Men’s results - Round 3 - UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup Falun (SWE)
1. Simon Gegenheimer (GER)
2. Lukas Malezsewski (BEL)
3. Casper Casserstedt (SWE)
4. Titouan Perrin-Ganier (FRA)
5. Edvin Lindh (SWE)
Gegenheimer and Tormena deliver a thrilling sequel
The Eliminator riders took on an impressive new course – with steep climbs, fast descents, technical sections including rock gardens and jumps – as well as the thrill and joy of the Swedish crowd. A number of participants from Sweden showed up for their home race, including local rider and former Olympic Champion Jenny Rissveds.
Gegenheimer and Tormena deliver a thrilling sequel
In the familiar setting of Falun, the Lugnet Arena was home to the third round of the UCI World Cup and provided a high level climbing course with natural obstacles. With riders battling for honours over the exciting 996 meter race course, Gaia Tormena and Simon Gegenheimer were crowned winners of an action-packed race.
The Eliminator riders took on an impressive new course – with steep climbs, fast descents, technical sections including rock gardens and jumps – as well as the thrill and joy of the Swedish crowd. A number of participants from Sweden showed up for their home race, including local rider and former Olympic Champion Jenny Rissveds.
Brand-new spectacular round in Falun sees Tormena triumph ahead of Sweden’s Rissveds
Home rider Jenny Rissveds was the fastest qualifier in the individual time trials, and kept on performing strong in all heats, watched by the eager Swedish fans.
The women’s final was a little closer, as Gaia Tormena and Jenny Rissveds went neck-to-neck to the finish line, with German rider Marion Fromberger taking a brilliant third place on a very technical course, and Linn Gustafzzon freed from the pressure of her home race, rounding out the top four.
Bad luck in the semi-finals ruined Brazil’s Marcela Lima her chances, who has arrived at the City Mountainbike Base Camp at Watersley in Sittard (The Netherlands), where she will train until the end of the season. The Brazilian finished in fifth place just in front of Sweden’s Ella Holmegard, who was followed by her compatriot Moa Gustafzzon and Dutch champion Didi de Vries.
With a second UCI World Cup round victory in a row, Tormena is expanding her lead in the general classification, with Marion Fromberger and Marcela Lima having equal points in the standings.
Mustache Man scores again
The Swedes started with a bang, making it a clean sweep in the top 7 during the qualifying time trials. It was Sweden’s National Champion Edvin Lindh, who started the one-lap race at a hard pace, setting the fastest time, and managed to secure a spot in the semi-finals, to ultimately claim 5th position in the finals.
Sweden’s Casper Casserstedt, 2nd fastest qualifier, had an impressive start and made it to the big final, with last round’s runner-up Lukas Malezsewski from Belgium, UCI World Cup leader Titouan Perrin-Ganier and UCI World Champion Simon Gegenheimer joining him for the big final. An exciting race saw Gegenheimer move up in the lead that became a dominant winning margin for the German rider, who finished the one-lap race 7sec ahead of Belgium’s Lukas Malezsewski, followed by Casper Casserstedt, with Titouan Perrin-Ganier running in fourth place.
Simon Gegenheimer is also the new leader in the general classification, with Titouan Perrin-Ganier in second place,18 points behind the UCI World Champion.
Finish line quotes
“What a race! I was quite nervous to be honest, but I had to try”, Gaia Tormena commented. “I knew it wasn’t going to be easy on this challenging race course. I left a lot of energy during the previous heats, but I’ve pushed myself to the limits and gave all I had left today, and I am super excited to win here. It is a dream come true.”
“I was keen to win here because of the motivation I got from Leuven. This was an incredible day. I took advantage being in the second position, not having to look back. I waited to move ahead and to accelerate on the right moment. I realised I had a few meters, but I was surprised to win with such a distance”, Simon Gegenheimer smiled after his second win in two weeks.
Images courtesy Andreas Olsson
Men’s standings UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup after Falun
1. Simon Gegenheimer (GER) – 162 points
2. Titouan Perrin-Ganier (FRA) – 144 points
3. Lukas Malezsewski (BEL) – 110 points
4. Anton Olstam (SWE) – 72 points
5. Lorenzo Serres (FRA) – 64 points
