Emily Batty rides one of the technical drops on the Offenburg World Cup course. (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Three venues were awarded as the best of the 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. Offenburg, Germany, won the honor of best cross country event; La Bresse, France, took the top honors for downhill; and Mont-Sainte-Anne was named best four cross event.
Offenburg won the best cross country award for the second consecutive year. The event is appreciated for its organization, course, and its large and enthusiastic crowd. Organizers have named key sections of the course such as the "Dual Speed Drop", "Worldclass Drop" and "Wolfs Drop".
“We were extremely pleased with the news. It is again a confirmation of our work," said Jörg Scheiderbauer, managing director of the organizing company Scheiderbauer Sports GmbH. "To win a title is great, but to defend this is an entirely different number. We will do everything we can in the coming year to land the hat-trick."
Just like last year, Houffalize, Belgium and Mont-Sainte-Anne took the runner-up spots behind Offenburg.
La Bresse was a first-time World Cup event in 2009. It beat out past favorite downhill winner Fort William, Great Britain and Mont-Sainte-Anne. The track in La Bresse drew huge crowds. However, La Bresse will not be hosting a World Cup in 2010 according to the UCI's schedule.
After years of finishing poorly in the four cross award, Mont-Sainte-Anne leaped into first place thanks to the creation of an all-new track. Schladming took second with its own new track and Fort William was third.
Placing in the top three in all disciplines bodes well for Mont-Sainte-Anne, which will host the 2010 Mountain Bike World Championships. The venue has previously hosted the worlds in 1998 and has held many World Cups and long served as a popular venue among racers.
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Votes were cast by riders, teams, journalists, UCI sponors and UCI staff.
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Sue George is an editor at Cyclingnews. She coordinates all of the site's mountain bike race coverage and assists with the road, 'cross and track coverage.
