1998 World Cup Mountain Biking
Sierra Nevada, Spain
August 9-10, 1998

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Spain rules

World Cup downhill action landed in the mountain resort of Sierra Nevada last weekend for stop six in the 8-race tour. Situated 30km up the mountain from historic tourist-trap Granada with it's amazing Arab stronghold The Alhambra, Sierra Nevada clings to a 6,000 foot-high mountain with a 1,500 vertical foot DH course.

Unlike last season's snow and rain freeze-out, this weekend was dry, rocky and hot. Damn hot. The season's biggest crowds—which included beautiful women in skimpy sundresses and dark, shirtless guys—lined the fast course, all bedecked in dark sunglasses. All held their breath, too, as a roaring herd of downhill metal kicked up dust and shale from this manly-man Spanish course.

Women

Chausson's winnin'

Top qualifiers: Chausson, Donovan, Streb, Gonzalez. Conditions: Bumpy as all get-up, few technical sections, which let the women run fast and close.
The lowdown: The battle between Giove and Chausson is no more, as the missile flatted on her final run and Chausson took another win for a perfect series score. It now looks as if the Frenchwoman will finally get her world cup title after three tries.
Donovan had an awesome run as she will concentrate on US racing, with her world cup chase over. Plus, to come within one second of Chausson is a real confidence-booster for her. Regardless, all the top women were looking good on this level playing field of Sierra Nevada. Third went to one of the sport's coolest chicks, Marla Streb - an outstanding finish on the world cup. Another great finish for Spaniard Gonzalez, who soaked in the biggest cheers of the day.

Men
Top qualifiers: Gracia, Vouilloz, Poussin Conditions: Degraded, harder on the men with super-high speeds and few good lines.

Nico victory

The lowdown: Two of the most mediocre qualifying men—Rockwell and Sharples—turned out to be two of the strongest in the finals, while Gracia's number-one time petered out to a 6th place finish. Rockwell—who crashed three times in his semi—took the first lead, showing the Volvo-Cannondale team that he's still a force...especially since his vaunted Spanish teammates Saiz and Vazquez disappointed.

Sharples was on it

Sharples, who also crashed in qualifying, next took the lead with a time several seconds faster than most of the field. He got to sit with this Zone reporter and live Eurosport TV in the hotseat while 25 of his rivals took a shot at his time. Spaniard Pau Misser (ESP, Yeti) finally did it, to the roaring approval of the huge crowd. While he took a cell phone call, the final nine riders came down, all missing his time. Except one...

Vouilloz had qualified second and made his final run in a blistering 4:31. His teammate Gracia came last but didn't dent the Alien's metal. Another Sunn-Un rider Mickael Pascal (FRA, Sunn-Un) managed a fifth, and Brian Lopes was the top American in 11th.

DUAL SLALOM

Dual action

Saturday night's Swatch Dual World Series continued its successful debut season with big crashes and exciting news. Thousands of fans lined the short 20 second course at 6pm, with the sun still high in the Mediterranean Spanish sky. With perfect conditions the men and women went off in the single-elimination rounds on live European TV.

Cully got found out

The final men's round pitted two Cali-boys; Brian Lopes (USA, Mongoose) and David Cullinan (USA, Schwinn-Toyota). Cully had been snaking competitors by sitting back and then passing on his own private inside line. Lopes saw this and figured he better get an early lead. He did, but Cully came into him and both hit the dirt. As the crowd went loco the two scrambled for their bikes as Lopes first hopped onto his orange hardtail and hightailed it to the bottom to win this sixth round. Cully retained his white Swatch leader's jersey.

Miller's got style

Women's final action matched the two best female jumpers, Katrina Miller (AUS, Jamis) and Sabrina Jonnier (FRA, Sintesi Verlicchi). Jonnier had been the only woman to clear the huge doubles in earlier rounds, but got into trouble early in the final round as both women crashed into each other. The crash was a bit higher on course than the men's, and knocked Jonnier out cold. Miller showed great sportspersonship by stopping her run and making sure Jonnier was attended to. After the Frenchwoman was taken away in a stretcher, Miller coasted to the win and Jonnier received second place.

We saw Jonnier on Sunday and, even though her arm was in a sling with a bruised shoulder and lower back, she said she'd be back by World's. All in all this was one of the best Duals ever, and definitely the most action-packed. Word is, however, that the Dual is done, as riders, Swatch and TV people want to make it a Quad. World's—a non-world cup event—will debut the Quad as an exhibition and it may begin next season. Now *that* should be fun.

Fiction and Fact: The Mountain Zone Almanac
There's a free Zone sticker for whomever can count the number of flats the Volvo-Cannondale team has suffered this season. Yeti's Sari Jorgenson (SUI) also flatted on the top reaches of the course.

The semi-final top five women was the exact same as the final top five. Unusual to say the least. Helen Mortimer (GBR, Sintesi Verlicchi) is back after hitting a tree in Snoqualmie. She took 13th. Top six qualifiers were Spanish and French, Sunn-Un and Volvo-Cannondale.

Vouilloz is now the winningest male downhiller in the history of the sport, and looks forward to continuing his unbeaten streak at Worlds. He's never won on Mont Ste-Anne's course, though.

Lots of flats and/or mechanicals in the men's race. Karim Amour (FRA, GT France) was on pace to top Sharples' time before his chain jammed. The chain was also Saiz's downfall. Poussin, Cullinan and Tomac flatted.

Injuries: Vazquez was riding on an injured ankle. Beneke is still recovering a groin injury, Palmer's still M.I.A. Jonnier was out from her crash in the Dual.

—Rich Neare, Getting a Farmer's Tan in España for The Mountain Zone.