Renthal On The World Cup Circuit *Update*

Team GR and Mondraker Flying High on the Podium

The 2011 UCI World Cup Downhill Series is now under way and Renthal is being represented by three of the biggest teams on the circuit; Monster Energy Specialized Racing, Mondraker Factory Team & Team GR. Check out the highs and lows from the first round, help in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa;

 

Team GR

Team GR are a new Team to the World Cup scene, but with two very well established riders. This independent Team has been set up by World Cup regular, Fionn Griffiths, from the UK. Fionn is the rider/manager, and has drafted in French queen of speed, Emmeline Ragot, to make Team GR an unquestionable force to be reckoned with in the women’s category.

 

Any critics out there were certainly answered, with a fairytale debut. Saturday’s 4X saw Griffiths competing, with Ragot deciding to sit out the event, with an ankle injury, to save herself for the following days downhill.

Griffiths charged through moto 1, taking first place and booking her place in the final. Lining up in the start gate next to regular World Cup winner, Anneke Beerten, Griffiths knew she had her work cut out. Beerten got the snap out of the gate with Griffiths tight behind. With a course that offered few overtaking opportunities, Griffiths maintained her position to grab second position and the valuable World Cup points that go with it.

 

Onto Sunday’s downhill and the course was a mixture of a technical upper section with flat out jumps and rock gardens, with the bottom section a true test of fitness and power. After qualifying, Ragot was looking comfortable in third spot. Griffiths was down in ninth, after having to save her legs for the 4X event, but she knew she had plenty more to give.

Griffiths hit the course in her final run, and despite, by her own admission, a less than perfect run she went straight into the HotSeat. And there she stayed until teammate Ragot came into sight and crossed the line to take the lead. The last rider down the hill was current World Champion, Tracy Mosely, and she was certainly favoutite, being such a powerful rider on this course. It cam right down to the wire, but Mosely just managed to pip Ragot by two tenths of a second.

 

It was a great first outing for the all new Team GR and the riders are going into the rest of the 2011 with boosted confidence and two seconds and a third already under their belt.

You can keep up to date with Team GR at - www.griffithsracing.net

 

 

 

Mondraker Factory Team

For 2011, the Mondraker Factory Team has bolstered its numbers to four riders. The team is still headed by Fabien Barel, with Aurélien Giordanengo and Damien Spagnolo both returning to the ranks. The new rider is up and coming French junior Patrick Thome.

The Pietermaritzburg World Cup marked Fabien Barel’s first return to the international stage since his leg injury ruled him out of the entire 2010 season. Fabien’s early season performance was showing a promising return to form, as he has notched a few regional event wins in the run-up.

Saturday’s qualifying, held on a wet track was certainly challenging. Spagnolo battled the conditions on a track he was quite vocal about not liking, to come in 42^nd place. Giordanengo punched through the mud to score an impressive 12^th spot, but it was team leader, Fabien Barel, who put in the performance of the day. Due to his absence from the World Cup circuit in 2010, he had no UCI points, making him last man down the hill. Despite catching a few slower riders from the lower ranks, Fabien charged the course to come in a staggering 6^th place.

Race day arrived and the weather had cleared and the track dried quickly. Spagnolo was the first of the team to take on his final run. A few small errors at the top of the course pushed Damien back down the field and he was unable to make up the time on the pedalling section, matching his qualifying position of 42^nd. Giordanengo hit the track next and didn’t quite find the magic pace, which saw him drop to 24^th in the final rankings. All eyes were now on Barel and he didn’t disappoint. Still not back to full fitness following his leg injury Barel suffered in the pedalling section. But his pure skill in bike control shone through and he scored fourth position and a place on the winner’s podium.

Follow the Mondraker Factory Team here - www.mondrakerfactoryteam.com

 

 

Monster Energy Specialized Racing

It was an up and down weekend for Team Monster Energy-Specialized at the first round of the Mountain Bike World Cup in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
On a track that had massive amounts of pedalling and a lack of technical sections, the riders went into the event hoping to just gain as many points as possible for the overall.
Sam Hill was less than satisfied with his 8^th position, leading to mixed thoughts; "I kind of went into the start and made a few mistakes in the parts I was hoping to ride really clean. Overall I was pretty happy and put together a solid run and salvaged some good points going into the rest of the season. I was happier last time here with 4th, but my goal was to get onto the podium, and I was only .6 of a second off of that. It bums me out a little, but overall I’m happy."
Junior, Troy Brosnan was stoked on how the week went; “The race was sick. I pretty much pinned it from the top and tried to go fast in the technical stuff and hold speed through the middle. I left my legs and lungs out there on the track. I found a tiny bit at the end and pushed it hard to the line. I ended up 23^rd, which is something to work off of going into Fort William, where hopefully I can get top 20. I'm very happy, excited!"
Brendan Fairclough had a less than stellar weekend and suffered an undetermined knee injury, when his left foot blew off the pedal following a huge drop that only he was doing. Fairlcough ended up careening into the trees and rocks and went down hard; "I was having a good weekend. I wasn't looking for the best on this track. It was pretty fun up top and had a few pedally moments, but I was having fun and found some pretty wild lines up top. I was riding pretty good and my foot slipped off the pedal at a stupid moment and I wrecked my knee. It really sucks but what can you do? I'm hoping to be back for Fort William."

Team Manager Sean Heimdal adds, “It feels good to know that both Sam and Troy put 110% effort into this event giving everything they could to perform the best they could on the day. It’s awesome they’ve come away 7^th and 27^th in points respectively and looking forward to the remaining schedule. I’m bummed for Brendan, as he’s been putting in solid work to be prepared for the season and he wasn’t expecting to be watching the race from behind the tape, so let’s hope he’s back for Fort William.”

Follow the Monster Energy Specialized boys at - www.monsterenergy-specialized.com

Watch The Action LIVE!

The next round of the World Cup is in Fort William, Scotland on the weekend of 4^th and 5^th June. You can watch all the action live and as it happens at www.freecaster.tv