After converging at Mte Sainte Anne, the DH/4X and XC World Cup series went their separate ways once again. The whippets stayed in Canada to race at Saint Félicien, while the gravity crowd crossed the Atlantic heading for the regular World Cup venue of Schladming, Austria.

XC – Saint Félicien, Canada

2007 has been Julien Absalon’s year. In now-traditional style, he set the early pace as the pack set off for six laps of Saint Félicien’s tricky 6.4km loop, taking José Antonio Hermida with him. The two riders steadily increased their gap on the rest of the field, but the prospect of a battle to the line was snatched from the spectators when Hermida’s chain broke with a lap and a half to go.

Hermida’s mechanical allowed chasers Fredrik Kessiakoff and Ralph Naëf to overtake him, but impressively he caught and repassed both of them on the final lap. He couldn’t catch Absalon, though, and finished 1:18 behind the Frenchman.

With four first places and a second and just one round to go, Absalon’s position at the head of the World Cup standings is now unassailable – whatever happens in Maribor in September, Absalon will win the series. The remaining podium spots are wide open, though. Hermida is currently running second, but Christoph Sauser, Roel Paulissen, Cédric Ravanel and Nino Schurter are all within striking distance.

In the women’s race, local favourite Marie-Hélène Premont made the early running. But current series leader Irina Kalentyeva was taking no chances and didn’t let her get too far ahead. Then, with a lap to go, Kalentyeva was away and gone, establishing a comfortable lead that she held to the finish. Sabine Spitz was third. Another win for Kalentyeva extends her lead in the overall standings to 174 points over Premont.

Results

Men

1. ABSALON Julien (ORBEA) 2:07:56.19
2. HERMIDA RAMOS Jose Antonio (MULTIVAN MERIDA BIKING TEAM) 2:09:15.01
3. KESSIAKOFF Fredrik (CANNONDALE-VREDESTEIN) 2:09:51.84
4. NAEF Ralph (MULTIVAN MERIDA BIKING TEAM) 2:10:47.08
5. FUGLSANG Jakob (CANNONDALE-VREDESTEIN) 2:10:56.67
6. SCHURTER Nino (SWISSPOWER MTB TEAM) 2:12:33.26

Women

1. KALENTYEVA Irina 2:02:02.73
2. PREMONT Marie-Helene (ROCKY MOUNTAIN HAYWOOD) 2:03:03.39
3. SPITZ Sabine (GHOST INTERNATIONAL) 2:05:18.11
4. KOERBER Willow (SUBARU-GARY FISHER) 2:05:27.28
5. GOULD Georgia (LUNA) 2:05:36.18
6. CHENGYUAN Ren 2:06:45.20

Overall standings

Men

1. ABSALON Julien (ORBEA) 1200
2. HERMIDA RAMOS Jose Antonio (MULTIVAN MERIDA BIKING TEAM) 880
3. SAUSER Christoph 716
4. PAULISSEN Roel (CANNONDALE-VREDESTEIN) 590
5. RAVANEL Cedric (LAPIERRE INTERNATIONAL) 588
6. SCHURTER Nino (SWISSPOWER MTB TEAM) 560

Women

1. KALENTYEVA Irina 1014
2. PREMONT Marie-Helene ROCKY MOUNTAIN HAYWOOD 840
3. CHENGYUAN Ren 778
4. SPITZ Sabine GHOST INTERNATIONAL RACING TEAM 760
5. FULLANA Margarita SPIUK-TAU CERAMICA 700
6. KOERBER Willow SUBARU-GARY FISHER 578

Schladming – DH

Sometimes World Cup downhills are decided by the tiniest fractions of a second. And sometimes they’re not. Schladming fell into the latter category, with Australia’s Sam Hill storming to his second win of the series with a substantial five second margin. Gee Atherton was the rider to get closest, with a substantially more slender 0.4s back to third-placed Greg Minnaar.

Hill is now 168 points clear of second-placed Steve Peat (fifth at Schladming) in the series standings. With one round to go it’s not impossible for him to fail to win the title, but he’ll have to work at it…

Britain’s Tracy Moseley was fastest qualifier in the women’s event, but she couldn’t match the final run times of three other riders. Marielle Saner was just ahead and series leader Sabrina Jonnier ahead of her. But it was Tracey Hannah who scored the fastest time of the day to take her first World Cup event.

Jonnier now leads Moseley by 225 points, a margin that pretty much just needs her to get down the hill at Maribor in one piece to take the overall title.

Results

Men

1. HILL Samuel (IRON HORSE / MONSTER ENERGY) 3:51.44
2. ATHERTON Gee (ANIMAL COMMENCAL) 3:56.58
3. MINNAAR Greg (TEAM G-CROSS HONDA) 3:56.96
4. LEHIKOINEN Matti (TEAM G-CROSS HONDA) 3:57.01
5. PEAT Steve (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 3:57.81
6. VAZQUEZ LOPEZ David (MSC BIKES) 3:57.93

Women

1. HANNAH Tracey 4:41.50
2. JONNIER Sabrina (IRON HORSE / MONSTER ENERGY) 4:43.06
3. SANER Marielle (BIKEPARK.CH TUI) 4:44.21
4. MOSELEY Tracy (KONA LES GETS) 4:46.07
5. GROS Celine 4:50.19
6. QUIN Vanessa (MS-INTENSE FACTORY-RACING TEAM) 4:53.00

Overall standings

Men

1. HILL Samuel (IRON HORSE / MONSTER ENERGY) 807
2. PEAT Steve (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 639
3. LEHIKOINEN Matti (TEAM G-CROSS HONDA) 566
4. MINNAAR Greg (TEAM G-CROSS HONDA) 520
5. BAREL Fabien (KONA LES GETS) 391
6. ATHERTON Gee (ANIMAL COMMENCAL) 390

Women

1. JONNIER Sabrina (IRON HORSE / MONSTER ENERGY) 880
2. MOSELEY Tracy (KONA LES GETS) 655
3. RAGOT Emmeline 655
4. HANNAH Tracey 620
5. SANER Marielle (BIKEPARK.CH TUI) 565
6. GROS Celine 485

4X – Schladming

The men’s 4X World Cup title is decided too – Brian Lopes won every one of his heats and the final in Schladming. He beat Guido Tshugg, Filip Polc and Jared Graves in the final, giving himself a mighty 500 point lead in the series.

Meanwhile it’s all to play for in the women’s series. At Mte Sainte Anne it was Anneke Beerten beating Jill Kintner to top spot, but at Schladming it was Kintner’s turn. Her win gave her the leader’s jersey, but there’s only 40 points in it.

Results

Men

1. LOPES Brian
2. TSCHUGG Guido SSANGYONG-FUSION PRO TEAM
3. POLC Filip GRAVITY GROUP
4. GRAVES Jared

Women

1. KINTNER Jill
2. BEERTEN Anneke BIKEPARK.CH TUI
3. GRIFFITHS Fionn
4. SUEMASA Mio

Overall standings

Men

1. LOPES Brian 950
2. POLC Filip (GRAVITY GROUP) 450
3. PROKOP Michal 450
4. ATHERTON Gee (ANIMAL COMMENCAL) 425
5. GRAVES Jared 400
6. TSCHUGG Guido (SSANGYONG-FUSION PRO TEAM) 320

Women

1. KINTNER Jill 750
2. BEERTEN Anneke (BIKEPARK.CH TUI) 710
3. GRIFFITHS Fionn 350
4. SUEMASA Mio 280
5. SEYDOUX Rachel 150
6. CASTRO FERNANDEZ Eva 100