UCI BMX Supercross 2011 finals Papendal Wind and Olympic course prove tough challenge for riders New-Zealand riders win UCI BMX Supercross World cup at Papendal

May 29, 2011

Written by Bart de Jong

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Marc Willers and Sarah Walker won the first ever UCI BMX Supercross World Cup presented by Swatch in the Netherlands. Both BMX-riders from New Zealand conquered heavy winds and a difficult Olympic course at Papendal. Dutch rider and hometown favorite Jelle van Gorkom became second, just before French rider Joris Daudet.

At the press conference afterwards it was all smiles from the big man Marc Willers. In the previous rounds Van Gorkom and Daudet dominated the field, but in the final the two riders tangled together and Willers came up the strongest. He admitted being really tired after racing in the heavy wind. “This track is really brutal”, is what Willers said about the conditions. “Without the wind this track is workable though. It’s good for the fast riders and the technical riders. But I was hurting! It’s longer than we are used to and if you make one mistake you just arrive physically drained.”

Dutch rider Van Gorkom, cheered on by the big home crowd,

was happy to finish second on home soil. “I think Marc was the strongest in the final. All eight riders were strong enough to win and today Marc did very well. It was really nice though to ride here in front of an crowd full of Dutch people.”

Sarah Walker dominated Friday and Saturday of the UCI BMX Supercross in the Netherlands. Even a small error in the final did not challenge her first position and she crossed the finish line with a couple of meters advantage. Right after Willers won, she went over to congratulate her fellow countryman to celebrate the ‘Kiwi double’ in the Netherlands. “I felt really good and with these winds you just pedal hard and hope”, is what she said about the final. “I enjoy these kinds of technical tracks, after all riding BMX is about jumps.”

The next stop of the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup Series will be in London (UK), August 19 & 20 after the UCI BMX World Championships 2011 in Copenhagen, July 27th – 31st.

Results elite men UCI BMX Supercross World Cup Papendal

1 WILLERS Marc NZL 40.963
2 VAN GORKOM Jelle NED 41.698
3 DAUDET Joris FRA 42.800

Results elite women UCI BMX Supercross World Cup Papendal
1 WALKER Sarah NZL 36.985
2 LABOUNKOVÁ Romana CZE 37.305
3 BUCHANAN Caroline AUS 37.897