XC Racer Blog Post
Coupe Du Monde - Champery, Switzerland
Share on Facebook Share on TwitterBY: Will Cooper
Published: 8th September, 2011
There are somethings in life that you must treasure, remember and be able to look back on with a sense of pride and satisfaction. When Orange Monkey was introduced to the mountain bike world back in November 2004 there were dreams, ambitions and goals and although the thought of supporting one of our riders through a World Championships was distant, it was of course achievable.
This weekend that dream, ambition and goal was realised.
Rourke Croeser has been a revelation in the team this year, giving us our first National Championship jersey, his knowledge, character and some world class results. After a difficult period mid-season he had trained himself into the kind of shape that won him that National Jersey as far back as February and was now ready to peak once again for a World Championships packed full of exceptional world class riders.
Destination - Champery, Switzerland. After leaving the mountains of Italy just three weeks previous it was back to the mountains again, nestled away in the Alps close to Geneva. The course was exceptionally hard, with huge drops, tangled exposed roots and two tough climbs. After practising for the majority of the week, working on lines and getting prepared, suddenly Friday was upon us and it was race day. Rourke was in confident mood with good form and a genuine like for the course and after a gridding of 38, the riders were ready and just waiting for the gun!
As the gun went on our first World Championships it was business as usual as we settled into our routine. Rourke made a decent start but not as well as hoped, however it was a long race and we knew that guys were going to have problems in the second half of the race. By the end of lap 2, Rourke was up into the top 40 and moving forwards at every check point and it wasn't too long before the top 40 had become the top 30. Continuing his progress heading towards a top 20 spot and making the technical course look easy things were looking good until a rear flat cost him major time on lap 4. Rourke has huge character though and it wasn't long before he was again knocking on the door of the top 25 before a final lap puncture dropped him back to a finishing position of 31st.
Luck certainly wasn't on his side, however, this is the nature of mountain bike racing and sometimes it happens. It was a great ride by our star rider and one that will be remembered for a long time. Naturally we also had a keen interest in what the other Brits were doing and below are a list of results. There were particularly strong rides by Annie Last, Grant Ferguson and Kenta Gallagher.
Liam Killeen Elite - DNF
Annie Last Elite U23 - 2nd
Kenta Gallagher Elite U23 - 26th
Grant Ferguson Junior - 4th
Matt Sumpton Junior - DNF
Katy Winton Junior - 28th
Bethany Crumpton Junior - 33rd
Of course no World Championships would be complete without an after party and it was great to hook up with the British guys and girls for a night in Champery!
It's been an incredible season full of highs and lows, we are very proud of all our riders who have given us some great memories throughout the year. We are proud to represent the very best products in the world that make our job so much easier and we are already looking forward to another fantastic season in 2012.
One thing is for sure - this is a team who have dreams, ambitions and goals and we look forward to achieving them.
For a full Photo Gallery from the weekend please Click Here
Blogger Info:
Will Cooper
Orange Monkey Pro Team Rider
Read More By WillDisclaimer:
This blog post was written by a third party and their views do not necessarily reflect the views of XCRacer.com
Contact Us | Advertise | Use Our Online Entry System
All content © XC Racer.com | Website Designed and Developed by DesignUNLTD