Not only that, it showed just how the crowds are increasingly a major factor in motivating the competitors and generating the excitement and atmosphere at the fast-growing, fast-paced race format that’s hitting up city centres across Europe and at more and more venues across the planet.
Round 4 of the 2022 UCI MTB Eliminator World Cup (23 July) was raced in Aalen, Germany, home country of riders including Marion Fromberger, Lia Schrievers, Felix Klausmann, Stephan Mayer and reigning UCI World Champion, Simon Gegenheimer. Their performances on the course and the way they were encouraged and received by the huge number of spectators says a lot about the Eliminator discipline.
Coming home to win
The four-time German Champion Gegenheimer went into the race at the top of the overall UCI World Cup leader board, with 162 points to France’s Titouan Perrin-Ganier’s 144 after success in round 2 at Leuven (BEL) and then beating Belgium’s Lukas Maezsewski and the best of the home riders, Casper Casserstedt, in the Big Final at Falun, Sweden, in round 3. So far Perrin-Ganier is the only other rider to have won a final in 2022, at round 1 in Abu Dhabi, but his consistently high performances both in the time trials and the heats is making for a close, exciting overall battle.
While “Mr Moustache” has been involved in many exciting races, he was yet to find the top step of a UCI World Cup podium in his homeland. But the scintillating form and the confidence that comes with wearing the UCI World Champion’s rainbow bands, meant that expectations were higher than ever. The town’s football team was amongst the many local voices lending their support to both Gegenheimer and to Fromberger – who came into the Aalen round with the joint 2nd highest number of overall points in the UCI World Cup standings.
In Falun, Gegenheimer recovered from a disappointing performance in the time trial – with the 10th best time – to win, and in Aalen it was an even worse start to the day for the German. In fact for a short while his crash, leaving him slowest but one of the qualifiers, looked like it might be disastrous, as it meant he was immediately pitched against four-time UCI World Champion and 2022 rival for the overall Perrin-Ganier in every heat. But he met that challenge head-on.
The big crowds saw five German men amongst the eight competing in the Big and Small Finals, and it was Gegenheimer who brought it home with a bike throw to conclude a thrilling sprint against his French rival. The narrowest of margins on the day extended the overall lead, with Gegenheimer’s tally of 222 points now putting him 25 ahead of the Frenchman after four rounds.
“All these people, they pushed me to the win. This win is for them,” said Simon Gegenheimer. “In the race for the win, I knew the final straight was long. I waited and waited for the finish. It was hard, I only changed the race in the last metre, but I made it!”
Fromberger or Schrievers?
In the women’s Big Final, the crowd was wild for two ’home’ riders: Marion Fromberger, fresh from her adventures racing UCI World Cups in cross-country Olympic, and the 2018 and 2019 German XCE Champion Lia Schrievers. The two Germans had qualified third and fourth fastest in the TT and made it through to the Big Final, giving the fans double the excitement.
With Fromberger crashing, it was Schrievers who went on to push the eventual winner – UCI World Champion Gaia Tormena, on the weekend of her 20th birthday - hardest.
Tormena’s two UCI World Cup wins from four contribute to her commanding total of 315 points. And after Aalen it’s Fromberger who chases her in the overall standings on 167, moving clear into 2nd place, just 6 points ahead of Marcela Lima Matos, winner of round 1 in her homeland Brazil, who has 161 points.
“The fans were amazing, the atmosphere was incredible, thanks for cheering that loud,” said Fromberger. “I enjoyed every second on the track, of course I'm a bit sad about my crash but nevertheless it was such a great day.”
Next, the riders head to Oudenaarde, Belgium on 14 August.