2010 European Downhill Cup In Špičák

The first race in the history of the iXS downhill series in Eastern Europe was being held in the Czech Republic. Špičák, which is situated in the "Böhmerwald" national forest, presented a perfect event on a high organizational level.

After extremely wet conditions, the course luckily dried up for race day of the 2010 European Downhill Cup in Špičák, Czech Republic.

Marcel Beer seemed to fare well in these conditions, as he had already distanced all others by four and more seconds, and he proved his class in Sunday’s final run. As the last rider to start, he managed to push Sam Shucksmith off the Red Bull hot seat by a minimal margin, putting himself into the record books as the winner of the European series’ fourth race.

Right behind second-placed Shucksmith, Dominik Gspan finished in third, after he had already shown his class by winning the iXS Swiss Downhill Cup’s race at Wiriehorn.

Another rider to score a remarkable result was Frank Hedwig, who seems to get back to his old best after a strong ride in the seeding run. His sixth place-finish was a clear sign of improvement, although he had some trouble adapting to the course, commenting: "Wood is supposed to be burnt in the oven, not to be ridden on in downhill races."

In the end, he had to settle for a 17th place.

The fastest of the elite women was the reigning German champion Harriet Rücknagel, who literally dominated her category, winning by 7 seconds. Carina Capellari and Martina Brühlmann were next in the standings.

"The iXS Cup runs like clockwork. Of course, this was largely thanks to the local organizers, the team of the Bikepark Špičák," commented Dirt Magazine.

Next weekend, the penultimate race of the European Downhill Cup series is scheduled to be held in Italy’s Pila.

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