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Report: 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup R5 Val di Sole
2010 Mountain Bike Coverage Home | 2010 UCI MTB World Cup Overall Standings
All the action from the latest round of the World Cup, live from Val di Sole, Italy.
REPORT: DOWNHILL
Result: Men | Women Series Standing: Men | Women || Action Replay
Marc Beaumont took a stunning win in Val di Sole, Italy at round five of the World Cup, upsetting all the favourites along the way and doing his part to shape a showdown between Gee Atherton and Greg Minnaar at the sixth and final round at Windham in four weeks.
For Beaumont it was his second career World Cup win (his last coming at Vigo 2007) and one which came as a total surprise. With Greg Minnaar qualifying poorly he was the first of the favourites to take the hotseat, but it was obvious his time was beatable; Steve Peat going one second faster in the top section before stalling on the lower slopes of a track Rob Warner described as "the perfect World Cup downhill."
Beaumont took his chances on the hill and gradually pulled out a 1.45 second advantage over Minnaar at the bottom; at the time it was seen as a great sign for Gee Atherton to create a points gap to Minnaar - but in retrospect should have been seen as a great run in its own right.
With Aaron Gwin and Sam Blenkinsop having sub-par runs, Atherton had it all to do but was still expected to produce the goods on the track he claimed the World Championship title two years previous.
On the day though, Atherton was simply not fast enough and slid into third position - behind Minnaar - but took the lead in the World Cup Series by just seven points. This ensures an all or nothing race in Windham for the World Cup Finals, where Atherton has the chance to claim his first ever World Cup Series.
In the women's race Emmeline Ragot took her second win in two weeks, beating countrywoman Sabrina Jonnier. Mathematically it is possible for Ragot to win the overall, however Jonnier goes to New York as the woman to beat. Tracy Moseley finished fourth and solidified her top-five placing in the World Cup Standings, and will travel to America looking for that elusive win.
REPORT: CROSS COUNTRY
Result: Men | Women | Junior Men Series Standing: Men | Women
Nino Schurter took his second World Cup win of 2010 and for the second time it came down to a sprint between the World Champion and Julien Absalon.
Throughout the race it was clear Schurter and Absalon were the strongest riders, although a train of riders were able to follow in the early stages. The decicive moments came as Ralf Naf and Jose Hermida fell off the back, with only Florian Vogel and Mathias Fluckiger holding the pace - albeit intermitantly.
Coming into the final half lap, Absalon and Schurter matched each other attack for attack and it was bound to come down to a sprint. Absalon tried his luck but it was nothing special and Schurter could easily come back to take the line.
Top British finisher was Oli Beckingsale in 43rd, with Dave Fletcher 81st. Liam Killeen did not race, out through injury.
Women
In a thrilling sprint finish Maja Wlosczcowska outwitted Catherine Pendrel to take the penultimate round of the cross country World Cup. Thw result leaves Pendrel - who struck out for the win in the early stages of the race - in control of the overall standings.
Throughout it was obvious Pendrel was happy for others to chase her, a group of riders including teammates Georgia Gould and Katerina Nash trying but failing to bridge the gap. With a lap to go Wlosczcowska was the only rider to make it across, with enough left in the tank to take the sprint to the line. Further back Irina Kalentieva didn't quite time her late charge to perfection, the World Champion finishing third place, seconds adrift of the lead duo.
The best British finisher was Annie Last in 24th, nearly seven minutes down on the leaders. Last's performance was good enough to take third position in the under-23 category, matching her position at round one of the World Cup.
Steve James produced his best international form since the opening round of the Junior World Cup to finish ninth in a packed Val di Sole field. Despite starting in the fifties, James made light work of cutting through the field on the start loop and started his assault on the top twenty. Meanwhile Grant Ferguson looked to suffer mechanical issues in the early stages of the race, running last at one stage. A finish was a good result in light of this, with his laps once the problem was fixed in the top twenty fastest of the race.
REPORT: FOURCROSS
Result: Men | Women Series Standing: Men | Women
The biggest news from the penultimate round of the Fourcross World Cup was perhaps what didn't happen, rather than what did, as both Jared Graves and Anneke Beerten will be forced to race again at the World Cup Finals in order to win their Series titles.
For Graves third position was needed to wrap up the series, but Roger Rinderknecht's agressive pass into turn two send the World Champion off course and out the back of the line. The Swiss rider continued to take the win, but Graves may be rueing a missed opportunity to play percentages.
In the women's race, Anneke Beerten looked to be back on form and although the best gate was reserved for Anita Molcik, the best mountain biker on the hill was Beerten, who takes a points lead and the jersey to New York for the final round.
