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MTB World Cup Downhill #2 & Four Cross #3 2010

Date range:
June 4- 6, 2010

June 6, Elite men downhill:

Atherton victorious on home soil

By:
Rob Jones
Published:
June 7, 2010, 10:53,
Updated:
June 7, 2010, 22:25

Cole slips into second

Men's Fort William World Cup downhill winner Gee Atherton (Commencal)

Men's Fort William World Cup downhill winner Gee Atherton (Commencal)

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Gee Atherton (Commencal) took a very popular win in the second round of men's UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup at Fort William, Scotland.

"It's a dream come true," said Atherton. "This is the most excited I've ever been about winning a race. I owe to the crowd, I could hear them as I came out of the woods at the bottom, and it pushed me harder."

Fort William is one of the favourite tracks for the riders, requiring both technical skills and endurance for runs that are over four and a half for the top men. It also boasts some of the largest and most enthusiastic crowds of the series, with thousands lining the course. This year, the fast upper section was made more technical, and uncharacteristically dry conditions made for a loose, dusty track that had more than a few riders washing out.

The men's race saw a steady chipping away of the top time, as riders approached Greg Minnaar's top qualifying time of 4:39 minutes. Antoine Badouard was the first to go below 4:50, and held the hot seat for a lengthy period before Thibaut Ruffin (Commencal Superriders) lopped off three seconds. The times continued to go down bit by bit, with former junior World Champion Danny Hart (Giant Factory) taking it down to 4:42.77 . Australian Shaun O'Connor (Kenda Playerbike) knocked another 1.23 seconds off, but Minnaar's qualifying time was still holding up.

Canada's Steve Smith (Evil Bikes), had a strong start, but washed out in one of the corners at the top of the course, taking him out of contention. Sam Hill (Monster Energy-Mad Catz-Specialized), normally one of Minnaar's greatest rivals, crashed hard in training two days prior to the race and after an early morning run to test his shoulder decided not to start.

"It was a pretty big crash," Hill admitted. "I'm pretty bummed out not to be racing, but I can't hold onto the bars properly, so I would just crash again. I think there's a little shoulder separation, so I'm scheduled to see a specialist during the week."

Mick Hannah (GT Bicycles) was the first to finally surpass Minnaar's qualifying time, and did so by two seconds, with 12 riders remaining. Steve Peat (Santa Cruz Syndicate), the clear crowd favourite, was well off the pace, but is still favouring his back after a serious crash in Lisbon a month ago. Hannah's very fast time stood up until it was the turn of Gee Atherton, the 2008 World Champion.

Atherton was looking to finally score the first World Cup win on home soil by his racing family, and he did so decisively, beating Hannah by over two seconds. American Aaron Gwin (Yeti Fox Shox) and Cameron Cole (Maxxis-Rocky Mountain) both came close to Atherton, with Cole less than half a second back, but it was the two-time defending track champion Minnaar who looked to have the best chance.

Minnaar came through the second split four-tenths of a second down, and lost the same amount again in the final pedal into the finish for third place behind Cole, to give Atherton his first World Cup win on British soil.

Minnaar continues to lead the men's series by 15 points over Atherton, with Cole a distant third at 282 points.

Results

# Rider Name (Country) Team Result
1 Gee Atherton (GBr) Commencal 0:04:35.7  
2 Cameron Cole (NZl) Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain 0:00:00.5  
3 Greg Minnaar (RSA) Santa Cruz Syndicate 0:00:01.2  
4 Aaron Gwin (USA) Yeti Fox Shox Factory Race Team 0:00:02.0  
5 Michael Hannah (Aus) GT Bicycles 0:00:02.1  
6 Samuel Blenkinsop (NZl) Lapierre International 0:00:02.1  
7 Julien Camellini (Fra) Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense 0:00:05.2  
8 Shaun O'connor (Aus) Kenda-Playbiker 0:00:05.8  
9 Nick Beer (Swi) Scott 11 0:00:06.3  
10 Matti Lehikoinen (Fin) Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense 0:00:06.4  
11 Marc Beaumont (GBr) GT Bicycles 0:00:06.5  
12 Danny Hart (GBr) Giant Factory Team 0:00:07.1  
13 Joseph Smith (GBr) Kona 0:00:07.2  
14 Justin Leov (NZl) Trek World Racing 0:00:07.4  
15 Andrew Neethling (RSA) Trek World Racing 0:00:07.5  
16 Bryn Atkinson (Aus) 0:00:07.8  
17 Nico Vink (Bel) 0:00:08.4  
18 Steve Peat (GBr) Santa Cruz Syndicate 0:00:08.6  
19 Ben Cathro (GBr) 0:00:09.1  
20 Matthew Simmonds (GBr) Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense 0:00:09.4  
21 Joris Bigoni (Fra) 0:00:09.5  
22 Brendan Fairclough (GBr) Monster Energy / Specialized / Mad Catz 0:00:10.0  
23 Fabien Pedemanaud (Fra) Scott 11 0:00:10.1  
24 Thibaut Ruffin (Fra) Commencal Superiders 0:00:10.5  
25 Filip Polc (Svk) MS Evil Racing 0:00:10.6  
26 Josh Bryceland (GBr) Santa Cruz Syndicate 0:00:10.6  
27 Sam Dale (GBr) 0:00:11.1  
28 Fergus Lamb (GBr) 0:00:11.2  
29 Florent Payet (Fra) Blackmountain Morewood United 0:00:11.3  
30 Romain Paulhan (Fra) 0:00:11.5  
31 Mitchell Delfs (Aus) 0:00:11.9  
32 Joshua Button (Aus) Kona 0:00:12.3  
33 Pasqual Canals Flix (Spa) XMS Racing Squad 0:00:12.4  
34 Robin Wallner (Swe) Team Sunn Montgenevre 0:00:12.4  
35 Ben Reid (Irl) Dirt Norco Race Team 0:00:12.6  
36 Kyle Strait (USA) 0:00:12.7  
37 Ruaridh Cunningham (GBr) Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense 0:00:12.8  
38 Luke Strobel (USA) MS Evil Racing 0:00:13.0  
39 Damien Spagnolo (Fra) Mondraker Factory Team 0:00:13.3  
40 Wyn Masters (NZl) Kenda-Playbiker 0:00:13.4  
41 Aurélien Giordanengo (Fra) Mondraker Factory Team 0:00:13.5  
42 Antoine Badouard (Fra) 0:00:13.5  
43 Duncan Riffle (USA) Giant Factory Team 0:00:13.7  
44 Thomas Braithwaite (GBr) 0:00:14.3  
45 Adam Brayton (GBr) 0:00:14.5  
46 Antonio Ferreiro Pajuelo (Spa) XMS Racing Squad 0:00:15.5  
47 Cédric Gracia (Fra) 0:00:16.1  
48 Robert Smith (GBr) 0:00:16.5  
49 Joe Barnes (GBr) 0:00:16.7  
50 Marcelo Gutierrez Villegas (Col) 0:00:17.1  
51 Matej Charvat (Cze) K.T.R. Racing Team 0:00:17.2  
52 Nathan Rankin (NZl) Kenda-Playbiker 0:00:17.2  
53 Chris Hutchens (GBr) 0:00:17.3  
54 Alexander Kangas (Swe) 0:00:17.5  
55 Emanuel Pombo (Por) 0:00:17.7  
56 Marcus Klausmann (Ger) Ghost A.T.G. Pro Team 0:00:18.0  
57 Troy Brosnan (Aus) Monster Energy / Specialized / Mad Catz 0:00:18.1  
58 Rémi Thirion (Fra) Team Sunn Montgenevre 0:00:18.5  
59 Fabien Cousinie (Fra) Blackmountain Morewood United 0:00:18.6  
60 Dennis Dertell (Swe) 0:00:18.7  
61 Harry Heath (GBr) 0:00:19.8  
62 George Brannigan (NZl) Ancillotti Doganaccia Racing Team 0:00:20.0  
63 Ralph Jones (GBr) 0:00:20.3  
64 Aari Barrett (NZl) Scott 11 0:00:20.5  
65 Curtis Keene (USA) 0:00:20.6  
66 Benny Strasser (Ger) 0:00:22.3  
67 Scott Laughland (Irl) 0:00:23.3  
68 Harry Molloy (GBr) 0:00:24.0  
69 Chris Kovarik (Aus) Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense 0:00:32.7  
70 Ivan Oulego Moreno (Spa) Massi Team 0:00:34.5  
71 Sam Flockhart (GBr) Lapierre International 0:00:34.9  
72 Steve Smith (Can) MS Evil Racing 0:00:36.3  
73 Lewis Buchanan (GBr) MS Evil Racing 0:00:36.8  
74 Richard Thomas (GBr) 0:00:41.1  
75 Matthew Scoles (NZl) Team Cingolani - Protone 0:00:42.1  
76 Brook Macdonald (NZl) MS Evil Racing 0:01:31.9  
77 Mark Scott (GBr) 0:02:20.3  
78 Markus Pekoll (Aut) Solid Aclass Factory Team 0:02:29.1  
Teams
# Rider Name (Country) Team Result
1 Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense 80  pts
2 Commencal 75  
3 Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain 75  
4 Trek World Racing 63  
5 Scott 11 62  
6 Santa Cruz Syndicate 50  
7 Gt Bicycles 48  
8 Yeti Fox Shox Factory Race Team 30  
9 Suspension Center 28  
10 Commencal Superiders 28  
11 Lapierre International 26  
12 Kenda-Playbiker 23  
13 Morzine-Avoriaz/Haute-Savoie 22  
14 Giant Factory Team 19  
15 Rc Alpine Commencal Austria 19  
16 Kona 18  
17 Dr-Gravity Union 15  
18 Team Sunn Montgenevre 14  
19 Monster Energy / Specialized / Mad Catz 9  
20 Ms Evil Racing 6  
21 Blackmountain Morewood United 2  
World Cup standings - individual
# Rider Name (Country) Team Result
1 Greg Minnaar (RSA) Santa Cruz Syndicate 420  pts
2 Gee Atherton (GBr) Commencal 405  
3 Cameron Cole (NZl) Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain 282  
4 Aaron Gwin (USA) Yeti Fox Shox Factory Race Team 240  
5 Brendan Fairclough (GBr) Monster Energy / Specialized / Mad Catz 239  
6 Samuel Blenkinsop (NZl) Lapierre International 219  
7 Fabien Pedemanaud (Fra) Scott 11 199  
8 Michael Hannah (Aus) GT Bicycles 173  
9 Justin Leov (NZl) Trek World Racing 171  
10 Julien Camellini (Fra) Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense 163  
11 Samuel Hill (Aus) Monster Energy / Specialized / Mad Catz 160  
12 Matti Lehikoinen (Fin) Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense 160  
13 Marc Beaumont (GBr) GT Bicycles 155  
14 Joseph Smith (GBr) Kona 153  
15 Nick Beer (Swi) Scott 11 149  
16 Bryn Atkinson (Aus) 143  
17 Josh Bryceland (GBr) Santa Cruz Syndicate 138  
18 Danny Hart (GBr) Giant Factory Team 137  
19 Steve Smith (Can) MS Evil Racing 136  
20 Ben Cathro (GBr) 133  
21 Andrew Neethling (RSA) Trek World Racing 132  
22 Shaun O'connor (Aus) Kenda-Playbiker 130  
23 Damien Spagnolo (Fra) Mondraker Factory Team 128  
24 Matthew Simmonds (GBr) Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense 128  
25 Steve Peat (GBr) Santa Cruz Syndicate 127  
26 Luke Strobel (USA) MS Evil Racing 122  
27 Ben Reid (Irl) Dirt Norco Race Team 118  
28 Mitchell Delfs (Aus) 116  
29 Thibaut Ruffin (Fra) Commencal Superiders 111  
30 Florent Payet (Fra) Blackmountain Morewood United 109  
31 Robin Wallner (Swe) Team Sunn Montgenevre 103  
32 Nico Vink (Bel) 102  
33 Aurélien Giordanengo (Fra) Mondraker Factory Team 100  
34 Joshua Button (Aus) Kona 96  
35 Ruaridh Cunningham (GBr) Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense 84  
36 Antonio Ferreiro Pajuelo (Spa) XMS Racing Squad 84  
37 Romain Paulhan (Fra) 80  
38 Filip Polc (Svk) MS Evil Racing 79  
39 Bernat Guardia Pascual (Spa) Massi Team 77  
40 Thomas Braithwaite (GBr) 76  
41 Emanuel Pombo (Por) 72  
42 Matej Charvat (Cze) K.T.R. Racing Team 70  
43 Wyn Masters (NZl) Kenda-Playbiker 68  
44 Joris Bigoni (Fra) 66  
45 Sam Dale (GBr) 60  
46 Harry Molloy (GBr) 57  
47 Troy Brosnan (Aus) Monster Energy / Specialized / Mad Catz 57  
48 Kyle Strait (USA) 56  
49 Duncan Riffle (USA) Giant Factory Team 56  
50 Joe Barnes (GBr) 54  
51 Fergus Lamb (GBr) 53  
52 Matthew Scoles (NZl) Team Cingolani - Protone 51  
53 Mickael Pascal (Fra) 50  
54 Pasqual Canals Flix (Spa) XMS Racing Squad 48  
55 Brook Macdonald (NZl) MS Evil Racing 48  
56 Adam Vagner (Cze) 42  
57 Marco Milivinti (Ita) Team Cingolani - Protone 41  
58 Benny Strasser (Ger) 40  
59 Curtis Keene (USA) 40  
60 Antoine Badouard (Fra) 39  
61 Rémi Thirion (Fra) Team Sunn Montgenevre 39  
62 Chris Kovarik (Aus) Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense 38  
63 Adam Brayton (GBr) 36  
64 Emyr Davies (GBr) 35  
65 Cédric Gracia (Fra) 34  
66 Robert Smith (GBr) 33  
67 George Brannigan (NZl) Ancillotti Doganaccia Racing Team 33  
68 Lars Peyer (Swi) Suspension Center 32  
69 Marcus Klausmann (Ger) Ghost A.T.G. Pro Team 32  
70 Marcelo Gutierrez Villegas (Col) 31  
71 Scott Mears (GBr) 31  
72 Pierre Charles Georges (Fra) Solid Aclass Factory Team 30  
73 Nathan Rankin (NZl) Kenda-Playbiker 29  
74 Chris Hutchens (GBr) 28  
75 Bernard Kerr (GBr) Norco World Team 28  
76 Alexander Kangas (Swe) 27  
77 Olivier Nicole (Fra) 26  
78 Fabien Cousinie (Fra) Blackmountain Morewood United 22  
79 Jack Reading (GBr) 21  
80 Dennis Dertell (Swe) 21  
81 Nejc Rutar (Slo) MBK Orbea 20  
82 Harry Heath (GBr) 20  
83 Markus Pekoll (Aut) Solid Aclass Factory Team 20  
84 Oliver Burton (GBr) 19  
85 Ralph Jones (GBr) 18  
86 Aari Barrett (NZl) Scott 11 17  
87 Ludovic May (Swi) 15  
88 Scott Laughland (Irl) 14  
89 Marco Bugnone (Ita) Argentina Bike Gravity Team 13  
90 Boris Tetzlaff (Aut) Ghost A.T.G. Pro Team 12  
91 Richard Thomas (GBr) 12  
92 Ivan Oulego Moreno (Spa) Massi Team 11  
93 Sam Flockhart (GBr) Lapierre International 10  
94 Jan Javornik (Svk) 9  
95 Florian Arthus (Fra) 8  
96 Lewis Buchanan (GBr) MS Evil Racing 8  
97 Mark Scott (GBr) 7  
98 Kim Petersson (Swe) 4  
99 Maxime Remy (Fra) Suspension Center 2  
World Cup standings - teams
# Rider Name (Country) Team Result
1 Scott 11 150  pts
2 Commencal 150  
3 Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense 144  
4 Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain 132  
5 Trek World Racing 108  
6 Santa Cruz Syndicate 105  
7 Monster Energy / Specialized / Mad Catz 69  
8 Commencal Superiders 62  
9 Gt Bicycles 61  
10 Yeti Fox Shox Factory Race Team 54  
11 Suspension Center 49  
12 Rc Alpine Commencal Austria 47  
13 Lapierre International 45  
14 Morzine-Avoriaz/Haute-Savoie 42  
15 Ms Evil Racing 41  
16 Kona 41  
17 Giant Factory Team 30  
18 Dr-Gravity Union 28  
19 Kenda-Playbiker 23  
20 Mondraker Factory Team 22  
21 Team Sunn Montgenevre 20  
22 Norco World Team 19  
23 Blackmountain Morewood United 9  
24 Massi Team 8  
25 Dirt Norco Race Team 5