In front of a good crowd, local hero Simon Gegenheimer won his home round of the UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup in Aalen, Germany. The Italian star Gaia Tormena managed to win in the women's race.
Home favorite Gegenheimer got off to a slow start, finishing next to last in qualifying after a crash. Throughout the day, she was fighting with the four-time world champion Titouan Perrin Ganier, with a very tight final which ended at the photo finish.
Third place for Quentin Schrotzenberger while the youngsters Stephan Mayer and Felix Klausmann finished in 4th and 5th place.
GAIA TORMENA DOMINATOR
UCI world champion Gaia Tormena put on another show in the women's category, winning every heat in Aalen: from qualifying to the final. Curiosity: Tormena was celebrating her twentieth birthday. A birthday party in style, it was!
German home favorites Marion Fromberger (4th) and Lia Schrievers (2nd) made sure Tormena had a tough day, but in the end they had to settle for the podium. Former UCI world champion Coline Clauzure finished third.
In the UCI World Cup standings, Tormena now has an impressive 148 points lead over number 2, Fromberger.
POST RACE INTERVIEWS
"What a crowd”, Simon Gegenheimer experienced one of the most important moments of his career. "All these people pushed me to victory. This victory is for them. Maybe I was also a little too motivated. I was a bit "out of focus" in qualifying. Lots of people, all cheering for me ... In the end, the accident there maybe even helped. In the race for the win, I knew the final straight was a long one. I waited and waited for the finish line. Waiting for my moment but I did it. "
"This was very tough, as I wasn't feeling very well before the semifinals“, Explained the celebrated Gaia Tormena. "FFortunately, the sensations started to improve more and more from that moment on. I am super happy to win here in Aalen with this fantastic crowd. The people were just amazing. This is the kind of show we love to see!"
Results men - UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup Aalen
- Simon Gegenheimer (GER)
- Titouan Perrin-Ganier (FRA)
- Quentin Schrotzenberger (FRA)
- Stephan Mayer (GER)
- Felix Klausmann (GER)
Results women - UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup Aalen
- Gaia Tormena (ITA)
- Lia Schrievers (GER)
- Coline Clausure (FRA)
- Marion Fromberger (GER)
- Annemoon van Dienst (NLD)
UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup men's ranking after Aalen
- Simon Gegenheimer (GER) - 222 points
- Titouan Perrin-Ganier (FRA) - 197
- Lukas Malezsewski (BEL) - 110
- Quentin Schrotzenberger (FRA) - 86
- Anton Olstam (SWE) - 76
UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup women's ranking after Aalen
- Gaia Tormena (ITA) - 315 points
- Marion Fromberger (GER) - 167
- Marcela Lima (BRA) - 161
- Didi de Vries (NLD) - 139
- Ella Holmegard (SWE) - 117
