 weeks ago, and I'm really looking forward to a thrilling 2011 season".
There are 6 weeks until Round 2, in Fort William (SCO), but between now and then, the Trek World Racing boys will be racing on the east coast of the USA.
Michael Matthews gano en Cologne
Rabobank rookie Michael Matthews struck again Monday, winning the 95th running of the one-day Rund um Köln (Tour of Cologne) in Germany. Matthews, the Under-23 World Champion from Australia, powered hisGiant TCR Advanced SL past German Marcel Kittel and Italian Giacomo Nizzolo to take the win.
Matthews added his name to an impressive list of winners at the one-day race, which began as an amateur event and dates back to 1908. Other winners of Köln include Erik Zabel, Jan Ullrich and Erik Dekker. It was the latest win for Matthews, who also racked up victories at the Tour Down Under in Australia and the Tour of Murcia in Spain earlier this season.
Matthews added his name to an impressive list of winners at the one-day race, which began as an amateur event and dates back to 1908. Other winners of Köln include Erik Zabel, Jan Ullrich and Erik Dekker. It was the latest win for Matthews, who also racked up victories at the Tour Down Under in Australia and the Tour of Murcia in Spain earlier this season.
domingo, 24 de abril de 2011
Entrevista con el ganador de la carrera Aaron Gwin
http://www.vitalmtb.com/photos/features/2011-UCI-World-Cup-Pietermaritzburg-1-on-1-with-Aaron-Gwin,2246/Slideshow,18230/sspomer,2?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=spotlight
Duncan Riffle lidera el equipo GIANT FACTORY OFF-ROAD TEAM
American Duncan Riffle scored the top result among the three Giant Factory Off-Road Team downhillers at the April 23-24 opening round of the World Cup Series in South Africa. Riffle, a two-time U.S. champion, rode his Giant Glory to 14th place, 9 seconds off the winning time of another U.S. rider, Aaron Gwin.
Riffle’s British teammate Danny Hart, 2009 World Cup Series Junior Champion, finished 22nd. The third member of the team, South African National Champion Andrew Neethling, had a fast qualifier run (10th) but a finals crash took him out of contention.
Riffle’s British teammate Danny Hart, 2009 World Cup Series Junior Champion, finished 22nd. The third member of the team, South African National Champion Andrew Neethling, had a fast qualifier run (10th) but a finals crash took him out of contention.
The field of 82 riders in the pro men’s downhill faced a fast course in Pietermaritzburg that favored strength and fitness. The main technical challenges were man-made jumps and rock gardens. Riffle’s 14th-place was his best result since joining the Giant Factory Team in 2010.
In cross-country racing, Giant Factory Team rider Liam Killeen, the current U.K. National Champion, finished 27th in the pro men’s race.
The next round of the World Cup, a cross-country event, is May 21-22 in Yorkshire, Great Britain.
In cross-country racing, Giant Factory Team rider Liam Killeen, the current U.K. National Champion, finished 27th in the pro men’s race.
The next round of the World Cup, a cross-country event, is May 21-22 in Yorkshire, Great Britain.
Resultados Finales primera valida del campeonato mundial DH mujeres
Mujeres Resultados:
1 MOSELEY Tracy GBR19790412 TREK WORLD RACING 4:56.166
2 GRIFFITHS Fionn GBR19820827 TEAM GR +00.288
3 RAGOT Emmeline FRA19860527 TEAM GR +01.584
4 JONNIER Sabrina FRA19810819 TEAM MAXXIS-ROCKY MOUNTAIN +02.173
5 PUGIN Floriane FRA19890417 SCOTT 11 +02.268
6 GROS Céline FRA19830128 TEAM MORZINE-AVORIAZ/HAUTE-SAVOIE +04.248
7 SIEGENTHALER Emilie SUI19860919 SCOTT 11 +06.344
8 CARPENTER Manon ° GBR19930311 MADISON SARACEN +15.617
9 SUEMASA Mio JPN19830401 +16.238
10 BERNHARD Petra AUT19801118 ALPINE COMMENCAL AUSTRIA +16.415
11 RUCHTI Miriam SUI19870101 +22.211
12 HARMONY Jacqueline USA19780307 +26.370
13 AGER-WICK Anita NOR19780831 +26.737
14 LOMBARD Fanny FRA19920313 +42.927
15 MUOSER Joanne SUI19911216 SC-INTENSE +48.469
16 OLIVIER Rika RSA19731020 +53.732
Specialized en el podium en sudafrica modalidad xc
SPECIALIZED RACING: XC MTB | April 24, 2011
The Specialized Global Racing team sped to one victory and two additional podium places at the first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, on Saturday, April 23. The team's two female and four male cross country racers got the team off to a successful start of the 2011 World Cup season.
Elite women cross country
Ren Chengyuan, new to the Specialized team for 2011, cruised to a decisive victory in the elite women's cross country race with a time of 1:32:36. It was the Chinese racer's first World Cup with the team and her fourth World Cup victory of her career.
Her teammate LENE BYBERG proved her position as one of the best elite female mountain bikers in the world with an impressive fifth place finish. Byberg, who hails from Norway, finished 3:16 behind Chengyuan, and seemed to get stronger and stronger as the race progressed.
"The race went well," said a happy Byberg. "I had an ok start and picked off girls on every lap. I felt good, and it was nice to be back again."
Byberg enjoyed racing a good course in good weather. "It was not too hot, not too cold, and the course dried out from last week." Many racers had competed in a test event the previous weekend in horrendously wet and muddy conditions that left some sections unrideable.
Byberg, racing a Specialized Era bike, ended lap one of five in 15th place, but by the fifth and final lap, she had clawed her way up to clinch that final podium spot.
"My bike was brilliant. I felt like I was one with it," said the petite Norwegian racer. "I've used the Era for awhile now." Byberg was also pleased with her tires, the new Renegades, even after one of her competitors had questioned her choice the day prior. "The new Renegades look fast and they also have a good grip."
Elite men cross country
JAROSLAV KULHAVY led the Specialized Team's charge in the elite men's cross country race. The Czech, who went into the day's race as the number one ranked rider in the world, rode to an impressive third place in the season opening World Cup. He finished 1:07 behind winner Nino Schurter and runner-up Julien Absalon.
US cross country national champion TODD WELLS, fresh off last weekend's Sea Otter cross country victory, finished in 10th place at 2:36 behind the winner and delighted his many North American fans.
"The race went well for me. I had a good start - maybe top 15 going into the first singletrack and then I slowly moved my way up and made it as high as eighth by the middle of the race," said Wells, who was easy to pick out in his distinctive stars and stripes Specialized national champion's jersey.
Wells is famous for his blistering starts, a talent that benefits him at the notoriously quick-paced World Cups.
"I faded a little toward the end, but I wound up 10th. I was shooting for a top 10, and I was happy to achieve that goal," said Wells. "Of course, you always want to do better if you don't win, but for me this was a great way to start the World Cup season."
Thanks also to BURRY STANDER and CHRISTOPH SAUSER, the Specialized Team's elite men claimed four places in the top 13.
South African cross country national champion Stander, who was the crowd favorite by virtue of racing his home World Cup, managed to make a good day out of some tough luck.
"Unfortunately for me, I slipped on one of the turns when I was in the lead group on the first lap," said Stander. "I did some damage to my derailleur. That meant I couldn't shift properly the whole race, and I had to run up some of the climbs because I didn't have all the gears."
Nonetheless, a motivated Stander carried on and had worked his way up to ninth going into the final lap when the fatigue seemed to catch up with him.
"I lost concentration and took the wrong line, and I unfortunately crashed again on the hard (dowhill) rock section." It was the kind of dramatic downhill front endo that would have cost some racers a broken collarbone or wrist. But Stander quickly recovered his composure and rode to the end of the race.
"Luckily for me, there was only 1km to the finish because my bike was skewed after that crash. All in all it wasn't a great day for me. I ended up 11th," said Stander, who was hoping for a podium finish in front of family and friends, but he put the day in perspective."
"It could have been a lot worse and going into the second round, at least I salvaged some points," said Stander. "I'm trying to be more consistent this year and take points when I can."
Sauser was the team's final rider to finish. The Swiss racer proved he still has some cross country World Cup-level speed despite being only a few weeks off winning the world's most prestigious mountain bike stage race, the Cape Epic, with Stander, less than one month ago.
"I didn't have a good start at all. I slipped out of my pedal and hit the ground, and I came out of the first singletrack in 50th position, one minute down," said Sauser. "It was very hard to catch up." He completed lap one of six in 35th place.
"You'd pass one rider and have to recover again, the level (of competition) is so high. Only after the speed slowed a bit could I pick off more people," said Sauser. "I started passing and passing and I ended up 15th."
Sauser also battled an upset stomach. "I couldn't eat or drink much today, but at least I will be in the second row for the next World Cup. Dalby's course suits me well, and I'm hoping for a dry race."
Between them, the four men rode three different bikes. Kulhavy was on a Specialized full suspension 29er while Stander and Wells rode 29er Specialized Stumpjumper hardtails. Sauser rode the more traditional 26er full suspension, but with a unique setup.
"My Stumpjumper was the perfect bike for this course, which was very smooth with a lot of accelerations," said Wells. "There were a few rock gardens, but in those you were going downhill, so having a hardtail wasn't a disadvantage. The bike was super light and responsive. The 29er's big wheels really held their speed. In one section in particular, with about 600m to go each lap, you'd go down a steep hill and up another, and there I'd always roll up on the guys in front of me."
Stander credited his Stumpjumper with helping him off to a strong start. "On the start straight, I made up so many places coming from the second row. I think I was fifth going into the first singletrack and as we went over the first hill, I was sitting comfortably in the lead group. Whenever we hit an uphill straight section, the bike rolled faster than anything out there."
Sauser described the special setup he was using for his Specialized Epic 26er. "I rode with a single 34-tooth chainring in the front on my compact carbon Specialized spider. In the rear, I had a SRAM 11-36 rear cassette. I also used a custom Specialized rear derailleur. My setup was incredible. I didn't have to shift in the front, so there was no dropping chains or chain suck."
The Specialized Global Racing team will race the next cross country World Cup in Dalby in the United Kingdom on May 20-22.
Optimistic about the season, Stander summed up the team's day. "It feels like we're stronger than ever and we have great riders this year."
Resultados Finales primera valida del campeonato mundial DH
| Hombres resultados 1 Aaron Gwin (USA) Trek World Racing | 4:08:634 |
| 2 Greg Minnaar (RSA) Santa Cruz Syndicate | at 0.241 |
| 3 Gee Atherton (GBr) Commencal | 1.925 |
| 4 Fabien Barel (Fra) Mondraker Factory Team | 4.246 |
| 5 Steve Peat (GBr) Santa Cruz Syndicate | 6.809 |
| 6 Steve Smith (Can) Devinci Global Racing | 6.934 |
| 7 Marc Beaumont (GBr) GT Bikes | 7.237 |
| 8 Sam Hill (Aus) Monster Energy / Specialized / Mad Catz | 7.399 |
| 9 Nick Beer (Sui) Scott 11 | 7.965 |
| 10 Josh Bryceland (GBr) Santa Cruz Syndicate | 8.281 |
| 11 Bryn Atkinson (Aus) Transition Racing | 8.371 |
| 12 Cameron Cole (NZl) Lapierre International | 8.502 |
| 13 Jared Graves (Aus) Yeti Fox Shox Factory Race Team | 8.549 |
| 14 Duncan Riffle (USA) Giant Factory Off-Road Team | 9.022 |
| 15 Matti Lehikoinen (Fin) Chain Reaction Cycles/Nukeproof | 9.132 |
| 16 Cédric Gracia (Fra) CG Racing Brigade | 9.809 |
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