Van Eck and Tormena on Top of the World in Aalen

The new UCI World Champions in the mountain bike eliminator discipline have been crowned! In a dazzling atmosphere in Aalen, Germany, the experienced Jeroen van Eck from the Netherlands stormed to his first-ever UCI world title, while Gaia Tormena from Italy conquered her fifth!

We promised a legendary day, and it truly delivered! The urban track in the charming streets of Aalen—hometown of eliminator legend Simon Gegenheimer and Marion Fromberger—guaranteed authentic city mountain biking. The 2024 UCI World Championships featured ultra-fast racing, peppered with spectacular obstacles, cunning tactics, daring moves, and devoted crowds!

The men’s race was packed with potential winners, with eliminations waiting around every corner. Lochlan Brown, winner of the UCI World Cup round in Palangkaraya, didn’t survive the qualifying time trials due to a mechanical issue. Race favorites Ede-Karoly Molnar and Lorenzo Serres went out in the 1/8 finals—Serres also suffered bad luck.

The elimination of big names continued in the quarter-finals: defending champion Titouan Perrin-Ganier, owner of six world titles, had to leave the race after a highly contested heat. Theo Hauser from Austria and Sondre Rokke from Norway were two young candidates for gold, but neither qualified for the big finals. They eventually took fifth and sixth place in the small finals.

In the finals for gold, it was Jeroen van Eck seizing power early on. Van Eck pushed through to take his first-ever UCI world title. Edvin Lindh from Sweden, winner of the qualifying time trials, lost his medal chances due to a crash and had to settle for fourth place. Silver went to Jakob Klemencic of Slovenia, and bronze to home rider Simon Gegenheimer, making Aalen and Germany proud.

In the women’s category, defending UCI World Champion Gaia Tormena never seemed to lose control. She rushed to a convincing win in the women’s qualifying time trials, after which she dominated her heats in both the quarter-finals and semi-finals. One of the victims was former UCI World Champion Coline Clauzure, who didn’t make it through the quarter-finals.

Home favorite Marion Fromberger had a bit of a tougher time reaching the big finals. But as expected, the German proved to be Tormena’s biggest opponent in the battle for gold. In the second half of the big finals, however, Fromberger had to leave a gap to her Italian opponent, a decisive moment for the race outcome.

While Tormena celebrated her fifth-ever gold medal in the UCI World Championships, Lia Schrievers slipped past her countrywoman Fromberger, taking the silver medal, while Fromberger had to settle for bronze. Line Mygdam from Denmark realized fourth place, and Didi de Vries from the Netherlands managed to take fifth in the small finals.

Finish line quotes

Gaia Tormena: “This rainbow jersey is the dream of every child. I didn’t want to give the stripes away—I prepared for this race since December. I was really looking forward to it: the atmosphere here in Aalen is amazing, the crowds stunning. I prepared for this race very well and tried to gain as much time as possible on the obstacles. Winning the world title again feels incredible, as it does every year. But it was also amazing to see Jeroen winning the rainbow jersey: he was an idol for me, and now we’re friends. I’m so happy for him, and so proud to be part of the big City Mountainbike family.”

Jeroen van Eck: “I can’t believe what happened. I’ve been aiming for over ten years for this UCI World Championships win but never came closer than second place. And then I stepped out of eliminator for two years—I have no words for coming back stronger than ever and taking this win. It’s a fairy tale story! I also felt so welcome coming back to this world. The congratulations of my colleagues were overwhelming, and the venue here in Aalen was amazing. So many people cheering—I think we’ve put on a big show!”