1998 World Cup Mountain Biking
Budapest, Hungary May 2-3, 1998
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Cross Country #3
Frishy and Daucourt Rock the Buda Switzerland Doubles Up in Hungary
Thomas Frischknecht (SUI, Ritchey) and Chantal Daucourt (SUI, Trek Volkswagen)
won big this weekend in the Budapest stop of the Grundig/UCI world cup which
was a slippery mudfest Saturday and a clear fast race Sunday.
| Frish Tracks |
Both riders were
a bit of a surprise in taking such decisive victories, but took advantage of
this Hungarian course's unique conditions to work for their respective
advantages. Daucourt's victory was a runaway spectacle in the mud while
Frischknecht's a powerful example of old-school mountain biking.
Daucort Victory | |
Daucort Runs Away With It
The race was held in the hills 7km above Budapest as several thousand amateur
racers competed and watched the circus that is world cup racing. Saturday
morning greeted the women with cold temperatures and a steady light rain,
laying down a snotty layer of super-slick mud on the course's first half and
sticky oatmeal on the second half's climbs.
| Dunlap Covers |
A mix of winding wooded
singletrack, long doubletrack climbs and steep pitches both up and down,
Budapest's course is usually known for high speeds and for rewarding road
riders like last year's winner Alison Dunlap (USA, GT). On this particular
day, however, the 7km course was a wet nightmare which tested the patience of
the riders and the tire selection of team mechanics.
Da Womans |
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The women rode 5 laps in two hours, 28 minutes which is about 30m minutes longer
than UCI's ideal length, and should have only run for four laps and used an
alternate rain route on the last climb, which for some reason it did not. It
made for mud-caked riders and more than a few hot words from the women racers.
Regardless, Daucourt took advantage of her strong running skills to catch
leader Dunlap who had run out in front for most of the race. On the final long
climb which forced riders to carry their bikes up the slippery slope to the
feed zone, Daucourt ran right past Dunlap for her first win in six years.
Dahle Gunns It | |
Gunn-Rita Dahle (NOR, American Eagle) rode the entire race in third and ended
the day with the bronze while Alison Sydor (CAN, Volvo-Cannondale) took a
break from battling at the front with a fourth place finish - a result of her
lack of running training. Paola Pezzo (ITA, Gary Fisher) dropped out of the
race in the second lap with a mechanical problem in her rear cassette as
Dunlap continues to mature and improve as a mountain bike racer.
Frishy Punishes All Comers
Hubi Takes 3 | |
On Sunday the men woke up to cloudy skies but no rain, with the course still
slick in the trees but rideable on most climbs and fast open sections. With
their race cut from 8 to 7 laps, the men looked forward to a long hard race,
but without the mud bog conditions of Saturday. Frischknecht was a logical
choice for victory today over smaller riders like Evans and Martinez due in no
small part to his cyclo-cross skills and strong riding style. As soon as the
race began, it was clear that Frishy was going to test his fitness on this day
as he went out hard with only the strongest riders able to even attempt
maintaining contact.
Hubert Pallhuber (ITA, Diamondback) made the best go at reeling the flying
Frishy, but blew up late in the race and went backward, allowing an again-
fast-running Martinez to catch him on the last climb and overtake the second
spot. Evans had been running in third late in the race but was also overtaken
by his rival Martinez who had gone out hard in the race's beginning and
climbed his way from 18th to second place. Evans had ridden in a chase group
for much of the afternoon with Dupouey and Cioni, who landed in 5th and 6th
place.
| Shaun and Bart Van Graphics |
Rune Hoydahl (NOR, Giant) had an off day and went off the back late in the
race from the chase group to 9th position. Besides the teamwork of Martinez
and Dupouey, DBR riders Sauser, Tcherkassov and Craig worked together at
various points to help teammate Hubi and launch their own attacks. It was
strategic riding on a course which afforded good viewing from various points
including a half lap on a running track where the start finish was located.
Sydor Keeps Her Shirt | |
When it was all over, Frishy and Daucourt proved they're still forces to be
reckoned with, just as Hoydahl and Sydor had done in Napa. These riders are a
welcomed addition to the current war of younger riders and show that on the
right day, any top-ranked rider can do serious damage and come out on top.
Sydor regained the leader's jersey while Hoydahl retained his, with the season
shaping up to be anything but predictable. Riders now pack their Euro-style
box vans and head for Germany for the next stop in infamous St. Wendel,
Germany.
Fiction and Fact: The Mountain Zone Almanac
Jerome Chiotti pulled out early from the men's race, saying later "I am a
cyclist, not a runner."
Shari Kain was absent as she is undergoing back surgery.
Beth Coats continues to receive therapy in a Colorado rehab hospital.
Hubert Pallhuber has recovered from earlier injuries, but still has a large
wooden splinter embedded in his hand from another fall.
Volvo-Cannondale is the number-one trade team, with Sunn-un in second and
Diamondback one point behind in third.
Kirk Molday will race in the NORBA Big Bear race, then join the world cup in
North America as he has recovered from an earlier illness.
Cannondale wins the drivetrain mechanical-problem award with plenty of
chainsuck and shifting problems to go around their fleet of blue CAD 4 bikes,
and reports that Missy Giove's DH bike blew another fork in France.
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