The European MTBO champs are underway in Denmark with the sprint race completed yesterday. The two Australians in the field were Alex Randall who finished in 19th place, 2mins 20secs behind the winner Ruslan Gritsan from Russia, and Anthony Darr in 65th. Michaela Gigon from Austria won the women’s sprint.

Alex Randall

The host nation would have been happy today with Danes winning both elite categories of theEuropean Champs middle distance racetoday.    Rikke Kornvig won the women’s by just 4 seconds from the smiling Finn Ingrid Stengard, with Austrian Michi Gigon a further 40 seconds back.

The Danes got two medals in the men’s race, with Erik Skovgaard Knudsen winning in 53.15 and Lasse Brun Pedersen in 3rd.  Our two reps were a little further down the placings than yesterday, but it was very close in time at the pointy end of the field.  Alex Randall was 31st in 59.45, just 6 minutes down, while Anthony Darr was 75th in 78 mins.   Tomorrow (Thursday) is the long event.

The JWOC middle distance saw the Norwegian team gain their first ever medals in MTBO Worlds!  Participating for the first time they gained the silver in the girl’s race and a bronze in the boy’s.  Russia’s Svetlana Poverina again took the gold, while Czech Marek Pospisak improved from his 5th in the sprint to stand on the top dais this time.
Results and maps with courses for both events are at: www.eocmtbo2009.dk

Adrian Jackson has just arrived in Europe to train towards the Worlds in August.  This week he is racing in the ultra-hard Trans Germany 7 day stage race. This covers 657 rugged kilometres with 15,600 metres of climb! After the first 3 stages he was placed an outstanding 17th, out of 180 riders in the elite class.  On day 1 he was 12th, just 6 minutes down on 2hours 26, on day 2 he came 34th, despite a puncture, and on day 3 he was 15th, 14 minutes behind the winner in an almost 4 hr race.  His team of Merida Multivan is the leading team and is comprised of two German and one Swiss rider, plus AJ.   Many of the top names in world mt biking are racing this event.  See the link below,
www.bike-transgermany.de/englisch/index.asp