Article reçu de City mountainbike.com (Joyce Jason Ghijs City Mountainbike | Communications Manager)

Simon Gegenheimer does the double! ROUND 4 - UCI MTB ELIMINATOR WORLD CUP - APELDOORN (NED)

Just over one month after an epic round in Graz (Austria), the competition resumed this weekend in the Dutch city of Apeldoorn. Germany’s Simon Gegenheimer marked his first World Cup victory of this season, as he claimed his second consecutive victory here in Apeldoorn. Dutch Champion Lizzy Witlox takes home her first-ever World Cup victory on home soil. Over a narrow and tricky 500 meters track, the French rider Hugo Briatta started the day setting the fastest time in the men’s qualifying time trial, followed by fellow French rider Lorenzo Serres and Jeroen van Eck. Lizzy Witlox was the fastest in the women’s qualifying time trial. French riders Hugo Briatta and Lorenzo Serres didn’t make it to the big final, so the men’s final was a very intense battle between World Champion Titouan Perrin-Ganier, Anton Olstam, Jeroen van Eck and Simon Gegenheimer. Sweden’s Anton Olstam tried to overtake Titouan Perrin-Ganier in the red bull corner, but didn’t get any further. The World Champion pulled away from Jeroen van Eck and battled for first place with Simon Gegenheimer, who was leading the entire race. Gegenheimer won the race ahead of Titouan Perrin-Ganier and Jeroen van Eck came in third position. Fourth place went to Anton Olstam.

Men’s results - Round 4  1. Simon Gegenheimer (GER) 2. Titouan Perrin-Ganier (FRA) 3. Jeroen van Eck (NED) 4. Anton Olstam (SWE) Women's results - Round 4 1. Lizzy Witlox (NED) 2. Coline Clauzure (FRA) 3. Ella Holmegard (SWE) 4. Clara Brehm (GER)

FULL RESULTS

Lizzy Witlox wins on home soil

At the women’s race Witlox won over last year’s winner Coline Clauzure. The 23-year-old dominated the elite women’s race, soloing to her victory ahead of world-ranked rivals Coline Clauzure and Ella Holmegard. French champion Coline Clauzure held off Sweden’s Ella Holmegard in the battle for second place. Ella Holmegard managed to stick with the French rider, but didn’t put in a big move, leaving Clauzure to pull away through the final lap.  Norway’s Ingrid Boe Jacobsen, leader in the women’s competition and European Champion Iryna Popova didn’t qualify for the big final, as they got stuck in each other before entering the red bull corner. They were forced to ride the small final. Jeroen van Eck continues to lead the standings with a total of 138 points. Titouan Perrin-Ganier moves to the third position in the men’s overall standings at 105 points, 4 less than Lorenzo Serres (109 points). Meanwhile, Norway’s Ingrid Boe Jacobsen strengthens her lead in the women’s overall standings with a total of 165 points. Swedish champion Ella Holmegard now sits third at 100 and Coline Clauzure is third at 98.

For its third consecutive year, Apeldoon delivered magnificent performances. The next round of the 2018 UCI MTB Eliminator World Cup will be held in Winterberg (Germany) on September 16, followed by Antwerp (Belgium) on September 23. It is going to be a tense week for all XCE competitors before the finals take place in Congonhas (Brazil) at the end of November this year.