Oudenaarde report: The surprise from Norway, and the icon from Italy!

Round 4 of the UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup in Oudenaarde, Belgium, is a wrap! In a men’s race full of surprises, young talent Sondre Rokke from Norway prevailed, while UCI World Champion Gaia Tormena stormed to another UCI World Cup win.

Riders from all corners of the world assembled in Oudenaarde, right in the heart of Flanders, a region where cycling almost grew into a religion. Local fans came out to see the spectacle, on a treacherous city track where speeds went through the roof, and mistakes turned out to be very costly.

Lorenzo Serres from France, Oudenaarde winner in 2021, sprinted to first place in the qualifying time trials, while German champion Marion Fromberger put in the best time in the women’s bunch. So far for the expected: in the heats leading to the big finals, many of the big names went out.

UCI World Champion Titouan Perrin-Ganier from France got taken out by a crash in the 1/8 finals, ‘Mustache Man’ Simon Gegenheimer was eliminated in a highly contested quarter final. And outsiders Line Mygdam (mechanical), and Annemoon van Dienst and Didi de Vries (both crashed) didn’t make it to the women’s semi-finals.

The final heat of the women’s race turned out into another good old Fromberger-Tormena duel. This time it was Tormena grabbing power, beating Fromberger in an impressive push to the line. After a strong race, upcoming talent Agnes Abrahamsson from Sweden managed to conquer a well-deserved third place.

No less than three French riders made it to the big men’s final, but in the end, they were all beaten by an aspiring Norwegian talent. The 19 year old Sondre Rokke led the race from start to finish, conquering his first ever UCI World Cup win. Lorenzo Serres had to settle with silver, finishing in front of fellow countrymen Quentin Schrotzenberger and Thibaut Kahlhoven.

Finish line quotes

“This day started very, very bad”, Tormena told about her race. “I didn’t feel myself in the ‘quali’, so my goal of the day was to reach the final, only thinking about the overall. I did quite a slow quarter final, but something happened in my legs – and most of all, in my mind. I started to study my opponents, rode a conservative final, trying to grab my best result. And in the end, I won. Just like in Leuven. Seems like Belgium is my lucky country. Thank you Belgium!”

“It was very surprising to feel so strong today”, Sondre Rokke said after his breakthrough victory, after winning the Continental Series race in Falun earlier this year. “It was a really hard race, for sure, from the start. And I almost overcooked it on the last jump. It feels so good that I managed to stay in front until the finish! I’d like to do some more eliminator races this season. It would be fun to race in Spain, in Girona and Barcelona, later this year!”

Results

Men’s results – UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup Oudenaarde

1. Sondre Rokke (NOR)
2. Lorenzo Serres (FRA)
3. Quentin Schrotzenberger (FRA)
4. Thibaut Kahlhoven (FRA)
5. Nils-Obed Riecker (GER)

Women’s results – UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup Oudenaarde

1. Gaia Tormena (ITA)
2. Marion Fromberger (GER)
3. Agnes Abrahamsson (SWE)
4. Coline Clauzure (FRA)
5. Merili Sirvel (EST)

FULL RESULTS

Standings

Men’s UCI World Cup standings after Oudenaarde

1. Titouan Perrin-Ganier (FRA) – 188 points
2. Simon Gegenheimer (GER) – 161 points
3. Thibaut Kahlhoven (FRA) – 146 points
4. Quentin Schrotzenberger (FRA) – 142 points
5. Felix Klausmann (GER) – 123 points

Women’s UCI World Cup standings after Oudenaarde

1. Gaia Tormena (ITA) – 278 points
2. Marion Fromberger (GER) – 226 points
3. Annemoon van Dienst (NLD) – 144 points
4. Agnes Abrahamsson (SWE) – 103 points
5. Didi de Vries (NLD) – 97 points

FULL STANDINGS