MTB World Cup ends on sour note

By Rob Jones in Willingen

Unfortunately, the Willingen World Cup weekend ended on a sour note when the men refused to race the 4-Cross, and only eight women did - under duress. Anneke Beerten (Specialized) was the winner, but all riders on the podium turned their backs to the cameras.

The downhill, on the other hand, was a complete success. Anne-Caroline Chausson (COX) made her return to World Cup competition after recovering from a broken shoulder at the World Championships last fall, with a convincing win, while Greg Minnaar (Honda) took the leader's jersey in the men's category with his victory.

Peat out for a while yet

Steve Peat, the winner of the first round was a no-show, after breaking his shoulder two weeks ago during training for the British 4-Cross national championship. The injury required surgery, and he is expected to be out of action for at least 5 to 6 weeks.