Established stars and emerging talent continue gaining momentum in the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, most recently at a new venue to the series: Bielsko- Biała, Poland, which hosted Round 2 of both the UCI Enduro (EDR) and E-Enduro (E-EDR) and UCI Downhill (DHI) World Cups (17-19 May).
The EDR riders had got their campaign underway at the Finale Outdoor Region in Italy a week earlier, while a week previously the DHI had opened their UCI World Cup season at the legendary Fort William venue in Scotland (Great Britain).
Across the three rounds so far, the younger generation and the more experienced old-timers have pitted their skills against each other at a mixture of tried and tested tracks and new trails. Is it the youngsters or the old hands getting the best of the new tracks and new technology?
Enduro: the new generation or the old guard?
In Finale, 23-year-old Harriet Harnden got the better of 30-year-old reigning UCI EDR World Cup winner Isabeau Courdurier, despite the Frenchwoman fighting back on the final section.
Meanwhile, three-time winner of the former Enduro World Series (EWS) Richie Rude take an emphatic Men Elite victory from Kiwi Charles Murray.
In E-Enduro, 22-year-old Aussie Ryan Gilchrist beat 33-year-old Manuel Borges (POR) in Italy, and in the Women Elite racing, it was the established names on top: Chile’s 32-year-old Florencia Espiñeira Herreros heading Great Britain’s 44-year-old Tracey Moseley.
Honours were even for the younger riders versus the old guard after Round 1!
Enduro has been to Poland before, but the course at Beskid Mountain was new to most riders. It featured five technical, twisting stages over 36.5km with 2,074m descending. The young Briton Harnden developed a 2.2-sec lead over Courdurier after four stages. But flipping the script from the previous week, Courdurier’s impressive fight back was successful and, after having announced that she’ll step back from top level riding at the end of the season, got the win by 0.2-sec and took the leader's jersey.
New Zealand’s Charles Murray improved on his 2nd place in Italy to take his first UCI World Cup win in Poland. The 28-year-old was pushed all the way by local rider Sławomir Łukasik who only missed out by 0.1-sec, with Rude back in third.
Łukasik got his gold in Poland the next day when he switched to his electric bike, the 31-year-old winning the E-Enduro, with the Women’s top two a repeat from Italy.
Advantage had swung towards the experienced heads in Enduro…
Downhill: UCI World Champions challenged
Round 1 of the year’s UCI DHI World Cup in Fort William went to the reigning UCI World Champions, the hugely established stars of the scene, who won their latest rainbow bands at the same venue last year. Austria’s Valentina Höll, 22, racing with a new bike for YT, was more than 0.5-sec ahead of the women’s field while Frenchman Loïc Bruni, who recently celebrated his 30th birthday with the number 1 plate on his bike, was 1.8-sec faster than Aussie Troy Brosnan.
Both winners are amongst those benefiting from electronically controlled suspension systems, which has been in development for around three years.
Brosnan is a fan of electronic suspension. “Throughout the weekend of doing, say, ten practice runs, it becomes second nature to me, and you just press it on or press it off. Electronic suspension is the future, I guess, and I wouldn’t want to race without it now.”
Fort William was 1-1 to younger and older riders, with a nod to tech.
Organisers and designers had kept a lid on the new Bielsko-Biała track, presenting a new challenge to all the riders, where everyone has their chance… so would experience help, with the ability to read and learn a track quickly and adapt to it?
The atmosphere generated by the locals gave everyone a lift: “The fans, I think it’s the loudest we’ve ever had here in Poland, thank you!” said Brit Bernard Kerr.
Höll came back from a mechanical in qualifying to take top spot ahead of Sunday’s final, acknowledging that she was nervous and learning the conditions. The Austrian was on good pace but crashed again in the top section in the final, before remounting to rescue points as the 2015 UCI Junior World Champion Marine Cabirou (FRA) claimed her first UCI World Cup victory of the year and her 8th overall.
After two rounds Höll is just in the lead ahead of Tahnee Seagrave (GBR) and Camille Balanche (SUI).
After the experienced Greg Minnaar (RSA), also known as the G.O.A.T, failed to progress through qualifying, UCI World Champion Bruni slid out in the Men Elite semi-final, mixing up the order for the final.
With a number of riders crashing, Super-Bruni smashed out another classy run, leading with 10 riders remaining and the track drying. In his 2nd Elite UCI World Cup race, 20-year-old Kiwi Lachlan Steven-McNab went 1.1-sec faster by sector 3 before a front wheel wash-out. Then Ireland’s Ronan Dunne went 1-sec up at halfway and the 21-year-old held on for his first UCI World Cup win with a 0.064-sec advantage over the Frenchman.
Bruni holds the overall lead, with Dunne now his closest challenger ahead of Loris Vergier (FRA).
So, established stars or new starlets? After two rounds it’s not exactly a changing of the guards, but it remains in the balance.