And the wheel goes round. Abel Mustieles and Janine Jungfels, newly crowned World Champions in 2015, understand that better than anyone.
On Friday in Andorra, on the first day of the individual finals of the UCI Trials World Championships, the Spaniard and the Slovak rider shook the confidence of the two legends of world trials riding.
Together with them, in unpredictable weather conditions, the most outstanding riders in the Elite Women, Junior 20" and Elite Men 20" had lined up in the town centre of La Massana. The day’s finals brought together the six best competitors from the semi-finals. On the programme: five sections, two circuits, and a thousand and one traps to avoid, including streams, boulders, tree trunks and other artificial obstacles.
A little more than a week after having taken the lead in the general rankings of the UCI World Cup, Abel Mustieles proved that he was once again the boss in the 20" category on Andorran soil. UCI World Champion in 2011, 2012 and 2013, the Spaniard had declared after his victory in Albertville: “I’ll have to do better to win in Vallnord”. Riding against his countryman and great rival Benito Ros, the eternal insatiable had remembered these words. Behind him, in second place, was the Swiss rider Lucien Leiser. With 34 points, he surprised everyone by pipping Benito Ros at the finishing post. Having won the semi-finals, the reigning World Champion finally finished with the bronze medal.
Dominik Oswald has done it again! Reigning World Champion Junior 20", the young German rider made light work of defeating his opponents in the second final of the day. Having come second in the semi-finals, and thereby “handicapped” by one point, right from the start Oswald pulled out all the stops. After an almost perfect first circuit that left the Spanish rider Sebastian Ruiz at more than ten points, he continued to progress well. At the start of the second circuit, a zero more-or-less assured him of the title.
With this second consecutive win, Oswald, well used to jostling for position in the Elite Men category (he is in fifth place in the provisional general rankings) proved that he is to be reckoned with in the coming years. Ruiz carried off the Silver with 27 points, and Johan Buchwalder stepped onto the third place on the podium with 33 points.
The dazzling smile of Janine Jungfels and the terrible disappointment of Tatiana Janickova. In the women’s trials, the day began with an upset. Janickova, the queen of the UCI 2013 and 2014 World Championships, had to admit defeat in the Andorran rain. Her nemesis was Janine Jungfels, and it wasn’t really surprising. The Australian rider, currently fourth on the World Cup circuit, had already been menacing during the two last rounds of the world circuit at Vöcklabruck and Albertville.
Having only finished third in the semi-finals, she came back more fired-up than ever. “Going into a final with two handicap points isn’t exactly ideal,” she admitted before the start. “But I’m ready to battle for the rainbow jersey.” And she duly won. Performing well right from the beginning, Jungfels completed the first circuit with six points’ advance, Janickova having been penalised by a fall. With two zeros, in her second round, she finally won by ten points in front of the Slovak rider (32 points). The young German rider Nina Reichenbach came in just behind. In third place, she now has 33 points.
The 2015 UCI Trials World Championships continue on Saturday with the finals of the Junior 26" and Elite Men 26" categories.
Full results