With three rounds completed the reigning UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Champions Gaia Tormena (ITA) and Simon Gegenheimer (GER) are showing the way in the UCI World Cup.
The story so far
In round one’s women’s final, Marcela Lima attacked and outsprinted Dutch champion Didi de Vries at the end of a close race in the United Arab Emirates. Germany’s Marion Fromberger and Tormena completed the Big Final. In the men’s race, four-time UCI World Champion Perrin-Ganier held off Mexico’s Daniel Castillo Noyola, Killian Demangeon (FRA) and Anton Olstam (SWE).
“This felt so good. I came with one goal to Abu Dhabi: to win. I still can’t believe I’d actually do so. I’m over the moon,” said the Brazilian.
The Eliminator riders next fired up in Leuven (Belgium) where it was Gegenheimer and Tormena who took the wins in wet, slippery conditions. The fans were happy to see Belgian riders Lukas Malezsewski and Zinni Van Looy find their way to the podium in the men’s race.
Sweden’s Ella Holmegård was closest to the Italian in the women’s final. “Of course it feels good to be back,” said Tormena. “After Abu Dhabi, I was a bit afraid of crashing again. I had to fight with that fear, but the feeling was pretty good and I had a strong focus. It’s great to be back winning, as it always is.”
The next challenge for Tormena and Gegenheimer was in Falun’s climbing-orientated Lugnet Arena on Saturday 17 June where the Swedish crowd saw a large number of home riders joining the competition fought out over a course with a series of natural obstacles. The home challenge included former mountain bike (cross-country Olympic – XCO) Olympic Champion, Jenny Rissveds. The local champion - a podium finisher in the last three UCI XCO World Cup races – gave Tormena a run for her money, pushing the 2021 Eliminator UCI World Cup overall champion to within 0.1-sec in the final.
Simon Gegenheimer was pushed hard again by Lukas Malezsewski, with Sweden’s Casper Casserstedt taking third place. Gegenheimer said: “I was keen to win here because of the motivation I got from Leuven. This was an incredible day”.
Overall standings after three rounds
After three rounds of the 2022 UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup powered by Citymountainbike.com Gaia Tormena heads the women’s overall standings with 225 points, leading from Fromberger and Lima who each have 127. De Vries is fourth with 113 points and Holmegård on 91 just ahead of her compatriot Rissveds. The men’s overall is close: Simon Gegenheimer leads with 162 points from Perrin-Ganier on 144. Third is Malezsewski (110) ahead of Anton Olstam and Lorenzo Serres (FRA) who have 72 and 54 points respectively.
Lots more to come!
Seven of the 10 scheduled rounds of the 2022 campaign are still to come. Next it’s a home race for Fromberger and Gegenheimer in Aalen (GER) on 23 July.
The UCI World Cup then takes the trip to Oudenaarde (BEL) before stretching its legs for a fixture in Sakarya, Turkey. In September, the destinations for rounds 7 and 8 are further east again, with UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup powered by Citymountainbike.com races to be held for the first time in Palangkaraya, Indonesia, and Leh/Ladakh, India.
The final two rounds are back in Europe, to be hosted in Paris (FRA) and Winterberg (GER) before October’s UCI World Championships in Barcelona (ESP).