ChainReactionCycles/Intense Maribor World Cup Race Report

The race today in Maribor was a total mud fest but with surprisingly very close times. With all the rain yesterday and this morning the track turned into peanut butter for the riders with huge holes and very slippy rocks and roots making it one of the most physical World Cup races in a long time. In the Mens race Matt Simmonds had a great ride placing 14th in the end, less than 3 seconds off the podium and on the same second as 8th. This result equaled Matt's best World Cup finish to date and continues his great form this year. He has put in the work over the winter and it is definitely paying off. We are all proud of you on the team Matt, well done and we know you can improve on this even more as the year unfolds. New signing this year Matti Lehikoinen had a descent run finishing just behind Matt in 18th less than 1 second back. This was not what Matti was hoping for but it shows he has the speed early in the season and has given him the confidence to take to the next World Cup in Fort William. Julien finished 21st only half a second back from Matti. Again, this was a good start for Julien especially after not racing a World Cup for about 1 year now due to his injury last season. Julien was hoping for a better result after finishing 3rd and 2nd the last 2 times he has raced here - but in the Mens field which is getting closer and more competitive every year, Julien has proved he has the speed to contend with the fastest riders. Ruaridh and Chris didn't have the best of days, both crashing and having big problems in their runs. Ruaridh ended up 47th and Chris 71st. Hopefully after last weeks great results in Fort William they can do a lot better in the next World Cup. Greg Minnaar took the win narrowly beating Gee Atherton and Brendan Fairclough. Claire Buchar had a great run finishing in 7th and only 1.6 seconds of the podium. Congratulations Claire - Well done. Rachael Atherton amazingly took the win in the Womens field with a broken finger. In the team standings we are 3rd overall and we will be looking to stay in the top 3 and try for that overall no.1 team in the World. Thanks to all our sponsors for their support and the best products available. Nigel Page Team Manager - ChainReactionCycles/Intense Please keep up to date on the team at www.crcintense.com