The fifth round of the UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup took place in the beating heart of Belgian cycling in Oudenaarde, an iconic stage that has hosted the Tour of Flanders since 2012. The fast and exciting course saw UCI world champions Gaia Tormena and Simon Gegenheimer unstoppable.
With another UCI World Cup victory behind him, Tormena extends his lead in the overall standings, with Marion Fromberger and Marcela Lima in second and third positions. His total number of UCI World Cup victories now stands at 15, of which four have come this season.
The men's finals were interesting to watch as Austrian Theo Hauser attacked at the start of the second lap, with Titouan Perrin-Ganier and Simon Gegenheimer just a few meters away. However, Gegenheimer managed to overtake the Austrian driver midway through the second lap and maintained an unsustainable pace for both Hauser and Perrin-Ganier. Perrin-Ganier overtook Hauser in second place after a demanding sprint to the finish, with Italian Emanuele Huez completing the top four.
"The legs weren't as good as I expected so I tried a mind game and it worked. I don't know if it has anything to do with the race course, but Oudenaarde is always difficult. I am very satisfied with how the race went, but now I feel tired”, Commented Gaia Tormena.
"It's crazy to win three races in a row, and also to win in front of a home crowd in Aalen. And now winning again, just 3 weeks after Aalen, is just great. I'm pretty excited and really happy with that”, Simon Gegenheimer smiled after his fourth UCI World Cup victory this season.
MEN'S RANKING
- Simon Gegenheimer (GER)
- Titouan Perrin-Ganier (FRA)
- Theo Hauser (AUT)
- Emanuele Huez (ITA)
- Attila Gerely (Hun)
FEMALE RANKING
- Gaia Tormena (ITA)
- Marion Fromberger (GER)
- Ella Holmesgard (SWE)
- Didi de Vries (NED)
- Liv Pijpers (BEL)
WORLD CUP GENERAL results
