Jared Graves (Yeti-Fox). (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Reigning world four cross champion Jared Graves (Yeti Fox Shox) took his third win of the 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup season in Leogang, Austria, on the weekend, to further extend his lead in the men's four cross standings.
The 27-year-old Queenslander continued his march towards back-to-back World Cup titles, defeating RSP 4 Cross trio of Tomas Slavik, Michal Marosi and Joost Wichman in the final.
In cold and wet conditions, the men's competition came down to those riders who could remain upright, with many of the top guns crashing out in the earlier rounds after slipping and sliding in the muddy conditions.
However in the final, Graves got out in front immediately with his usual fast gate, and maintained control all the way to the finish line.
Wichman made attempts to close in on the Australian; however some bad line choices cost the Dutch rider, who slipped back to fourth position.
"I knew things were gonna get crazy," said Graves. "Those RSP guys, they gang up on me.
"It's wild racing in the mud. Always a ton of fun. Anything can happen, so I had a great time today. I think this (type of course) is what we need more of. I loved it from the first time I saw it. Big lines, big gaps; you can really make some time."
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Graves' third win now puts him 175 points ahead of Slavik in the overall standings, with Wichman 190 points behind in third.
