http://youtu.be/bVtMX7p04Ls
It was a good day for Specialized Racing at the UCI Cross Country Mountain Bike World Cup in Windham, New York on Saturday. Burry Stander earned his second-ever World Cup victory while Todd Wells and Lea Davison had their career-best World Cup finishes on the podium. Specialized also collected the elite men’s team victory and leads the overall team standings.
“It was pretty much perfect,” said Stander. “It’s always perfect when you’re winning. I had a good race from the beginning, and it went according to the way I thought it would. I just sort of rode what I’d planned beforehand – consistent and staying near the front.”
Monster Energy Specialized’s Sam Hill finished just off the podium this week in a dusty and loose Windham, New York while teammate Mitch Ropelato was 23rd after a good run.
The weather all week in Windham was hot and humid, and the track got loose, dusty and rocky by the time race day came around. Massive braking holes had formed on the already rough track, and with riders exceeding 60km/h in the straightaways, it was bound to be an exciting afternoon. The track might have been short, but it was relentless top to bottom and any small mistake would cost the riders several positions.
Hill had a run that was loose from start to finish, riding like the pre-injury Sam. The Australian’s run included a very close encounter with a tree in a high speed wooded section when a foot blew off but Hill managed to keep on the bike and get it pointed in the right direction.
