World Cup XCE Round 4: Vallnord, Andorra

Although the cross country eliminator discipline is only in its second season, already it seemed natural to say that the Vallnord track had parted from tradition. Unlike the urban courses of the European City Mountainbike series, the town-centre circuit at Albstadt or even the man-made rock garden and jumps of Nove Mesto, Vallnord offered a largely natural, high altitude, course with a long stretch of wooded, technical singletrack with multiple line choices. However, as always, an explosive start and aggressive style was needed to succeed. 

In the women's race there was only fifteen starters, but that made it no easier to take the win, with the usual podium contenders all present. Kathrin Stirnemann laid down the fastest qualifying time ahead of Swiss National Champion and U23 World XC Champion Jolanda Neff. World XCE Champion Alexandra Engen was third fastest over the 0.9km course, Linda Indergand was fourth and Jenny Rissveds was slightly off her usual pace in fifth. Stirnemann, Rissveds, Neff and Engen each won their quarter final heats and then came either first or second in the semi finals to secure their place in the big final. Neff and Engen had such a gap on their semi-final 2 competitors that they could smile, high-five and cruise to the finish line with fifty metres to go. Stirnemann continued her undefeated run in semi-final 1 and went through with Rissveds. Neff was quickest off the line and flew into the singletrack with her usual slightly kamikaze style! She held a tidy lead ahead of fellow U23 Rissveds and their compatriots Stirnemann and Engen. After the race Neff said felt she had good legs in the final but they tied up in the last 200m. Indeed, her lead was quickly closed as the four riders climbed up to the tarmac finish straight, at which point Stirnemann, who has finished second at each of the previous three rounds, put in a perfectly -timed and impressively strong attack which carried her to victory and "the best day of my career". Engen was able to over-power Rissveds in a close sprint for second and Neff rolled in fourth. Engen was very happy with her second place, especially given the cold she has suffered in recent weeks that kept her from racing her National Championship last weekend. Indergand took a comfortable victory in the small final. 

After setting the fastest qualifying time the Belgian National Champion, still an Under 23, said "I never thought I could do that!". Sixth at the inaugural World Championships, double National Champion, a string of wins at the City Mountainbike series and a fourth place in Val di Sol are, however, testament to his pedigree. Riders with a similar palmares were evidently struggling. Miha Halzer, Andy Eyring and Simon Gegenheimer were all outside the top twenty, whilst British interest and Round Two winner Kenta Gallagher posted the fourteenth quickest time. Things only got worse for the Brit, an intimate encounter with a tree sending him out of the competition in the quarter-finals. In a more familiar string of events Gegeheimer and Daniel Federspiel dominated their quarter-final but met again in semi-final 1 with Mels which spelt the end of the line for Federspiel, and with that the possibility of tying up the sereis win was lost as well. Titouan Perrin-Gernier and Catriel Soto were victorious in the quarters, were first and second respectively in the semis and thus booked their place alongside Mels and Gegenheimer in the final, at which point Mels exclaimed, "it just keeps getting better!". Whilst Mels had sailed through to the final without having to sprint it out, the others' places were hard-fought. As Stirnemann had done in the Women's race, Fabrice Mels did in the Men's; an undefeated run from qualifying to victory. Twice the Belgian slipped and had to unclip, but twice he regained his composure and continued at the head of the race. Perrin-Garnier looked to be coming back up the climb onto the finish straight, bringing Soto with him, but Mels out-accelerated them both to claim his first World Cup win.This was his course, and his race. Soto claimed second spot from Perrin-Garnier and the German National Champion, Gegeheimer, took fourth, never getting back on terms after losing a battle for the inside line on the early corners. The small final was won by Wildhaber and he thus made it onto the final step of the podium. 

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