Molcik makes World Cup her own
By Tour of Japan published
Beerten bumped off top spot in finale
The four cross World Cup series concluded on Saturday evening, with the crowning of a new champion. Austrian rider Anita Molcik overtook defending champion Anneke Beerten (Suspension Centre) to win both the final event and the overall title.
The natural terrain that highlighted the Windham course made for some tight racing, with passes and crashes meaning that no one was assured of moving on through the heats until they actually crossed the finish line.
The women's field was one of the biggest of the season, with quarter final heats being contested, as well as the usual semifinals. Beerten and Molcik had qualified one-two, but others who could potentially be spoilers were world champion Caroline Buchanan of Australia, Czech rider Jana Horakova and her compatriot Romana Labounkova.
In the final it came down to Beerten, Molcik, Buchanan and Horakova. Buchanan had a bit of a rocky route to the final - she finished third in her opening heat after tangling with Fionn Griffiths (Norco) and crashing, but was reinstated when Griffiths was disqualified.
Out of the gate in the final Beerten took the lead, but Molcik was right with her. Then the Dutch woman's front wheel slid out, she was down and Molcik went on to win the race and the title. Buchanan took second, Horakova third, and Beerten limped in fourth, in shock at the way her World Cup season had ended. For Molcik, it was the first win of her career.
In the final standings, it was Molcik with 385 points, Beerten at 370 and Horakova at 270.
"Overall champion. it is so unbelievable. It was so hard, because I knew that if Anneke got to the finals, I had to get a victory, and she only needed to finish third for the overall, and I didn't think it would happen for me," said Molcik.
"Some of the other girls are faster, so maybe not, I thought. This is the first victory in my life for me at a World Cup and then the World Cup overall, it is so amazing."
Full restuls
# | Rider Name (Country) Team |
---|---|
1 | Anita Molcik (Aut) |
2 | Caroline Buchanan (Aus) |
3 | Jana Horakova (Cze) |
4 | Anneke Beerten (Ned) Suspension Center |
5 | Katy Curd (GBr) |
6 | Romana Labounkova (Cze) |
7 | Angelika Hohenwarter (Aut) |
8 | Joanna Petterson (RSA) |
9 | Steffi Marth (Ger) |
10 | Sarsha Huntington (Aus) |
11 | Anne Laplante (Can) |
12 | Neza Knez (Slo) Unior Tools Team |
13 | Lucia Oetjen (Swi) Thoemus Racing Team |
14 | Fionn Griffiths (GBr) Norco World Team |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | RSP 4 Cross Racing Team | 78 | pts |
2 | Yeti Fox Shox Factory Race Team | 40 | |
3 | Agang Racing | 35 | |
4 | Suspension Center | 20 | |
5 | Blackmountain Morewood United | 16 | |
6 | MS Evil Racing | 8 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Anita Molcik (Aut) | 385 | pts |
2 | Anneke Beerten (Ned) Suspension Center | 370 | |
3 | Jana Horakova (Cze) | 270 | |
4 | Fionn Griffiths (GBr) Norco World Team | 160 | |
5 | Romana Labounkova (Cze) | 150 | |
6 | Joanna Petterson (RSA) | 120 | |
7 | Katy Curd (GBr) | 120 | |
8 | Caroline Buchanan (Aus) | 115 | |
9 | Sarsha Huntington (Aus) | 110 | |
10 | Emmeline Ragot (Fra) Suspension Center | 60 | |
11 | Lucia Oetjen (Swi) Thoemus Racing Team | 55 | |
12 | Steffi Marth (Ger) | 30 | |
13 | Angelika Hohenwarter (Aut) | 15 | |
14 | Morgane Charre (Fra) | 10 | |
15 | Helene Valerie Fruhwirth (Aut) RC Alpine Commencal Austria | 5 | |
16 | Neza Knez (Slo) Unior Tools Team | 5 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | RSP 4 Cross Racing Team | 455 | pts |
2 | Yeti Fox Shox Factory Race Team | 221 | |
3 | Suspension Center | 195 | |
4 | Agang Racing | 133 | |
5 | Ghost A.T.G. Pro Team | 90 | |
6 | Norco World Team | 70 | |
7 | Team Sunn Montgenevre | 46 | |
8 | Commencal | 44 | |
9 | Rocky Mountain UK | 40 | |
10 | Thoemus Racing Team | 28 | |
11 | MS Evil Racing | 26 | |
12 | Blackmountain Morewood United | 16 | |
13 | RC Alpine Commencal Austria | 15 | |
14 | 2Stage Factory | 5 | |
15 | Unior Tools Team | 3 |

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