In the first Indonesian UCI cycling World Cup race, the French and the German achieved an important victory in their young career, acclaimed by thousands of fans.
Source: press release
Eliminator stars from five different continents tackled a highly technical trail and tropical weather conditions in Palangkaraya, Indonesia. The race was spectacular but demanding, the crowd was not only huge but also very loud.
Indonesian riders weren't the only ones to impress the experienced Euro participants throughout the day: the national selections of Thailand and Singapore made life hard for Europeans. In the end, four of them even managed to secure a spot in the big finals: Ayu Triya Andriyana from Indonesia, Methasit Boonsane and Warinthorn Phetpraphan from Thailand and Riyadh Hakim Lukman from Singapore.
But in the end, it was the racing experience and the strength of the European stars that made the difference. In the final heat of the women's race, pre-race favorite Marion Fromberger soon pushed her competitors away, controlling the race to the finish. Phetpraphan (second) and Andriyana (third) preceded Mariske Strauss from South Africa in the battle for the top three, while young Madison Boissière (FRA) won the small final after a troubled week.
In the final race for the men's category, UCI world champion and UCI world cup leader Simon Gegenheimer took the lead at the start, seemingly in control. But despite a bad start, it was the young Frenchman Quentin Schrotzenberger who overtook Gegenheimer in the last hurdle, taking his first ever UCI World Cup victory. Gegenheimer secured second place, while Boonsane, Hakim Lukman and Ihza Muhammad completed an international top five.
"It was great to race here in Indonesia”, Fromberger enjoyed winning. "The crowd and the arena were so beautiful and the people so kind. In the final heat I already had a big gap after the first jumps, bigger than I expected. But I kept going and it worked! I am trembling: it is unbelievable!”In the UCI World Cup standings, Fromberger is second, 128 points behind the leader Gaia Tormena.
Schrotzenberger celebrated his victory in euphoria: "I am very, very happy. The crowd here was incredible and the circuit so beautiful. This was truly a crazy trip. I came here in an attempt to win a UCI World Cup race. I promised my parents and my team manager that I would come home with a win". In the UCI World Cup standings, Gegenheimer takes the lead over Titouan Perrin-Ganier.
Next week, the riders will move to India for another historic round: in Leh / Ladakh, near the epic Himalayan mountains.
Results Men - UCI World Cup Mountain Bike Eliminator Palangkaraya
- Quentin Schrotzenberger (FRA)
- Simon Gegenheimer (GER)
- Metasit Boonsane (THA)
- Riyadh Hakim Lukman (SIN)
- Ihza Muhammad (INA)
Results Women - UCI World Cup Mountain Bike Eliminator Palangkaraya
- Marion Fromberger (GER)
- Phetpraphan Warinthorn (THA)
- Ayu Triya Andriyana (INA)
- Mariske Strauss (RSA)
- Madison Boissiere (FRA)
COMPLETE RESULTS
UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup Men Ranking after Palangkaraya
- Simon Gegenheimer (GER) - 352 points
- Titouan Perrin-Ganier (FRA) - 321
- Quentin Schrotzenberger (FRA) - 258
- Felix Klausmann (GER) - 128
- Lukas Malezsewski (BEL) - 110
UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup women's ranking after Palangkaraya
- Gaia Tormena (ITA) - 495 points
- Marion Fromberger (GER) - 367
- Marcela Lima (BRA) - 235
- Didi De Vries (NLD) - 231
- Ella Holmegard (SWE) - 162
GENERAL results
