1998
Mountain Biking
World Championships

Mont Sainte- Anne,
Quebec, Canada
September 18-20

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	REAL PLAYER AUDIO INDEX [FREE Real Player] Alison Sydor Anne-Caroline    Chausson Cheri Elliot Christophe    Dupouey Filip Meirhaeghe Gerwin Peters Gunn-Rita Dahle Jerome Chiotti Laurence    Leboucher Nicolas Vouilloz Nolvenn LeCaer WINDOWS MEDIA AUDIO INDEX [Windows Media] Alison Sydor Anne-Caroline    Chausson Cheri Elliot Christophe    Dupouey Filip Meirhaeghe Gerwin Peters Gunn-Rita Dahle Jerome Chiotti Laurence    Leboucher Nicolas Vouilloz Nolvenn LeCaer

Hear 'Em Speak
 •  U23 XC: Little Mig Wins Big
 •  DH Finals: Water Bottle of Whoop Ass
 •  XC Finals: French Sweep
 •  Top Secret: 007

Nico takes #7

The race is over and Quebec has been re-colonized by the French. The French took no prisoners this weekend and swept the nine-year-old UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. Five major categories, five gold medals. That's a first. It's not that everyone else sucks, it's just that the French are a step above this year and came here with colonialism on their minds.

The World Cup is complete, but this is the Championship. It's one race for the coveted rainbow jersey. Here's the lowdown: World's is a series of races, sort of like a XC/DH world cup event. There are more divisions, however, and the winner of this race is the World Champion. Winners of the world cup series, by comparison, are world cup champions. It's all so confusing...

It's like a mini-Olympics of mountain biking here in Quebec, at the lovely resort of Mont Sainte-Anne. Chantal, Patrice and their GESTEV staff — the best in the biz — have outdone themselves to stage the biggest, most baddest mountain bike race ever seen.

Palmer As Dr. Bunny

The two big events to be sure are the downhill and cross-country, on Saturday and Sunday. But two XC champs — Cadel Evans (AUS, Volvo-Cannondale) and Miguel Martinez (FRA, Sunn-Un) were be racing each other at the kid's table, the U-23 race on Friday. And with opening ceremonies Wednesday and seeding runs Thursday, there was something for the whole family, each and every day.

So who rode away with a rainbow jersey and a lifetime of self-worth? Two words — "France" and "Sunn" Vouilloz, Chausson, Martinez and Dupouey are four names that were emblazoned on gold medals by Sunday. But it wasn't without a good fight, courtesy of big U.S., Canadian, Italian and Aussie teams.

Mt Bike Rock!

We covered the World's last year in Chateau d'Oex, Switzerland - but were just getting warmed up. This year we rented tuxes and Tommy Guns for the 007 party, tested a new drug on ourselves that made us think we were French and spoke in our cheesiest forced accents. This combined with a whole slew of silicon-implanted hardware made for quite a weekend.

So surf on through and see what makes the French rule the roost when it comes to serious mountain bike competition. Hear the "voice of mountain biking" Peter Graves refer to the young "alien" Nicolas Vouilloz a "Picasso on two wheels" and learn why the French make everyone else just look slow.

— Rich Neare, livin' large, eh?