At the mountainbike worldcup race in Spa, Belgium, the Multivan Merida Biking Team claimed all three podium positions. While Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesja wins her 25th worldcup race in the women’s competition, José Hermida and Ralph Näf finish second and third respectively behind Julien Absalon in the men’s race. Just one day after intermediate tests for her studies of medecine, Nina Göhl scored an excellent sixth position. Moritz Milatz on the other hand was struck by bad luck, as his rear derailleur snapped in deep mud in the very last lap.
Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesja continues her dominance, since the Norwegian has won all three worldcup races of the year. After having been beaten on Spa’s course by Marie-Helene Premont in the previous season, she outclasses the women’s competition this year. With her 25th victory in the worldcup, Dahle Flesja is steadily approaching Julie Furtado’s long-time record and leading in the worldcup overall by a huge margin.
Nina Göhl showed an excellent race: Just one day after important intermediate tests for her studies of medecine, she finished sixth, stressing that at the next race in Fort William an even better result is well in reach.
In the men’s race, José Hermida and Ralph Näf teamed up with Julien Abasalon to dominate the race. Early on, these three riders drove away from the rest, and after half of the race was over, Olympic champion Absalon dropped his competitors and scored an indisputed victory. «Today, Julien was simply the strongest rider of the group, and he is seemingly invincible on this course», Hermida and Näf agreed at the finish.
Moritz Milatz got struck by bad luck, after he seemed to prove his potential by defending his seventh position in the final lap. But then his rear derailleur snapped in Spa’s deep mud, forcing him to cover the remaining four kilometers by foot.
Spa’s race was characterized by lots of mechanicals and riders abandoning. The course, being very demanding technically as such, was made even more treacherous by the previous day’s rain. Seen these circumstances, the Multivan Merida Biking Team’s effort is even more impressive.
Results Mountainbike Worldcup Spa, Men:
1. Julien Absalon (Fra) Bianchi Agos 2:14:53
2. Jose Antonio Hermida Ramos (Esp) Multivan Merida Biking Team at +0:27
3. Ralph Näf (Sui) Multivan Merida Biking Team +2:13
4. Filip Meirhaeghe (Bel) Groep Versluys-Sportstech-Landbouwkredie +3:36
5. Roel Paulissen (Bel) Giant-Racing-Team +5:10
6. Bart Brentjens (Ned) Giant-Racing-Team +5:15
7. Christoph Sauser (Sui) Specialized Factory Racing +6:53
8. Carlos Coloma Nicolas (Esp) Proflex +7:03
9. Jader Zoli (Ita) Ktm International Team +7:11
10. Nino Schurter (Sui) Swisspower Mtb Team +7:16
34. Moritz Milatz (Ger) Multivan Merida Biking Team +12:19
Results Mountainbike Worldcup Spa, Women:
1. Gunn-Rita Dahle (Nor) Multivan Merida Biking Team 1:36:51
2. Irina Kalentieva (Rus) Topeak-Ergon at +2:10
3. Marie-Helene Premont (Can) Rocky Mountain Business Objects +3:11
4. Sabine Spitz (Ger) Specialized Factory Racing +4:27
5. Lene Byberg (Nor) Bikin'cyprus Int. +4:46
6. Nina Gohl (Ger) Multivan Merida Biking Team +5:03
7. Margarita Fullana Riera (Esp) Spiuk Illes Balears +7:03
8. Katerina Nash (Cze) Luna Women's Mtb +7:53
9. Alison Sydor (Can) Rocky Mountain Business Objects +8:21
10. Cecile Rode (Fra) Team Lapierre International +8:26
Fotos by: Armin Küstenbrück, Copyrights by: Multivan Merida Biking Team