It's tempting to call Brian Lopes (USA, Fox/GT) and Anne-Caroline Chausson (FRA, Volvo-Cannondale) repeat World Champions. After all, they did win the gold last year in Vail, but remember that technically it was a different sport. After two years of dual championships, the UCI changed the head-to-head sport to the 4X. Yet the same riders still dominate, and former teammates Lopes and Chausson took home yet more rainbow jerseys.

And so the two earned the first-ever gold medals and rainbow jerseys in the new discipline of 4X as the World Championships continued an action-packed day of racing on Saturday night.

Racing at night under bright lights and in front of an estimated 10,000 spectators, Lopes and Chausson dominated each heat of their single-elimination rounds of racing.

Four-Cross (4X) is similar to the previous world championship event of Dual, as riders race down a short course against each other, the first one to the line earning the win. In 4X, however, there are four riders on the track at the same time, battling to make it to the finish.

The energy was high for Saturday night's big event, with 64 men and 14 women qualifying for the finals. Massive TV screens showed all the action while loud music fueled the crowd's energy for the high-flying races.

Chausson dominated each of her rounds, earning her third consecutive gold medal in head-to-head racing as she beat 2000 Dual Gold Medalist Katrina Miller (AUS, Jamis) in the final run. Miller earned the silver medal, while Sabrina Jonnier (FRA, Intense Cycles) earned bronze, two years after also earning bronze in Spain's 2000 championships.

"It was really good and exciting," said Chausson. "I felt like a rock star, but I was very tired from the downhill, even though I didn't have any stress tonight. I rode for fun, but I had a bad start and Katrina got me at first."

"It was a long day today and my first goal was to win the downhill," she added. "But in general I am motivated to ride well right now, after spending time off my bike following a bad crash in the 4X in Telluride Colorado's World Cup. I was sick of riding, but now I'm excited again to ride."

"I didn't want a repeat of what happened in Telluride," said silver medalist Miller, referring to her crash with Chausson. "So I backed off going into the first turn. Unfortunately there was only one double jump that Anne didn't take, and it wasn't enough to make a pass."

Miller says she feels increasingly competitive. "After crashing in 2000 and having the daylights scared out of me, I feel faster. But it's been a long road back."

With her win, Chausson has accumulated an astonishing collection of World Championship rainbow jerseys. She's now the first-ever 4X champion, as well as a two-time Dual, seven-time Senior and two-time Junior Downhill champion - plus the holder of two BMX world titles, and she says she's looking forward to racing again next season.

As he continues to be the world's most dominant athlete in this style of racing, Brian Lopes has now won two-straight World Championships in head-to-head racing.

Lopes set the pace in qualifying Friday, when he seeded himself fastest to earn lane selection for each heat in the finals. He then won all five heats of racing Saturday, advancing each time until he finally met up with three-seeded Cedric Gracia (FRA, Volvo-Cannondale), along with friend and rival Eric Carter (USA, Mongoose) who was seeded #2, and five-seeded Michal Prokop (CZE).

	Brian Lopes

In the final heat, Lopes got off to a slow start. "I saved my worst start for the finals," he joked afterward. "Eric had me out of the gate, and I was crooked." But he recovered from the start to overtake Carter in a crucial turn. "He knew I was behind him, but left an opening on a turn and I took it. I wish I didn't do it to him though; he's a friend and a fellow American."

Lopes overtook the lead, followed by Carter, going into the final doubles. But the showman Cedric Gracia wasn't finished, flying past Carter on a double-jump, moving into 2nd place just before the finish.

"I almost landed on him!" exclaimed Gracia afterward. "It's OK though, I just like having fun."

"It was a great event," agreed Lopes. "The Austrian fans are always great and tonight was amazing. My whole family is here, including my wife and father. And it's his birthday tomorrow, so this is an early present." Asked how he felt, Brian's father replied simply, "I'm just so proud."

— Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Correspondent