Like the cross-country, the Willingen downhill course was less than worthy of World Cup competition. It was under one mile of nothing more than a few jumps and lots of gravel and grass. Then the rain hit just before the top ten qualifying men left the line. Now you could replace the bottom, grass part of the course with a mud bog down to the finish.
And it only got worse. The rain damaged the 4-Cross start gate's electronics. When the officials announced that they were going to use a verbal countdown, the riders freaked. Almost all of the 4-Cross riders boycotted the event, except for 8 women. Jill Kintner, who won the first World Cup, was one of the riders who left after she was told that the race was cancelled. Missing this start might cost her the chance to win the championship.
Just like 2003's l'Alpe d'Huez and Kaprun events, Willingen will go down in history as one of the world's worse World Cups.
RACE NOTES
*Ex World and current NORBA Champ Greg Minnaar ended up winning the second World Cup of 2005 on a parts bike. Only five days before the race thieves broke into the factory box van and stole a bevy full of $200,000 RN01s. In those five days the Honda mechanics worked like mad to construct a bike from spare parts. It paid off with a 3 second win.
*Fast qualifier Mick Hannah (Haro) crashed so violently in the main that he was unable to find his bike in the surrounding forest.
*Round one winner Steve Peat (Orange) was a no-show with an injury and is expected to be out 6 more weeks.
*The amazing Anne-Caroline Chausson has been riding for a month since breaking her shoulder at the Les Gets World Championships last year. So instead of winning by 10 seconds, she won by 5.
*There were no U.S. women entered in the downhill.
WILLINGEN WORLD CUP DH 2 RESULTS
In total 147 riders started the main.
1. Greg Minnaar (RSA)...G-Cross Honda...2:19.59
2. Daniel Atherton (GBr)...2:23.04
3. Nathan Rennie (Aus)...Santa Cruz Syndicate...2:23.19
4. Christopher Kovarik (Aus)...Intense...2:24.76
5. Samuel Hill (Aus)...Iron Horse-Mad Catz...2:25.46
6. David Vazquez Lopez (Spn)...Maxxis-MSC...2:25.69
7. Matti Lehikoinen (Fin)...Team G-Cross Honda...2:25.82
8. Cedric Gracia (Fra)...Siemens Cannondale...2:25.95
9. George Atherton (GBr)...Animal Giant...2:26.48
10. Markolf Berchtold (Bra)...Maxxis-MSC...2:26.91
18. Kyle Strait...Specialized...2:28.85
64. Henry O' Donnell...2:37.75
81. Duncan Riffle...2:44.10
141. Robin Baloochi...3:26.57
WOMEN
A total of 28 women started.
1. Anne-Caroline Chausson (Fra)...Commencal Oxbow...2:42.88
2. Emmeline Ragot (Fra) QBikes Les Sybelles...2:47.38
3. Vanessa Quin (NZl)...Intense...2:47.92
4. Rachel Atherton (GBr)...2:49.53
5. Sabrina Jonnier (Fra)...Intense...2:54.55
6. Marielle Saner (Swi)...Maxxis-MSC...2:57.12
7. Helen Gaskell (GBr)...2:57.20
8. Fionn Griffiths GBr)...Norco...3:00.39
9. Miriam Ruchti (Swi)...3:04.45
10. Petra Bernhard (Aut)...MS-Team Europe...3:07.19
WILLINGEN WORLD CUP 4-Cross RESULTS
WOMEN
1. Anneke Beerten (Ned)...Specialized...48.74
2. Fionn Griffiths (GBr)...Norco...52.03
3. Anita Molcik (Aut)...Arbo-RSP...51.94
4. Sonja Granzow (Ger)...57.28
5. Diana Marggraff (Ecu)...Zenith...52.95
6. Zsofia Koczka (Hun)...53.62
7. Anja Jerenko (Ger)...55.03
8. Michela Thaler (Ita)...Arbo-RSP...57.66
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