As if running at 3500m wasn't high enough, Felix Klausmann and Marion Fromberger climbed even higher in the eighth round of the UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup: both Germans took the first step of the podium in Leh / Ladakh (India), a place surrounded by the mighty Himalayan mountains.
Source: press release
At 3500 meters above sea level, managing extreme altitude would play a huge role on a rather physical but also spectacular track in the city of Leh. A large number of home riders participated in the race - certainly a significant boost for mountain biking in the Ladakh region and in India in general.
After winning the qualifying time trials, Erick Fierro from Ecuador and Marion Fromberger impressed in all heats, reaching the big finals without problems. In the women's final, Fromberger finished with another convincing victory, leading from start to finish. After a bad start, Mariske Strauss (South Africa) still managed to take second place, ahead of Marcela Lima from Brazil and Didi de Vries from Holland. Romanian Eszter Bereczki secured her first UCI World Cup podium thanks to her victory in the small finals.
The men's race had an exciting ending, with Felix Klausmann only overtaking Dan Noyola (Mexico) and Erick Fierro at the end of the final race. In doing so, the experienced German champion achieved his first ever victory in the UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup, while Fierro and Castillo had to settle for second and third place. Another German, Stephan Mayer, and Edvin Lindh from Sweden completed the top five.
“It's really cool", Says Marion Fromberger,"I am really happy with this victory. I was a bit nervous before the race due to the high altitude. But I did it really well, better than I thought. It's great to win here in Leh, a wonderful city surrounded by mountains".
"I had a bit of a problem with the altitude the first few days I was here. I haven't trained much”Revealed Felix Klausmann after his win. "Tactics played an important role today. During the race I decided: 'Okay, let's not give too much in the first lap'. And I had good power uphill. That's where I won today. I am really happy with my first UCI World Cup victory!"
Results men - UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup Leh / Ladakh
- Felix Klausmann (GER)
- Erick Fierro (ECU)
- Daniel Noyola (MEX)
- Stephan Mayer (GER)
- Edvin Lindh (SW)
Results women - UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup Leh / Ladakh
- Marion Fromberger (GER)
- Mariske Strauss (RSA)
- Marcela Lima (BRA)
- Didi de Vries (NED)
- Eszter Bereczki (ROU)
COMPLETE RESULTS
UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup men's ranking after Leh / Ladakh
- Simon Gegenheimer (GER) - 352 points
- Titouan Perrin-Ganier (FRA) - 321
- Quentin Schrotzenberger (FRA) - 258
- Felix Klausmann (GER) - 208
- Daniel Castillo (MEX) - 143
UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup women's ranking after Leh / Ladakh
- Gaia Tormena (ITA) - 495 points
- Marion Fromberger (GER) - 457
- Marcela Lima (BRA) - 285
- Didi de Vries (NLD) - 269
- Ella Holmegard (SWE) - 162
COMPLETE RESULTS
