Raced in rain and cold temperatures, the third round of the four-cross UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano in Leogang, Austria, produced some of the most exciting confrontations of the season so far. Romana Labounkova and Jared Graves (Yeit-Fox Shox) were the class of the field, taking the women's and men's titles respectively.
Labounkova, after missing the opening two rounds for BMX racing, proved her bronze medal at last year's World Xhampionships was no fluke. The Czech rider qualified first and easily won her first two races to advance to the final, with American Melissa Buhl (KHS) also qualifying from that half of the draw. Anneke Beerten (Milka-Trek), the winner of the first two rounds and World Cup leader, had a similarly easy path to the final after qualifying second. Swiss rider Lucia Oetjen was the final rider to make it to the medal race.
Elite Women: Fast start and clean run for Labounkova
Labounkova used her BMX speed to take the holeshot into the first corner and rode away for the win. Buhl just beat Beerten for the second spot into the first corner, and was able to hold off the Dutch rider through the rest of the 450 metre run to take second. Celine Gros (Morzine-Avoriaz/Haute-Savoie) took the fifth and final podium spot by winning the small final.
"I was fast in the gate, and that was the biggest part of my success," explained Labounkova. "After that, I just did a clean run, which was perfect."
Beerten continues to lead the overall standings, with 250 points to Oetjen's 130. Gros sits in third, ten points further back.
After a lapse of concentration last weekend in Fort William, Scotland, saw Graves miss the final, the Australian was eager to reassert his dominance on the men's field. He did so with authority in Leogang. Graves qualified first, and advanced through the first four rounds with ease, grabbing the holeshot in every heat, and extending his lead on every section of the course. Switzerland's David Graf continues to improve at every race, and joined Graves for the final from their half of the draw.
From the other half of the field, former World Cup Champion Michal Prokop was equally strong to advance, while World Champion Thomas Slavik (RSP 4 Cross) also qualified for the deciding race.
Elite Men: Graves in front from start to finish
In the final, it was Graves in the front from the start to the finish, while a tremendous battle was being fought behind him. Prokop grabbed second place into the first corner, but Graf made a daring move by taking a little-used second line through the middle of the course. His move paid off and allowed him to overtake Prokop for second, while Slavik did the same to take third. Round two winner Roger Rinderknecht won the small final for fifth.
"I had my worst race in about three years last week in Fort William, so to get the win back was exactly what I hoped for," commented Graves.
Graves now leads the men's standings with 300 points, 50 points ahead of Graf, while Rinderknecht and Prokop are tied at 100 points in arrears.
2011 UCI WC 3 4X Results
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