Tormena and Perrin-Ganier retain UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World titles

Tormena and Perrin-Ganier are the 2023 UCI World Champions

Gaia Tormena (ITA) and Titouan Perrin-Ganier (FRA) are the 2023 UCI World Champions for mountain bike cross-country eliminator (XCE), both successfully defending their 2022 titles.

Palangkaraya, on the southern side of Borneo, hosted the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Championships on Sunday 12 November. Each race saw riders compete over two 500m laps that featured two right-hander wall-ride corners (shorter and tighter than they were in the 2022 UCI World Cup round at the same venue) along with a drop-off, log roll and rock garden. The huge Indonesian crowd were treated to Dara Latifah on the women’s podium and two local riders in the men’s small final.

But it was the reigning UCI World Champions who took the day’s big prize - the rainbow jerseys - after both riders had already confirmed their overall victory in the overall competitions of the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup powered by citymountainbike.com. 

It is Tormena’s fourth – and third consecutive –XCE rainbow jersey, while Perrin-Ganier claimed his sixth - and fifth consecutive - title.

Tormena masterclass

Among the favourites, Gaia Tormena (fastest in qualification time trials), Germany’s Marion Fromberger (2nd fastest time trial but only squeaking through the ¼ final by 0.1sec), Didi de Vries (NED) and Coline Clauzure (FRA) were drawn in different quarter-finals. However, Indonesia’s Dara Latifah made it clear she would also be a strong contender, soloing clear in her quarter-final to give the huge crowd a lot to cheer about.

In the blue of Italy, Tormena led the first semi-final from the first corner to the line. Annemoon Van Dienst (NED) also progressed with her compatriot De Vries being eliminated along with Brazil’s Iara Caetano Leite.

The second semi-final was won by Fromberger. The surprise was Latifah catching her to go through to the main final while Clauzure and Constantina Georgiou (CYP) had to be content with places in the small final.

Brazil’s Caetano Leite won the small final comfortably from De Vries. Clauzure suffered an early mechanical. 

In the main final Tormena’s lightning start was unmatchable as she dominated the race to claim her fourth title. Latifah came home in the silver medal position to underline the global status of mountain bike’s eliminator format. Van Dienst took bronze with Fromberger coming in fourth after an incident-filled final.

“I’m super happy at the moment, I just want to cry,” said Gaia Tormena. “It’s November, I started the season in February, I’m just super tired. And I’m so happy to end the season like this so now I will enjoy my off-season with this amazing result. 

“I had three different tactics in my head, and changed them every 30 minutes because I was watching my opponents… I saw that people were crashing on the first corner so I decided not to do a conservative race, but to go for the front from the first lap and stay there.”  

Drama from start to finish in men’s race

Sweden’s Edvin Lindh (fastest qualifier in the time trial) and Norway’s Sondre Rokke bossed the first quarter-final while the new European Champion Ede-Karoly Molnar (ROU) missed out.

Titouan Perrin-Ganier chased down the flying Indonesian Renoza Aldi Pratamai as Spain’s Alberto Mingorance Fernandez fell on the wall ride.

Simon Gegenheimer (GER) went head-to-head with Frenchman Lorenzo Serres (2nd fastest time trial qualifier), both making the semis despite a fight back from Austria’s Theo Hauser.

Indonesia’s Ihza Muhammad stole a march in the fourth heat, qualifying ahead of Quentin Schrotzenberger (FRA) and at the expense of Felix Klausmann (GER).

Perrin-Ganier looked strong in the first semi-final and was matched by 19-year-old Rokke, winner of the 2023 UCI World Cup round in Oudenaarde, Belgium. Gegenheimer led the second semi-final from Serres who pipped his countryman Schrotzenberger, winner of the UCI World Cup round at this venue in 2022.

The semi-finals saw both local riders Pratamai and Muhammad qualify into the small final, where the big Swede Lindh crossed the line first, clear from Schrotzenberger. 

In the furiously fast main final, “Mr Moustache” Simon Gegenheimer crashed out from the lead on the first drop down the rock garden before Rokke smashed his rear wheel in the same place on lap two. With the two Frenchmen left to fight for the title, it was Perrin-Ganier who was strongest, and raised his arms across the line. Serres manualled to take silver and the Norwegian was left to hike-a-bike in for bronze.

“It was really, really a tough day,” said Perrin-Ganier. “From the ⅛ finals, the level was super high. I just managed to make a good race possible, heat after heat.

“In the final after Simon crashed in the rock garden I took the first position and thought I really have to push, push, push, push! It’s just amazing and I’m super, super happy.”