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Lisboa Downtown - 1
Lisbon, Portugal, May 19, 2007
Peat takes Lisboa Downtown for sixth consecutive year
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Steve Peat continued his rule at the downtown downhill Alfama neighborhood in Lisbon with a sixth consecutive win. He finished 2.624 seconds ahead of second-placed teammate Nathan Rennie. He not only defended his titled, but also bettered his time and took home a Kia Picanto car for his efforts.
The Downtown race came one week after the downhill World Cup race in Vigo, Spain. After Vigo, many top racers headed to the sleepy town of Lousa, Portugal to relax and train before heading south to Lisbon for the annual event. Beer, bikes, and beach time were par for the course for many during the rest week before Lisbon.
The practice, qualifier, and final all happened on one day. Peat posted the fastest qualifying run at 1:42.29. Greg Minnaar was second at 1:43.23, and Nathan Rennie took at 1:43.90. Peat said he really didn't think it felt like a great run, and Rennie said he over-braked in a lot of places, but both admitted they learned something from the run.
For the final, qualifiers ran in reverse order. Filip Polc (Gravity Group) was in the hot-seat until Rennie flew down with a 1:42.282, unseating him. Minnaar was next up, but crashed on the course. Final rider and favorite Peat raced in front of a roaring crowd and maneuvered his way through the cobbles to a win.
"I smoked Nathan by 2.642983853 seconds on a one minute track!" said Peat after the race. "And I dedicate this win to Rob and Lepa. The boys did good cuz they had the three b's leading up to this race (beach, beer, bikes…)."
Rennie still took home 3,000 Euros and said, "It makes up for last week in Vigo!"
Frenchwoman Sabrina Jonnier, who finished fifth last year, won the women's event. The top Portuguese man and woman were Claudio Laoureiro and Aurea Agostinho.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Extreme Sports Channel
- Men's podium (L-R): Nathan Rennie (Santa Cruz Syndicate), Steve Peat (Santa Cruz Syndicate), and Filip Polc (Gravity Group).
- Women's podium (L-R): Tracey Hannah, Sabrina Jonnier (Iron Horse/Monster Energy), and Helen Gaskell.
Results, Finals
Elite Men 1 Steve Peat (GBr) Santa Cruz Syndicate 1.39.658 2 Nathan Rennie (Aus) Santa Cruz Syndicate 0.02.624 3 Filip Polc (Svk) Gravity Group 0.02.786 4 Samuel Hill (Aus) Iron Horse / Monster Energy 0.02.885 5 Matti Lehikoinen (Fin) Team G-Cross Honda 0.02.905 Elite Women 1 Sabrina Jonnier (Fra) Iron Horse / Monster Energy 1.54.000 Top Portuguese Man 1 Claudio Laoureiro (Por) 1.43.000 Top Portuguese Woman 1 Aurea Agostinho (Por) 2.13.000
