On Saturday, the bad weather vanished for the Downhill Qualifying Finals and 4-Cross Finals of round three in the Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Vallnord in Andorra. This was especially important for the 4-Cross, as it dried the track and made it more fluid in the corners.
Roger Rinderknecht (GT Bicycles), falls, and Jared Graves of the Yeti Fox Shox Factory crashes into him. Enric Moran Gimeno photo The women’s and men’s Finals saw upsets. Fionn Griffiths (Norco World Team), won the women’s title after three riders were involved in a crash at the second corner. Things were going as planned up until the Final. Griffiths, World Cup leader Anneke Bierten (Suspension Center), round 2 winner Jill Kintner(Red Bull/Intense), and Jana Horakova [Czech Republic] advanced to the medal round. Fionn Griffiths (Norco World Team), will finish ahead Anneke Beerten, Suspension Center). Gary Perkin photo
After the gate, the first set jumps in the medal-race, Kintner was almost neck-and-neck with Horakova, while Kintner was on the outside. Horakova went wide, then cut across to squeeze Kintner, as they set up to take the second corner, which was a right-hander. Beerten was unable to catch them. Griffiths was able to make it through to the end.
Griffiths commented that I’ve been experiencing terrible gates throughout the day. I decided to start a little off the back. I had planned to go inside, but I noticed the line Horakova had and Jill was still not turned yet. I knew it was drifting, so I braked and rode outside. It was awesome.
Womens podium. Gary Perkin photo
Beerten was second and Horakova took third. Beerten retains her World Cup lead, while Horakova is now in second place ahead of Kintner.
Men’s racing saw Rafael Alvarez de Lara Lucas (Specialized), world champion, again fall victim to a crash in the 1/8 final round. Guido Tschugg, (Ghost ATG) was eliminated in the quarter finals.
Jared Graves (Yetifox Shox) was the World Cup leader, coming off two consecutive victories, against Joost Wichman (Netherlands), Australian Luke Madill, and Roger Rinderknecht, second in the World Cup rankings.
Graves had won all his heats leading up to the Final and appeared to be in command in the medal race. He carried too much speed into his first corner and drifted wide, giving Wichman, Rinderknecht and Madill the opportunity to pass in tight squeeze at the second corner. Rinderknecht made another mistake at the end, allowing Madill to pass and then colliding with Graves. Graves was able to beat Rinderknecht to third place.
Joost Wichman made it possible. Gary Perkin photo
It was certainly aggressive enough, I thought. Wichman exclaimed with excitement. It was a clean move because he didn’t get hit. It was amazing, man! It was amazing. It was close, but it was a smooth move.
Graves was philosophical about Graves’ losing streak. It was getting a bit loose in the corners. Roger was fourth and I was third in the Final. This means that my points lead has grown a little. However, I feel like I lost a golden opportunity. I drifted in a straight-line coming into the first corner and couldn’t even recover my line. It was one of those things. I was disappointed, but it is the main thing.
ANDORRA 4X – COMPLETE RESULTS
Results from WC #3 Final in Vallnord (Andorra)
WOMEN
Big Final
1 Fionn Griffiths (GBr), Norco World Team
2 Anneke Beerten (Ned) Suspension Center
3 Jana Horakova (Cze)
4 Jill Kintner (USA).
Very Small Final
5 Emmeline Ragot (Fra), Suspension Center
6 Melissa Buhl (USA)
7 Caroline Buchanan (Aus)
8 Rachel Seydoux (Sui)
1/4 Final
9 Joanna Petterson, RSA
10 Mio Suemasa (Jpn)
11 Diana Marggraff (Ecu)
12 Angelika Hohenwarter (Aut)
13 Lucia Oetjen (Sui)
14 Helene Valerie Fruhwirth (Aut)
15 Eva Castro Fernandez (Esp)
16 Neven Steinmetz (USA)
1/8 Finals
17 Anita Molcik, (Aut).
18 Sarsha Huntington (Aus)
19 Steffi Marth (Ger)
20 Katarina Tothova (Cze)
21 Esther Leroy, (Fra).
22 Tereza Votavova (Cze)
23 Maria Sanchez Veliz (Esp)
24 Romana Labounkova (Cze)
MEN
Big Final
1 Joost Wichman (Ned)
2 Luke Madill (Aust) GT Bicycles
3 Jared Graves, Aus) Yeti Fox Shox Factory Racing Team
4 Roger Rinderknecht (Sui) GT Bicycles
Very Small Final
5 Tomas Slavik (Cze)
6 Romain Saladini, (Fra), Team Sunn
7 Filip Polc (Svk) MS Evil Racing
8 Jurg Meijer (Ned)
1/4 Finals
9 David Graf (Sui)
10 Michal Prokop, Cze
11 Guido Tschugg (Ger) Ghost A.T.G. Pro Team
12 Patrick Campbell-Jenner (GBr)
13 Michal Marosi, Czech
14 Sascha Meyenborg (Ger)
15 Lukas Mechura (Cze) Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense
16 Marek Pesko (Svk)
1/8 Finals
17 Mickael Dedycke (Fra).
18 Quentin Derbier (Fra)
19 Dominik Gspan (Sui)
20 Javier Guijarro Villacieros (Esp) XMS-Devinci World Cup Team
21 Pascal Seydoux (Sui)
22 Florian Gottschlich (Ger)
23 Tom Dowie (GBr)
24 Felix Beckeman (Sweden)
25 Kamil Tatarkovic, Czech (Cze).
26 Rafael Alvarez De Lara Lucas (Esp) Specialized Factory Racing
27 Nico Seidel (Ger) Ghost A.T.G. Pro Team
28 Martin Frei (Sui)
29 Jan Ersek (Svk)
30 Ziga Knez (Slo)
31 Matej Vitko (Svk)
32 Randal Huntington (Aus)
1/16 Finals
33 Matthieu Faury (Fra)
34 Lewis Lacey (GBR) Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense
35 Rastislav Pirman (Svk)
36 Joey Van Veghel, Ned
37 Scott Roberts (GBr)
38 William Evans (GBr)
39 Duncan Ferris (GBr).
40 David Axelsson (Swe)
41 Adrian Kiener, Sui
42 Adam Stasek (Cze) Ghost A.T.G. Pro Team
43 Adrien Loron (Fra)
44 Nicolas Gspan (Sui)
45 Bernard Kerr (GBr).
46 Peter Prajczer (Hun)
47 Ludovic Gadois (Fra) Team Vario Racing
48 Borja Carrasco Morera (Esp)
49 Thomas Schfer (Ger), Solid AClass Factory Team
50 Tilen Frank (Slo)
51 Francisco Javier Gutierrez Trigo (Esp)
52 Vincent Rasera (Fra)
53 Adrian Hanko, (Ger).
54 Ghislain Ricci (Fra)
55 Scott Beaumont (GBr), Rocky Mountain Uk
56 Oskar Harnstrom, Sweden
