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Californian Brian Lopes succeeds at "Red Bull Race Down" in Sondershausen/GER
Extreme bike highlight 700 meters below the surface
Mountainbike World Champion Brian Lopes from Los Angeles/CA wins the probably most unusual mountain bike race on Earth - the "Red Bull Race Down". A mountainbike competition 700 meters below the surface in an old salt mine situated in the East German town of Sondershausen.
On Saturday night the 16 world best downhill-mountainbikers and the top eight women competed at the Race Down in Sondershausen. As other downhill courses this one featured also jumps, curves and wall rides on a length of one kilometer. The only, but decisive difference is the situation of the course - 700 meters below the surface in an old salt mine, with a tunnel network of more than 200 km. With top speeds up to 70 km/h the riders had to jump over diggers and lorries, taking care not to smash their heads on the only four to five meter high tunnel walls. 25 degrees Celsius, almost complete darkness and zero percent humidity created a truly diabolic atomosphere. "I have never been to a place like this before, not talking about racing my bike," said Brian Lopes.
The invitational race with a total prize money of 10,000 Euro featured athletes from twelve nations.The competition format was held as a dual elimination system.
Among the remaining four men in the semi final were only top class mountainbikers: BMX-World Champion Cederic Gracia of France, Cross-Worldchampion Brian Lopes, Downhill-World Champion Gregg Minnaar of South Africa, as well as British Steve Peat, the World Cup winner of 2002. In the final run Lopes took the better start and finally the race against Gracia, whilst Minaar captured the third place against Peat. At the women`s competition "Miss Mountainbike" Anne-Caro Chausson of France battled down American Marla Streb. Swiss Marielle Saner took the third place. "I have claustrophobia, so I should not think about, where I am at the moment - among rocks four times higher then the Eiffel Tower in Paris," said second ranked Cederic Gracia after the race.
Final ranking men: 1. Brian Lopes (USA), 2. Cedric Gracia (FRA),Greg Minnaar (RSA), 4. Steve Peat (GBR), 5. Michal Marosi (SVK), 6. Bernard Guardia Pascual (ESP), 7. Oscar Saiz (ESP), 8. Andre Wagenknecht (GER),
women: 1. Anne-Caro Chausson (FRA), 2. Marla Streb (USA), 3. Marielle Saner (SUI), 4. Fionn Griffiths (GBR)
Californian Brian Lopes succeeds at "Red Bull Race Down" in Sondershausen/GER
Extreme bike highlight 700 meters below the surface
Mountainbike World Champion Brian Lopes from Los Angeles/CA wins the probably most unusual mountain bike race on Earth - the "Red Bull Race Down". A mountainbike competition 700 meters below the surface in an old salt mine situated in the East German town of Sondershausen.
On Saturday night the 16 world best downhill-mountainbikers and the top eight women competed at the Race Down in Sondershausen. As other downhill courses this one featured also jumps, curves and wall rides on a length of one kilometer. The only, but decisive difference is the situation of the course - 700 meters below the surface in an old salt mine, with a tunnel network of more than 200 km. With top speeds up to 70 km/h the riders had to jump over diggers and lorries, taking care not to smash their heads on the only four to five meter high tunnel walls. 25 degrees Celsius, almost complete darkness and zero percent humidity created a truly diabolic atomosphere. "I have never been to a place like this before, not talking about racing my bike," said Brian Lopes.
The invitational race with a total prize money of 10,000 Euro featured athletes from twelve nations.The competition format was held as a dual elimination system.
Among the remaining four men in the semi final were only top class mountainbikers: BMX-World Champion Cederic Gracia of France, Cross-Worldchampion Brian Lopes, Downhill-World Champion Gregg Minnaar of South Africa, as well as British Steve Peat, the World Cup winner of 2002. In the final run Lopes took the better start and finally the race against Gracia, whilst Minaar captured the third place against Peat. At the women`s competition "Miss Mountainbike" Anne-Caro Chausson of France battled down American Marla Streb. Swiss Marielle Saner took the third place. "I have claustrophobia, so I should not think about, where I am at the moment - among rocks four times higher then the Eiffel Tower in Paris," said second ranked Cederic Gracia after the race.
Final ranking men: 1. Brian Lopes (USA), 2. Cedric Gracia (FRA),Greg Minnaar (RSA), 4. Steve Peat (GBR), 5. Michal Marosi (SVK), 6. Bernard Guardia Pascual (ESP), 7. Oscar Saiz (ESP), 8. Andre Wagenknecht (GER),
women: 1. Anne-Caro Chausson (FRA), 2. Marla Streb (USA), 3. Marielle Saner (SUI), 4. Fionn Griffiths (GBR)
