The first round of the 2011 Mountain Bike World Cup concluded in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa on Easter Sunday with American Aaron Gwin riding for Trek World Racing spanking the likes of Greg Minnaar, Gee Atherton, Fabien Barel and Steve Peat to stand on the top of the World Cup podium.


The American moto-style of Aaron Gwin was fast enough to win the opening round of the 2011 World Cup Downhill Series.

The course had continued to dry out through the weekend, and by the time the elite men and women took to the track the conditions were near perfect. While the course had technical sections, it was primarily 'pedally', favoring riders who could put down power on the flatter, smoother sections through the middle of the run.

WOMEN
Junior woman Manon Carpenter (Madison Saracen) was the first rider off, after technical problems hurt her time in qualifying, and she showed that she could do better by posting a respectable sub-5:12 time.  This time would hold up for nearly half the field before the Swiss rider Emilie Siegenthaler (Scott 11) knocked nine seconds off it. However, Siegenthaler didn't even have time to slide into the Hot Seat before Fionn Griffiths (Team GR) obliterated her time with a 4:56.454 .

Griffiths stayed in the Hot Seat as rider after rider came down, none able to come within a second of her time. The closest was Griffiths' own team mate, Emmeline Ragot, but she was still 1. 296 seconds slower.  Impressively, Ragot was riding with a broken ankle.  Finally, it was the turn of Tracy Moseley (Trek World Racing) - the fastest qualifier, world champion and winner here in 2009.  Moseley picked up speed as her run progressed, and posted the fastest time for the lower half of the course, finishing a mere 0.288 seconds ahead of Griffiths to take the victory, and don the leader's jersey.


Moseley also said that riding the eight day Cape Epic paid off for fitness.

"This is certainly the toughest track," commented Moseley.  "Coming back two years later and it's gotten longer ....  Even though it's dry today, there is still so much pedaling. I really tried to give it a lot in the pedaling, but then felt like I suffered in that last section, through the 4-cross course.  I felt a bit ropey in some of the technical stuff and the big jumps, I lost some time there, but I was able to make it up on the pedaling  I was just hanging on for dear life.  A tough, tough race, but such an awesome start to the season.  I was pretty nervous coming into this weekend; I spent years trying to get this World Champion's jersey, and it is so amazing to get to ride in it. I wanted to do my best wearing the jersey.  To get to ride in it to the first win of the year is pretty special.  It did play on my mind a bit, the rainbow jersey.  It was my dream fulfilled, and so I thought that this year was going to be fun, and no pressure, but I still wanted to do the jersey justice, so I was pretty damned nervous this weekend, and that's probably why I went so hard...I didn't want to disgrace it."

MEN
In the 82 rider men's field, it was 4-Cross World Cup winner Jared Graves (Yeti Fox Shox), who set the first fast time of 4:17.183. Graves stayed in the Hot Seat through 15 riders before the New Zealand champion, Cameron Cole (Lapierre International) was able to edge him out. Cole had a much shorter time in the lead, as Steve Peat knocked nearly two seconds off the top time only three riders later. Peat was uncharacteristically seeded low, since he has been fighting the effects of a flu which has sapped his power all week.

Peat withstood the challenges of a number of top names, as the start list counted down: Sam Blenkinsop (Lapierre International), Marc Beaumont (Team GT), Justin Leov (Trek World Racing), Steve Smith (Devinci), Adrew Neethling (Giant) and world champion Sam Hill (Monster Energy/Specialized/Mad Catz).

"I'll take that seat now if you don't mind, Mr. Peat." Read our 2009 interview with Aaron by clicking here.

Peat's time in the Hot Seat lasted until American Aaron Gwin (Trek World Racing) knocked a staggering seven seconds off the best time. Defending World Cup champion Gee Atherton (Commencal) could only manage a time within two seconds of Gwin, which was good enough for third, and Minnaar, with the entire crowd cheering him down the course, came oh-so-close, but was 0.241 seconds in arrears. With his win, Gwin became the first American man to win a World Cup since 1999 (Shaun Palmer at Big Bear). Gwin revealed that he has been training with the legendary John Tomac, and it appears to have paid off.  Troy Brosnan (Monster Energy/Specialized/Mad Catz) of Australia won the Junior men's title.

"Honestly, coming into this weekend, I didn't think I could do it," explained Gwin. "The track was just clicking, and I felt really good all weekend, and it just came down to the pedaling. I thought that if I could just go hard at the top and the bottom I was probably fit enough to hold onto it in the middle, and it worked out. I was surprised at the gap when I came down. It was a pretty loose run, but it was everything I had. It was on the edge and hit a tree at the top, but I just tried to keep myself calm and hold it together. There were some sketchy moments. I'm stoked, I'm just speechless."

RESULTS

Women
1 Tracy Moseley (GBr) Trek World Racing, 4:56.166
2 Fionn Griffiths (GBr) Team GR, 4:56.454
3 Emmeline Ragot (Fra) Team GR, 4:57.750
4 Sabrina Jonnier (Fra) Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain, 4:58.339
5 Floriane Pugin (Fra) Scott 11, 4:58.434
6 Céline Gros (Fra) Team Morzine-Avoriaz/Haute-Savoie, 5:00.414
7 Emilie Siegenthaler (Sui) Scott 11, 5:02.510
8 Manon Carpenter (GBr) Madison Saracen, 5:11.783
9 Mio Suemasa (Jpn) FFC, 5:12.404
10 Petra Bernhard (Aut) Alpine Commencal Austria, 5:12.581
11 Miriam Ruchti (Sui), 5:18.377
12 Jacqueline Harmony (USA), 5:22.536
13 Anita Ager-Wick (Nor), 5:22.903
14 Fanny Lombard (Fra), 5:39.093
15 Joanne Muoser (Sui) SC-Intense, 5:44.635
16 Rika Olivier (RSA), 5:49.898


Men
1 Aaron Gwin (USA) Trek World Racing, 4:08.634
2 Greg Minnaar (RSA) Santa Cruz Syndicate, 4:08.875
3 Gee Atherton (GBr) Commencal, 4:10.555
4 Fabien Barel (Fra) Mondraker Factory Team, 4:12.880
5 Steve Peat (GBr) Santa Cruz Syndicate, 4:15.443
6 Steve Smith (Can) Devinci Global Racing, 4:15.568
7 Marc Beaumont (GBr) GT Bikes, 4:15.871
8 Sam Hill (Aus) Monster Energy / Specialized / Mad Catz, 4:16.033
9 Nick Beer (Sui) Scott 11, 4:16.599
10 Josh Bryceland (GBr) Santa Cruz Syndicate, 4:16.915
11 Bryn Atkinson (Aus) Transition Racing, 4:17.005
12 Cameron Cole (NZl) Lapierre International, 4:17.136
13 Jared Graves (Aus) Yeti Fox Shox Factory Race Team, 4:17.183
14 Duncan Riffle (USA) Giant Factory Off-Road Team, 4:17.656
15 Matti Lehikoinen (Fin) Chain Reaction Cycles/Nukeproof, 4:17.766
16 Cédric Gracia (Fra) CG Racing Brigade, 4:18.443
17 Fabien Cousinie (Fra) Morewood Unitedride, 4:18.801
18 Matthew Scoles (NZl) Team Cingolani Trek, 4:19.243
19 Julien Camellini (Fra) Team Sunn Montgenevre, 4:19.486
20 Thibaut Ruffin (Fra) Riding Addiction Commencal, 4:19.487
21 Samuel Blenkinsop (NZl) Lapierre International, 4:19.629
22 Danny Hart (GBr) Giant Factory Off-Road Team, 4:19.683
23 Troy Brosnan (Aus) Monster Energy / Specialized / Mad Catz, 4:19.988
24 Aurélien Giordanengo (Fra) Mondraker Factory Team, 4:20.010
25 Romain Paulhan (Fra), 4:20.054
26 Markus Pekoll (Aut) MS Evil Racing, 4:20.059
27 Brook Macdonald (NZl) MS Evil Racing, 4:20.440
28 Justin Leov (NZl) Trek World Racing, 4:20.577
29 Neko Mulally (USA) Trek World Racing, 4:20.866
30 Filip Polc (Svk) MS Evil Racing, 4:21.444
31 Shaun O'Connor (Aus) Yeti Fox Shox Factory Race Team, 4:21.550
32 Pierre Charles Georges (Fra) Team Lac Blanc/Solid/Massif Des Vosg, 4:21.705
33 Florent Payet (Fra) SC-Intense, 4:22.301
34 Sam Dale (GBr) Team Sunn Montgenevre, 4:22.364
35 Bernard Kerr (GBr) Pivot Cycles, 4:22.716
36 Robin Wallner (Swe) Team Are Bikepark Powered By W-Racing, 4:22.730
37 Ruaridh Cunningham (GBr) Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain, 4:23.602
38 Joseph Smith (GBr) Chain Reaction Cycles/Nukeproof, 4:23.792
39 Mitchell Delfs (Aus) Kona, 4:24.011
40 Mickael Pascal (Fra) Morewood Unitedride, 4:24.261
41 Ben Cathro (GBr) Mtbcut.Tv / Orange, 4:24.330
42 Damien Spagnolo (Fra) Mondraker Factory Team, 4:24.473
43 Richard Thomas (GBr) Molson World Team / Nukeproof, 4:24.616
44 Rémi Thirion (Fra) Labyrinth Shimano Racing Team, 4:24.651
45 Timothy Bentley (RSA) Morewood Unitedride, 4:24.690
46 Joshua Button (Aus) SC-Intense, 4:24.928
47 Mitch Ropelato (USA), 4:25.229
48 Luke Strobel (USA) MS Evil Racing, 4:25.537
49 Alex Bond (GBr) Team Skene, 4:26.059
50 Marcel Beer (Sui), 4:26.069
51 Emanuel Pombo (Por), 4:26.568
52 Dan Stanbridge (GBr) Dirt Norco Race Team, 4:26.923
53 Fabien Pedemanaud (Fra) Scott 11, 4:27.039
54 Jonty Neethling (RSA), 4:28.326
55 Johann Potgieter (RSA), 4:29.168
56 Thomas Braithwaite (GBr) Hope Technology, 4:29.311
57 Curtis Keene (USA) Specialized Gravity, 4:30.064
58 Hayden Brown (RSA), 4:30.993
59 Patrick Thome (Fra) Mondraker Factory Team, 4:31.288
60 Andrew Neethling (RSA) Giant Factory Off-Road Team, 4:31.322
61 Scott Mears (GBr) Halo Factory / Santa Cruz, 4:31.781
62 Thomas Jeandin (Sui), 4:33.085
63 Lars Peyer (Sui) SC-Intense, 4:33.465
64 Fraser Mcglone (GBr) Mtbcut.Tv, 4:34.677
65 Daniel Pombo (Por), 4:35.629
66 Kelvin Purchase (RSA), 4:37.322
67 Chris Hutchens (GBr) Team Cyclejersey Orange, 4:37.534
68 Tiaan Odendaal (RSA), 4:38.334
69 Fergus Lamb (GBr) Perth City Cycles, 4:38.757
70 Francesco Petrucci (Ita) Team Cingolani Trek, 4:39.192
71 Roman Roschi (Sui), 4:39.501
72 Oscar Harnstrom (Swe), 4:39.702
73 Arthur Parret (Fra) Passion Velo Thiers Stemtee, 4:41.009
74 Jérôme Payet (Fra), 4:44.181
75 Charly Di Pasquale (Fra) Labyrinth Shimano Racing Team, 4:49.325
76 Mathias Haas (Aut) Alpine Commencal Austria, 4:53.916
77 Daniel Critchlow (GBr), 4:54.159
78 Travis Browning (RSA), 7:14.918
DNF Michael Hannah (Aus) GT Factory Nema Eyewear
DNF George Brannigan (NZl) Devinci Global Racing
DNS Brendan Fairclough (GBr) Monster Energy / Specialized / Mad Catz
DNS Alexander Kangas (Swe)


What is that guy in the tree wearing?

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