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1998 World Cup Mountain Biking
Nevegal, Italy
May 23-24, 1998

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Downhill #2
Ascension In Italy
Jorgenson and Gracia do it for the first time

Sari Jorgenson
center stage

Religious holidays are big in Italy. Just ask the masses in nearby Venice who paraded in full regalia during this Ascension holiday weekend how important it is to be humble, to be gracious, to be pure. Of course if you ascend up the Dolomite mountain range about an hour, you'd find that in Nevegal it was more important to be Sari and Cédric. For it was these two first-timers who unseated the French duo of Anne-Caroline Chausson and Nicolas Vouilloz (Sunn-un) and planted their flags in the muddy soil and rock that is the Nevegal steeps.

A thin line drawn down an Italian ski run, Nevegal's world cup course is hell on wheels... when it's dry. Add a solid night and day of steady rain and the course turns into hell frozen over. The start house chutes racers down through a grassy area before a high speed rock path drops into the rock garden. Strewn with mini boulders and diving straight below the ski lift, this treacherous section is unrelenting on the arms and bike. Eventually it heads into the trees for awhile, but is then muddy, slippery and also difficult to negotiate. Only when the course ends into the venue's grassy finish does the rider get a moment's peace - unless it's raining.

A-C Chausson

Rain is exactly what riders got Sunday as the qualifiers and finals were held under a cold drizzle beginning early in the morning and not finishing until 5pm. Ladies first; the women began their timed runs with Anne-Caroline Chausson immediately posting an impossibly fast time - some 22 seconds quicker than Bonazzi or Giove. Sari Jorgenson (SUI, Yeti) qualified mid-pack, happy to riding well after winning the Dual competition the previous day.

During the women's finals, Jorgenson came down early and posted a good time considering all the mud, and surpassed Leigh Donovan (USA, Mongoose) at the top of the board, serving notice that she came to compete. Then the rest of the field - including Giove - took a shot but was unable to match the Swiss downhiller's speed. Finally, after Chausson failed to show at the finish it became clear that the youngster had indeed dominated. Chausson had crashed hard on course and came in second to last - perhaps her worst finish ever.

An elated
Cédric Gracia

Immediately after the women, the men began riding down on a fully-blown course of sloshing ruts and slippery rocks - arriving at the finish covered in mud with worthless goggles and cursing their rotten luck of crashing. Everyone crashed, so the field was leveled in that respect. Kirt Voreis (USA, Mt. Dew/Specialized) then Jurgen Beneke (GER, Schwinn-Toyota) lead until mid-pack qualifier C�dric Gracia (FRA, Sunn-un) came down with an excellent first-place time and quietly waited for the Alien Vouilloz, who had qualified only behind teammate Mickael Pascal (FRA).

Alas, Vouilloz broke a cleat and flatted his rear wheel (for the first time in WC racing) and couldn't post a time worthy of his immeasurable talents. Imagine his surprise to see Gracia's name above his, as both then waited for Pascal to match his amazing qualifier time. Pascal, however, couldn't repeat the run and Gracia won his first WC event after taking third in last year's World's.

Cullinan and Jorgenson

The race was a thriller, especially with the conditions slowing down the action and throwing a monkey wrench in everyone's plans. Riders on the downhill circuit have come to expect anything at these Euro races, but circumstances like these seem to push everyone to the limit. We Zoners can hardly wait to see what awaits our deft handlers in Les Gets next weekend.

Fiction and Fact: The Mountain Zone Almanac

David Cullinan (USA, Schwinn-Toyota) won the men's dual and is happy to be back on the podium, thank you. Shaun Palmer was unimpressive with a 20th place finish, but still took the time to give winner Gracia a beer after the race. He then got a bit rowdy that evening and was rumored to be headed home... we'll see.

Nolvenn LeCaer, France's beautiful and talented GT rider, was injured in the finals and carted off in an ambulance but bolted from the hospital and said she'd race this weekend.

Andy Bueller broke his nose in practice. Mercedes Gonzales hurt her shoulder in Big Bear and didn't race. Neither did Elke Brutsaert who crashed in practice.

Brian Lopes hurt his thumb in the Dual and was out.

Bikes were running the biggest fattest tires you've ever seen during practice — they almost touch the fork's arch at sizes like 3.5. Scott and Sunn have new bikes, and Rock Shox has a new 7-inch Boxxer fork.

American men still can't keep up with the Euros; Tomac was tops at 11th.

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