Brook MacDonald Wins iXS European Downhill Cup In Todtnau

The second race in the European series was hosted by the German course in Todtnau. This incredible return to the international downhill stage attracted huge crowds and 317 top-quality riders from 20 nations.

The German leg of the iXS European Downhill Cup in Todtnau was run under ideal conditions. The weather was perfect, the 3 km course with a drop of 320 metres was in excellent condition and there was a top class field.

For the first time since 2005, huge numbers of spectators were able return in 2011 and enjoy a race on Germany’s oldest bike park. It was almost inevitable that Marcus Klausmann would set the best time with 3:44 min.

Local hero Noah Grossmann laid down the first marker with 3:59 min. Due to a technical problem in the seeding run, Grossman was the first to go in the Elite category and enjoyed the Red Bull Hot Seat for quite some time. Joshua Button was the first to go under 3:50 min, which was enough to give him third place in the end. Nick Beer, Brook MacDonald and Marcus Klausmann were considered the most likely victors.

Klausmann was last to go and was really picking up speed until one of his tires popped off on one of the final bends. Nick Beer came in second and was only beaten by Brook MacDonald, whose time of 3:45 min was good enough to give him the victory.

On the women's side in Germany, team boss Claudio Caluorie was able to celebrate a double victory. First place went to Floriane Pugin, whose winning margin over second-placed Emilie Siegenthaler, the current Swiss champion, was more than 11 seconds. Miriam Ruchti was third.

The fastest of the Masters was Wilfred van de Haterd ahead of Samuel Aklin and Nino Antic, who has been out due to injury for a long time. The U17 category was won in convincing fashion by Gregoire Pazdziorko with a winning margin of 10 seconds. He finished ahead of Julian Hibben and Jan Freyser.