The fast-paced 2021 UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup powered by Kuwait continues in Barcelona (Saturday 2 October), for the sixth and final round in a season that has brought drama at every stage and promises more in its denouement.
The overall standings in the men’s competition couldn’t be closer. The Netherlands’ European Champion Jeroen van Eck has 285 points; Germany’s UCI World Champion Simon Gegenheimer has 283, and by winning the last two races – his first UCI World Cup victories – France’s Titouan Perrin-Ganier has brought himself back into contention with 221 points. After the UCI World Championships were decided between Gegenheimer and Van Eck on the final corner, will the UCI World Cup be as close?
In the women’s competition, it’s a different story. UCI World Champion Gaia Tormena already has the UCI World Cup overall victory. That was confirmed by the results at round 5 in France, even though the young Italian wasn’t there!
Here’s how the world looks from her perspective...
How does it feel to claim the overall again, alongside the UCI World title, just like in 2019?
Gaia Tormena: It's amazing! The UCI World Cup was my main goal of the season and to achieve it after such a perfect season, wearing the UCI World Champion’s jersey is a big satisfaction. It tastes sweeter than the victory in 2019 because confirming a big win for a second time is even more difficult.
Some people were surprised you missed the Seine-et-Marne World Cup round?
Yes, it was a last minute decision. Vittoria Tires invited me to race the Enduro World Series in Finale Ligure and I thought that a weekend of fun, racing without expecting a big result, was what I needed before focusing on the end of the XCE UCI World Cup season.
But it was good to see French winners - Noémie Garnier and Titouan Perrin-Ganier - in the French round of the UCI Eliminator World Cup?
Yes, I'm very happy for them, especially for Titouan. Racing on home soil is always an extra motivation and winning in France where the Eliminator is very well known and is growing fast should be incredible. Hopefully more and more people will come to see our races. How does it feel knowing that the title was confirmed while you were elsewhere?
I was glued to the screen following the live timing heat after heat, and when the race was over I immediately felt lighter. It was strange not to be there fighting for GC points but following the race in this way was for sure less tiring, hahaha! Even if the hard work had already paid off with the European and World titles, this is the achievement I was fighting for.
The XCE World Cup season is set to finish in Barcelona, where you won last year. How are you looking forward to that event?
Barcelona will be the last chance to give my all before the off season. When it's race time I'm not able to stay calm, I will fight for a good last result. I like the track and I can't wait to be there!
The Eliminator in context
Gaia is known for dominating the Eliminator but she has also raced road, TT, track, XCO and Enduro.
GT: XCE is a very spectacular race where the spectators can normally see the whole track. It is faster than an XCO (Cross-country olympic) race and that's why people like it. Together with the XCC (Cross-country short track) I think it will be the discipline of the future. It’s difficult to find an athlete who is competitive in all three disciplines; the preparation for these races is different. The Eliminator is probably the most mental race between the three of them.
I raced Eliminator for the first time in 2015 because my Sport Director thought it would be a suitable discipline for me. It was the Italian Youth Championships and I finished in 4th position. I won the title in 2016 and 2017 and was 3rd in 2018. My time on the quali was not far from those of the Elite Women. That's why in 2019 (my first year as a Junior) I went to the French Cup in Marseille and then I started with the UCI World Cups, the first one in Villard-de-Lans where I won and I realised that I wanted to focus my training on Eliminator.
What are your plans after Barcelona and beyond?
After Barcelona I'll have a few weeks off, I'll try to recover as much as possible and then I'll start the preparation for the upcoming season. In 2022 I'll race the UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup, some XCO races like the Internazionali d'Italia and, why not, two or three Enduro races… See you there!