Aalen race report: And in the end, the Germans win!

Eliminator is a beautiful sport, and in the end the Germans win. At least, that’s what they did in their home UCI World Cup round in Aalen. Lia Schrievers and Felix Klausmann stormed to victory, while UCI World Champions Gaia Tormena (ITA) and Titouan Perrin-Ganier (FRA) defended their leader’s places in GC, with still three rounds to go.

Aalen race report: And in the end, the Germans win!

Just like last year, Aalen offered a lightning fast street circuit through the city centre, jam-packed by crowds going crazy for race ambassadors Simon Gegenheimer and Marion Fromberger. Some huge, frightening obstacles and the scorching heat seemed to be the biggest challenges of the day. But then, the rain came: one summer shower threw things upside down – in all possible ways.

During qualifying time trials, all stayed dry. Nils-Obed Riecker took a surprising TT win for his home squad, the Mountainbike Racing Team. In the meantime in the women’s qualifiers, Gaia Tormena showed her winning legs again. No one could suspect what would come next …

Because then, things started to get rainy. On the treacherous wet city streets, home heroes Gegenheimer and Fromberger both hit the deck. Despite a crash in the quarter finals, ‘Mustache Man’ Gegenheimer still managed to get to the final heats, finishing fourth. Also Fromberger had to settle with fourth place after going down in the women’s final, while leading the race.

However, both wins still went to Germany: a strong Felix Klausmann seized control in the men’s final heat, soloing to the win. Titouan Perrin-Ganier and Kilian Demangeon from France claimed second and third. In the women’s race, Lia Schrievers secured her first ever UCI World Cup victory with a strong sprint to the finish line, going over Tormena. The Italian finished second, German Lina Huber third.

Finish line quotes

“This is amazing”, Lia Schrievers enjoyed. “I’ve been chasing a first victory for some time. Gaia seemed to be unbeatable: I’ve been second behind her for so many times. I don’t know what happened, but today I was stronger. And lucky. Sad what happened to Marion when she was in the lead, but that’s eliminator racing too. Thank God for giving me the power to sprint on that straight, to go over Gaia and to get that first victory!”

“It was some crazy race, here in Aalen”, Felix Klausmann smiled. “I liked the course. And the rain – it was really difficult, but amazing. In the quarter finals and the semi finals I had a good feeling on the track: I was able to go full gas through the corners. In the final heat, I gave everything from the start: you never knew if the other riders would crash. I tried to control the race in the front, created a gap, and they couldn’t catch me anymore. Crazy!”

Results

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

1. Felix Klausmann (GER)
2. Titouan Perrin-Ganier (FRA)
3. Kilian Demangeon (FRA)
4. Simon Gegenheimer (GER)
5. Quentin Schrotzenberger (FRA)

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

1. Lia Schrievers (GER)
2. Gaia Tormena (ITA)
3. Lina Huber (GER)
4. Marion Fromberger (GER)
5. Line B Mygdam (DEN)

FULL RESULTS

UCI World Cup standings

Men’s UCI World Cup standings after Aalen

1. Titouan Perrin-Ganier (FRA) – 180 points
2. Simon Gegenheimer (GER) – 137 points
3. Thibaut Kahlhoven (FRA) – 101 points
4. Felix Klausmann (GER) – 101 points
5. Quentin Schrotzenberger (FRA) – 101 points

Women’s UCI World Cup standings after Aalen

1. Gaia Tormena (ITA) – 205 points
2. Marion Fromberger (GER) – 156 points
3. Annemoon van Dienst (NED) – 125 points
4. Didi de Vries (NED) – 74 points
5. Line B Mygdam (DEN) – 73 points

FULL STANDINGS