September 16/07 12:58 pm - MTB World Cup 4X Final: photos, report and full results

Posted by Editoress on 09/16/07
 

Maribor MTB World Cup Final Maribor, Slovenia

Photos
Women

Men

The World Cup Final of 4-Cross saw the first upset of the weekend, when Jill Kintner (GT) missed out on the final, opening the door for Anneke Beerten (Bikepark.ch) to win and take her first overall title. Men's series leader Brian Lopes (GT) also missed his final, but had already wrapped up the World Cup victory.

Kintner came into the final with a slim 40 point lead over her Dutch rival, and the final run would determine the champion if both riders made it into that round - Beerten simply needed to finish in front of Kintner to win the title.

Both riders won their quarterfinals with ease, and then disaster for Kintner in the semifinals: "My tire slid sideways in some wood chips just before the second corner at the top and I almost went off the track." The American dropped to last in her heat, and only managed to recover one spot before the finish line - if Beerten could make the final the World Cup title was hers.

Beerten did win her Semi, and went on to win the final to record a double win - World Cup race and overall title. "This was an awesome day for me; now I have accomplished what I hoped to do this season. I was feeling good about this course, so I was thinking 'this could be the one for me'. I knew it was all or nothing this weekend, so I didn't hold anything back."

Mio Suemasa (Japan) was second in the final, followed by Melissa Buhl (USA) and Jana Horakova (Czech Republic). Suemasa took third in the overall standings behind Beerten and Kintner.

The men's race saw Romain Saladini of France take the final round, after both Lopes and Michal Prokop (Czech Republic) made uncharacteristic errors. Prokop had a poor start in the final, opening the door for Saladini to take the win.

Lopes admitted that missing the final was his own fault. "I threw it away. In the Semi I was first into the first turn, but I had been seeing that people were going outside and gaining some speed, so I went really outside. I lost too much speed and Prokop went by me and then it was a drag race with Guido (Tschugg) to the next turn. He crashed, so I was set in second, I thought. But my backend slid out on the wall turn, I lost speed again and it let Dan (Atherton) get by me."

Lopes had already won the title, by virtue of three previous wins and a second place, and Prokop cemented his hold on second overall. Jared Graves (Australia) took third in the overall rankings.

Women

Big Final
1. Anneke Beerten (Ned) Bikepark.Ch Tui
2. Mio Suemasa (Jpn)
3. Melissa Buhl (USA) KHS
4. Jana Horakova (Cze)

Small Final
5. Jill Kintner (USA) GT
6. Fionn Griffiths (GBr) Griffiths/Norco
7. Marielle Saner (Sui) Bikepark.Ch Tui
8. Anita Molcik (Aut) Team Hotec / Rsp

1/4 Finals
9. Rachel Seydoux (Sui)
10. Diana Marggraff (Ecu)
11. Helene Fruhwirth (Aut)
12. Eva Castro Fernandez (Esp)
13. Angelika Hohenwarter (Aut)
14. Julia Boer (Hun)
15. Neven Steinmetz (USA)
16. Ramona Stellnberger (Aut) Arbö Rsp Downhill Racing

Qualifications
DSQ. Elisa Canepa (Ita) Playbiker - Iron Horse
DNS. Petra Bernhard (Aut)
DNS. Jennifer Makgill (NZl) Ssangyong-Fusion Pro Team
DNS. Rachel Atherton (GBr) Animal Commencal

Men

Big Final
1. Romain Saladini (Fra)
2. Michal Prokop (Cze)
3. Dan Atherton (GBr) Animal Commencal
4. Karim Amour (Fra)

Small Final
5. Joost Wichman (Ned) Gravity Group
6. Jared Graves (Aus)
7. Brian Lopes (USA)
8. Guido Tschugg (Ger) Ssangyong-Fusion Pro Team

1/4 Finals
9. Kamil Tatarkovic (Cze) Kona Les Gets
10. Scott Beaumont (GBr) Rocky Mountain Uk
11. Reto Schmid (Sui)
12. Michal Marosi (Cze) Arbö Rsp Downhill Racing
13. Roger Rinderknecht (Sui)
14. Tomas Slavik (Cze)
15. Rafael Alvarez De Lara Lu (Esp)
16. Livio Zampieri (Ita)

1/8 Finals
17. Gee Atherton (GBr) Animal Commencal
18. Dominik Gspan (Sui)
19. Filip Polc (Svk) Gravity Group
20. Robin Wallner (Swe)
21. Jared Rando (Aus) Giant Mountain Bike Team
22. Jurg Meijer (Ned) Dolphin Bike Team
23. Gabor Vigh-Kiss (Hun)
24. Kyle Strait (USA)
25. Quentin Derbier (Fra)
26. Matej Vitko (Svk)
27. Jakub Hwidak (Cze)
28. Matej Stapic (Slo)
29. Sascha Meyenborg (Ger)
30. Adrian Kiener (Sui)
31. Ludovic Gadois (Fra)
32. Lars Peyer (Sui) Bikepark.Ch Tui

1/16 Finals
33. Johannes Fischbach (Ger) Ghost International Racin
34. Amiel Cavalier (Aus) Giant Mountain Bike Team
35. Thomas Bubla (Aut)
36. Joey Van Veghel (Ned)
37. Sidney Gerber (Sui)
38. Georg Sieder (Aut)
39. Tilen Frank (Slo)
40. Zdenek Nasinec (Cze)
41. Gabor Deli (Hun)
42. Elias Somvi (Ita) Playbiker - Iron Horse
43. Ales Rogozan (Cze)
44. Peter Fernbach (Aut) Arbö Rsp Downhill Racing
44. Markus Pekoll (Aut) Mtb-Direct.Co.Uk
46. Richard Cunynghame (GBr)
47. Attila Kovacs (Hun)
48. Nicolas Gspan (Sui)
49. Thomas Krainer (Aut)
50. Terry Scarr (Aus)
51. Thomas Warmuth (Aut)
52. Wojciech Koniuszewski (Pol)
53. Enrico Gutsche (Ger)
54. Korak Vitko (Cze)
55. Anze Cerin (Slo)
56. Markus Sedlak (Aut)
57. Luka Verstovsek (Slo)
58. Dennis Dertell (Swe)
59. Milan Prischetzky (Hun)
60. Balazs Kutasi (Hun)
61. Peter Roschner (Aut)
62. Aurélien Giordanengo (Fra)

Qualifications
DSQ. Will Longden (GBr)
DSQ. Robert Kulesza (Pol)
DNF. Piotr Solarski (Pol)
DNS. Jakub Hnidak (Cze)
DNS. Daniel Auerswald (Ger)
DNS. Mario Sieder (Aut)
DNS. Bryn Atkinson (Aus)
DNS. Cédric Gracia (Fra)
DNS. Michael Hannah (Aus)
DNS. William Evans (GBr)
DNS. Christopher Van Dine (USA)
DNS. Lewis Lacey (GBr)
DNS. Premyxl Tejchman (Cze)
DNS. Jonas Westmann (Swe)
DNS. Dale Holmes (GBr)
DNS. Ramon Antonio Leiva Figueroa (Chi)
DNS. Nathan Rennie (Aus)
DNS. Bostjan Volf (Slo)
DNS. Joze Veber (Slo)
DNS. Nico Seidel (Ger)
DNS. Jani Podmiljsak (Slo)
DNS. Charalampos Chaidemenakis (Gre)
DNS. Boris Tetzlaff (Aut)
DNS. Greg Minnaar (RSA)
DNS. Duncan Ferris (GBr)
DNS. Nathaniel Goiny (Ger)
DNS. Luka Novak (Slo)
DNS. Florent Payet (Fra)
DNS. Martin Strasser (Aut)
DNS. Stefan Fernbach (Aut)
DNS. Manuel Wenzelmeier (Aut)
DNS. James Maltman (Aus)
DNS. Marek Pesko (Svk)
DNS. Michal Votava (Cze)
DNS. Stefan Voitl (Aut)
DNS. Roman Roschi (Sui)