Mike Haderer (Fox) is pleased that a stretch of bad luck is over.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Scott Beaumont in the air.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Jared Graves (Yeti) did not make the finals due to a crash.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Quentin Derbier winning the small final.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Joost Wichman winning one of the heats.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Roger Rinderknecht (Gt Bicycles)(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
A rider endures a very painful crash.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
World Champion Rafael Alvarez de Lara Lucas (Specialized).(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
World Champion Rafael Alvarez de Lara Lucas (Specialized) took ninth place.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Dan Atherton (Animal Commencal) on his way to third place.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Mike Haderer (Fox) racing to seventh place in the small final.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Mike Haderer (Fox) racing over a set of logs.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Guido Tschugg takes 10th place.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Joost Wichman leading over the steps.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Quentin Derbier about to ramp off a jump.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Thomas Slavik in the air before finishing sixth.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Scott Beaumont (Rocky Mountain U.K.) in the air.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Joost Wichman winning the Bromont World Cup.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Men's podium: Michal Prokop, Mitch Ropelato, Joost Wichman, Dan Atherton, Quentin Derbier(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Michal Prokop(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Quentin Derbier(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Joost Wichman, Johannes Fischbach, Arthur Daley, Florian(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Rafael Alvarez De Lara Lucas, Tomas Slavik(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Dan Atherton and Romain Saladini in 1/4 finals(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Joost Wichman, Johannes Fischbach, Quentin Derbier, John Swanguen(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Tomas Slavik, Roger Rinderknecht, Rafael Alvarez De Lara Lucas, Mitch Ropelato(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Rafael Alvarez De Lara Lucas(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Dan Atherton, Michal Prokop, Michael Robert Haderer(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Joost Wichman, Mitch Ropelato, Tomas Slavik in semi(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Quentin Derbier, Tomas Slavik, Michael Robert Haderer and Scott Beaumont in small final(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Quentin Derbier, Tomas Slavik, Michael Robert Haderer and Scott Beaumont in small final(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Mitch Ropelato, Dan Atherton and Michal Prokop all down(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Mitch Ropelato, Dan Atherton and Michal Prokop all down(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Joost Wichman missed the crash behind(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Mitch Ropelato was first up and going for 2nd spot(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Mitch Ropelato(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Round seven of the men’s 4-Cross series of the Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano at Bromont, Quebec in Canada could charitably be called a ‘crashfest’. Crashes and upsets featured in every heat, and the World Cup leader went out in the first round.
Joost Wichman of the Netherlands took his third win of the season and moved into second in the overall standings behind leader Jared Graves (Yeti Fox Shox).
“There were so many corners, and whoever was first into the first corner had a problem,” explained Wichman. “The best line was always the inside one, but that gave you problems in the next corner, so it was very difficult to ride it cleanly.
“In the final I heard the crash behind me, but I didn’t look back,” he added. “I just kept going because I wasn’t sure who was chasing me. I think this puts me in a pretty good position for second overall.”
For the men the top-seeded riders began to fall out of contention in the first round. World Cup leader Graves went out in the first round after crashing in the second corner. Number one qualifier Romain Saladini (Team Sunn) crashed out in the second round, as did Roger Rinderknecht (GT Bicycles), who was second in the World Cup rankings and world champion Rafael Alvarez de Lara Lucas (Specialized Factory Team). In the semi-finals it was the Czech rider Tomas Slavik who went down.
This left Wichman, Dan Atherton (Animal-Commencal), Czech rider Michal Prokop and a newcomer to 4-Cross, American Junior rider Mitch Ropelato, for the final. Wichman managed to get away early and miss the horrific crash that took down the other three riders, to coast in for the win. Ropelato was up first and took silver, while Atherton limped in for third ahead of Prokop. Both Atherton and Prokop were clearly injured, with the Atherton favouring his shoulder on the podium.
Graves has already mathematically won the World Cup title, and Wichman now holds a 115 point lead over Rinderknecht going into the final round in Schladming, Austria after the world championships.
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Results
1
Joost Wichman (Ned)
2
Mitch Ropelato (USA)
3
Dan Atherton (GBr) Animal Commencal
4
Michal Prokop (Cze)
5
Quentin Derbier (Fra)
6
Tomas Slavik (Cze)
7
Michael Robert Haderer (USA)
8
Scott Beaumont (GBr) Rocky Mountain UK
9
Rafael Alvarez De Lara Lucas (Spa) Specialized Factory Racing
10
Guido Tschugg (Ger) Ghost A.T.G. Pro Team
11
John Swanguen (USA)
12
Fabien Cousinie (Fra) Kenda Morewood
13
Romain Saladini (Fra) Team Sunn
14
Roger Rinderknecht (Swi) GT Bicycles
15
Blake Carney (USA)
16
Johannes Fischbach (Ger) Ghost A.T.G. Pro Team
17
Jared Graves (Aus) Yeti Fox Shox Factory Race Team
18
Filip Polc (Svk) MS Evil Racing
19
Thomas Tokarczyk (USA)
20
Matt Zdriluk (Can)
21
Arthur Daley (USA)
22
Bernard Kerr (GBr)
23
Martin Frei (Swi)
24
Markus Sedlak (Aut)
25
Florian Gottschlich (Ger)
26
Erik Nelson (USA)
27
James Schwanke (USA)
28
Nicolas Gspan (Swi)
29
Sascha Meyenborg (Ger)
30
Hans Lambert (Can)
31
Luke Madill (Aus) GT Bicycles
32
Randal Huntington (Aus)
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