Christa von Niederhäusern (SUI) and Alec Bob (USA) today won the rainbow stripes of UCI World Champions at the 2023 Velosolutions UCI Pump Track World Championships in Austria.
The fourth UCI Pump Track World Championships were held at the Area 47 bike park, situated at Earth’s 47th parallel north at Ötztal, in Austrian Tyrol. It was the first time the UCI Pump Track Worlds were held indoors.
In total, 63 athletes, representing 20 nations battled in the no-pedalling format on the purpose-built 140 metre flow track. The riders had qualified for the UCI Worlds via a series of events organised around the world between April and the Last Chance Qualifiers just a week ahead of the finals in Austria.
Surprise exclusions
After the seeding runs on Friday, Saturday’s qualifying rounds saw the fastest riders progress. Some surprising knockouts along the way included two of the men’s favourites: former UCI World Champions, the USA’s Tommy Zula (2019) and the Netherlands’ Niels Bensink (2022).
With two preliminary rounds completed – which saw Von Niederhäusern the fastest amongst the women and Australia’s Ryan Gilchrist (the only mountain biker left in the competition) the fastest man – 16 riders headed into the quarter-final.
Women: Swiss clockwork
The last eight riders in the quarter-final each completed the run individually, benefiting from a clear track and a flying start. For the remainder of the five-minute session, “open time” gave those who wished to an opportunity to improve their time.
After the single runs, 2021 UCI World Champion Aiko Gommers (BEL) hit 13.872-sec, Germany’s Alina Beck was faster (13.815), and the 2022 UCI World Champion Von Niederhäusern recorded the fastest time with 13.756. Czechia’s Sabina Košárková was also in the initial top four with 13.940. All the riders were on 20-inch wheels.
Felicia Klingström (SWE), Carly Kane (USA), Vineta Pētersone (LAT) and Julie Heusequin (BEL) all went for late runs to try to improve their times, but could not break into the quartet who would progress to the semi-finals.
In the semis Von Niederhäusern hit the red lines and again registered the fastest run (13.541) with Košárková holding second. With one minute left on the clock, Beck ran again but made mistakes and went out. Gommers went late, kept it low, but couldn’t match Košárková, and another former UCI World Champion dropped out.
It set up the final of Von Niederhäusern versus Košárková: one single run each. And with a winning margin of 0.4-sec, the Swiss rider came through and retained her rainbow jersey. In the small final, Beck took bronze ahead of Gommers by 0.15-sec.
“I can’t believe it, I’m out of words, it’s amazing, in front of my family and my boyfriend,” said Christa von Niederhäusern. “Experience gave me the strength to pull it through!”
Men: Alec Bob aces it!
Into the men’s final eight, 2021 UCI World Champion, Frenchman Eddy Clerté (12.632-sec), settled into second behind Italy’s Mattia Costerman (12.615). The USA’s Alec Bob took provisional third (12.640) before Swiss surprise package Tristan Borel went fastest with 12.439. Last to go in the solo riders, Ryan Gilchrist – on the ‘big’ 26-inch wheels – only hit 6th fastest, 0.3-sec off his target of fourth place. With his last run Gilchrist could only manage 5th, and the French Champion Thibaut Dupont similarly ran again but couldn't hit the top four. His compatriot Anaia Istil and Switzerland’s Tanguy Grandjean also missed out.
The semis saw Bob and Costerman (only 0.01-sec between them) ride faster than Clerté. Borel made an error and aborted his first run. The 3rd and 4th placed men left it as long as they could before making their second attempts. The Frenchman rode the red lines but couldn't crack a place in the final.
In the small final, Eddy Clerté took time to adjust his tyre pressure, mindful of his nasty finals crash in 2022, and snatched the bronze medal from Borel by 0.07-sec!
In the day’s final race Italy’s Costerman went all-in to stop the clock at 12.687 sec. Alec Bob followed, in 12.674, and with a margin of 0.013-sec, the title went back to the USA for the first time since 2019.
“Honestly I didn’t think I’d be in this position after finishing 9th yesterday, and finishing my lap and thinking I didn’t have much left!” said Alec Bob. “But I think now I understand the format and I’m being more comfortable with myself.”
Photo credit: @jorgmitter
