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Mountain Bike World Championships - CM
Val di Sole, Italy, June 17-22, 2008
Main Page Results Overall standings Previous Race Next Race
Race 16 - June 21: 4X Finals
US and Spain victorious in 4X
By Sue George in Val di Sole, Italy
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Melissa Buhl (United States of America) and Rafael Alvarez De Lara Lu (Spain) were crowned the World Champions in the 4X in Val di Sole, Italy. Their wins came at the end of a busy day of gravity racing, which also saw four downhill titles awarded the women, men, junior women and junior men.
Buhl kept the rainbow stripes at home in the US for another year despite the absence of former World Champion Jill Kintner, who is concentrating on BMX for the Olympic Games in Beijing in August. Buhl seized the opportunity for victory after favorite Anneke Beerten (Netherlands) and and Romana Labounkova (Czech Republic) tangled. Jana Horakova (Czech Republic) finished second while Labounkova and Beerten round out the top four in the Big Final.
The men's race looked like a bowling match with all but one of the four Big Final riders going down. Rafael Alvarez De Lara Lu (Spain) won after he was the only man who avoided the pile-up which sent favorite Jared Graves (Australia) and Mickael Deldycke (France) over the side of the burm and into a pile of photographers and spectatators.
All the riders got back on their bikes and rode down with Swiss Roger Rinderknecht and Mickael Deldycke (France) taking the remaining medals. Graves, who had gone furthest off course and ended up on the bottom of a two-man pile rode in for fourth.
Full report coming!
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Rob Jones/www.canadiancyclist.com
- The women's 4X podium: Jana Horakova (Czech Republic), Melissa Buhl (United States Of America) & Romana Labounkova (Czech Republic).
- The women's 4X place getters..
- The men's 4X podium: Roger Rinderknecht (Switzerland), Rafael Alvarez De Lara Lu (Spain) & Mickael Deldycke (France).
- The medal winner look happy.
- Anneke Beerten (Netherlands) was the favourite until a crash in the final.
- Romana Labounkova (Czech Republic) took bronze.
- Silver medalist Jana Horakova (Czech Republic).
- World Champions Melissa Buhl (United States).
- Joost Wichman (Netherlands) easily made it through the 1/16 heat.
- Matej Vitko (Slovakia) won his 1/16th heat.
- Rafael Alvarez De Lara Lu (Spain) and Jurg Meijer (Netherlands) both went through when Stapic crashed.
- Jared Graves (Australia) easily won his 1/8 heat.
- Scott Beaumont (GBr).
- Roger Rinderknecht (Switzerland) and Joost Wichman (Netherlands) go forward to semi's.
- Late evening racing in the Italian Mtns.
- Rafael Alvarez De Lara Lu (Spain) and Romain Saladini (France).
- For Brain Lopes a repeat as World Champion was not to be.
- Rafael Alvarez De Lara Lu stayed upright in final when his opponents crashed.
Results
Elite women Big Final 1 Melissa Buhl (United States Of America) 2 Jana Horakova (Czech Republic) 3 Romana Labounkova (Czech Republic) 4 Anneke Beerten (Netherlands) Small 5 Caroline Buchanan (Australia) 6 Lucia Oetjen (Switzerland) 7 Anita Molcik (Austria) 8 Mio Suemasa (Japan) 1/4 Finals 9 Sabrina Jonnier (France) 10 Fionn Griffiths (Great Britain) 11 Céline Gros (France) 12 Joanna Petterson (South Africa) 13 Sarsha Huntington (Australia) 14 Helene Valerie Fruhwirth (Austria) 15 Diana Marggraff (Ecuador) 16 Eva Castro Fernandez (Spain) Qualifications 17 Steffi Marth (Germany) 18 Angelika Hohenwarter (Austria) 19 Elisa Canepa (Italy) 20 Neven Steinmetz (United States Of America) 21 Rachel Seydoux (Switzerland) 22 Jessica Vogt (United States Of America) DNS Katarina Tothova (Czech Republic) Elite men Big Finals 1 Rafael Alvarez De Lara Lu (Spain) 2 Roger Rinderknecht (Switzerland) 3 Mickael Deldycke (France) 4 Jared Graves (Australia) Small Finals 5 Brian Lopes (United States Of America) 6 Scott Beaumont (Great Britain) 7 Romain Saladini (France) 8 Ross Milan (United States Of America) 1/4 Finals 9 Cédric Gracia (France) 10 Tomas Slavik (Czech Republic) 11 Matej Vitko (Slovakia) 12 Lewis Lacey (Great Britain) 13 Joost Wichman (Netherlands) 14 Sascha Meyenborg (Germany) 15 Guido Tschugg (Germany) 16 Jurg Meijer (Netherlands) 1/8 Finals 17 Kamil Tatarkovic (Czech Republic) 18 Filip Polc (Slovakia) 19 Premek Tejchman (Czech Republic) 20 Dominik Gspan (Switzerland) 21 Michael Robert Haderer (United States Of America) 22 Thomas Schäfer (Germany) 23 Rastislav Pirman (Slovakia) 24 Tomas Haluza (Czech Republic) 25 Mario José Jarrin Molina (Ecuador) 26 Quentin Derbier (France) 27 Reto Schmid (Switzerland) 28 Cameron Cole (New Zealand) 29 Peter Prajczer (Hungary) 30 Tilen Frank (Slovenia) 31 Blake Carney (United States Of America) 32 Johannes Fischbach (Germany) 1/16 Finals 33 Alex Lloyd (Australia) 34 Marek Pesko (Slovakia) 35 Adrian Kiener (Switzerland) 36 Matej Stapic (Slovenia) 37 Randal Huntington (Australia) 38 Will Longden (Great Britain) 39 Eric Nelson (United States Of America) 40 Daniel Auerswald (Germany) 41 Radim Kvacek (Czech Republic) 42 William Evans (Great Britain) 43 Cody Eichhorn (Australia) 44 Craig Pattle (New Zealand) 45 Terrence Scarr (Australia) Full results coming!
