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Aussies, Yanks double up at MTB gravity World Cup
Competing in her first season as an elite, 19-year-old Tracey Hannah (Orange) claimed the first downhill World Cup victory of her career on July 7, winning the fourth World Cup of 2007 in Schladming, Austria.
Hannah, who is the younger sister of gravity great Mick Hannah and the reigning junior world champion, bested reigning elite world champ Sabrina Jonnier (Monster-Iron Horse) by nearly two seconds.
In 2006, her first season racing outside of Australia, Hannah won the National Mountain Bike Series overall title before taking the junior downhill crown in Rotorua, New Zealand.
Canadian Clair Buchar was the highest-ranked North American athlete in 14th place, 30 seconds off pace.
Aussie Sam Hill (Monster-Iron Horse) took the men’s event, his second consecutive World Cup downhill race of 2007. Hill bested Brit George Atherton (Animal-Commençal) by a whopping five seconds.
American Luke Strobel was the highest-placed North American in 18th place, 15.62 seconds off the pace.
With one round of the World Cup remaining, the September 15-16 round in Maribor, Slovenia, Hill leads Brit Steve Peat by 168 points, and appears primed to take his first World Cup overall title.
Winning the four-cross were American GT teammates Brian Lopes and Jill Kintner. Lopes was only the third-fastest rider in the qualifying round, but sped away from German Guido Tschugg (Sangyong-Fusion) in the finals to take his third World Cup victory of the year. Lopes holds a commanding 500-point advantage in the World Cup standings and should take his second World Cup title in three years.
Kintner rebounded from a disappointing loss at the third World Cup round in Mont-Ste-Anne, Québec, and defeated rival Anneke Beerten (Bikepark.ch) to take her second World Cup victory of 2007. She now holds a 40-point advantage over Beerten in the overall standings.
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup
Gravity No. 4
Schladming, Austria
July 7-8, 2007
Downhill
Men
1. Sam Hill (Aus), Monster-Iron Horse, 3:51.44
2. Gee Atherton (GB), Animal-Commençal, at 5.14
3. Greg Minnaar (SA), G-Cross Honda, at 5.52
4. Matti Lehikoinen (Fin), at 5.57
5. Steve Peat (GB), Santa Cruz Syndicate, at 6.37
6. David Vazquez (Sp), MSC, at 6.49
7. Brendan Fairclough (GB), G-Cross Honda, at 6.69
8. Nathan Rennie (Aus), Santa Cruz Syndicate, at 8.83
9. Marc Beaumont (GB), Mbuk Santa Cruz, at 9.95
10. Ben Reid (Irl), at 12.11
Women
1. Tracey Hannah (Aus), Orange, 4:41.50
2. Sabrina Jonnier (F), Monster-Iron Horse, at 1.56
3. Marielle Saner (F), Bikepark.ch; at 2.71
4. Tracey Moseley (GB), Kona-Les Gets, at 4.57
5. Celine Gros (F), at 8.69
6. Vanessa Quin (NZ), MS-Intense, at 11.50
7. Emmeline Ragot (F), at 17.77
8. Fionn Griffiths (GB), Norco, at 19.09
9. Helen Gaskell (GB), at 19.59
10. Petra Bernhard (Aut), at 21.77
Four cross
Men
1. Brian Lopes (USA), GT
2. Guido Tschugg (G), Sangyong-Fusion
3. Filip Polc (Svk), Gravity Group
4. Jared Graves (Aus), Yet-Fox
5. Michal Prokop (Cz), Author
Women
1. Jill Kintner (USA), GT
2. Anneke Beerten (Nl), Bikepark.ch
3. Fionn Griffiths (GB), Norco
4. Mio Suemasa (Jpn)
5. Helen Fruhwirth (Aut)
