13.07.2024Aalen (GER)
2024 UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Championships
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Leuven race report: Hauser’s first ever, Tormena’s 22nd!
Three consecutive weeks of racing for the UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup have flown by. In the lightning-fast round in Leuven, Belgium, young gun Theo Hauser from Austria stormed to his first-ever triumph in the UCI World Cup, while established star Gaia Tormena from Italy took her 22nd!
Three consecutive weeks of racing for the UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup have flown by. In the lightning-fast round in Leuven, Belgium, young gun Theo Hauser from Austria stormed to his first-ever triumph in the UCI World Cup, while established star Gaia Tormena from Italy took her 22nd!
Once again, Leuven offered an urban, ultra-fast, and obstacle-filled track—a perfect test for the upcoming UCI World Championships in Aalen, Germany, where racing will occur under similar conditions. Unsurprisingly, the start list quality in Leuven was extremely high, and racing speeds were even higher!
After winning last weekend’s UCI World Cup round in Sakarya, Edvin Lindh and Gaia Tormena immediately showed they still had the legs in Leuven, both winning their qualifying time trials and securing precious points for the UCI World Cup rankings.
The high level of racing proved costly for some pre-race favorites. UCI World Champion Titouan Perrin-Ganier was eliminated in the 1/8 finals, while Marion Fromberger and European champion Ede-Karoly Molnar didn’t make it to the big finals either.
In the finals for gold, Austrian champion Theo Hauser and UCI World Champion Gaia Tormena dominated, both leading their races from start to finish and winning with convincing gaps. Edvin Lindh (SWE) and Coline Clauzure (FRA) took second places, while Lorenzo Serres (FRA) and Line Mygdam (DEN) finished third.
“I was pretty nervous at the start of the day: here in Belgium, cycling is something very, very big—full of passionate people,” Gaia Tormena complimented the crowds. “It was also the last race before the UCI World Championships in Aalen, another reason why I was stressed. This was my last race in the rainbow jersey—who knows what will happen in Aalen. I’m very happy that I could honor the jersey from the first day until the last one.”
Hauser savored his first victory in the UCI World Cup with a lot of emotions: “I worked so hard for this—I can’t realize yet what just happened. Two weeks ago I was third in Palangkaraya, last week second in Sakarya, and now I take the win! I felt really great during the entire race, from the start. This victory is great, but I can say that this is just the start: I want to win more, in the UCI World Cup and the UCI World Championships!”
At the top of the men’s UCI World Cup standings, the fight for the overall win is fierce: Lindh is leading with 376 points but still feels the pressure from Lorenzo Serres (333 points) and Theo Hauser (332 points). In the women’s overall standings, Tormena has an impressive 144-point gap over Didi de Vries, who sits in second.
With 5 out of 8 rounds completed, the UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup now takes a break. World Cup racing resumes in August in Brazil. But first, the City Mountainbike family prepares for the absolute highlight of the eliminator season: the 2024 UCI World Championships in Aalen, Germany, scheduled for July 13. Let’s get ready for the fight for the iconic rainbow jerseys!
Results
Men’s results – UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup Leuven
1. Theo Hauser (AUT)
2. Edvin Lindh (SWE)
3. Lorenzo Serres (FRA)
4. Simon Gegenheimer (GER)
5. Ede-Karoly Molnar (ROU)
Women’s results – UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup Leuven
1. Gaia Tormena (ITA)
2. Coline Clauzure (FRA)
3. Line Mygdam (DEN)
4. Shanyl De Schoesitter (BEL)
5. Annemoon van Dienst (NED)
Standings
Men’s UCI World Cup standings after Leuven
1. Edvin Lindh (SWE) – 376 points
2. Lorenzo Serres (FRA) – 333 points
3. Theo Hauser (AUT) – 332 points
4. Ede-Karoly Molnar (ROU) – 230 points
5. Nils-Obed Riecker (GER) – 170 points
Women’s UCI World Cup standings after Leuven
1. Gaia Tormena (ITA) – 440 points
2. Didi de Vries (NED) – 296 points
3. Madison Boissiere (FRA) – 268 points
4. Coline Clauzure (FRA) – 209 points
5. Line Mygdam (GER) – 208 points
