Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championships Qualifier | La Neuveville, Switzerland 2022
13th August 2022
Photos Dan Griffiths
Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championships Qualifier | La Neuveville, Switzerland 2022
13th August 2022
Photos Dan Griffiths
The UCI Red Bull Pump Track World Championship qualifying tour rolled into La Neuveville, Switzerland this past weekend with some of the Worlds best in town looking for their ticket to the finals in Santiago, Chile on November 20th, and their chance of winning the coveted UCI Rainbow Jersey.
Situated on the shores of Lake Biel, the medieval town of La Neuveville, with its narrow-paved streets lined with multicoloured houses, was the interesting backdrop to the Velosolutions creation that would host the event. The track with equal mirrored sides, a green line on the vineyard side and blue on the lakeside would provide intense racing and excitement for the locals and the large international contingent. Despite a couple of showers on race day, it was hot in La Neuveville … these qualifiers seem to be following a theme in 2022 and with Max Cluer on the mic stoking the fire, it was only going to get hotter!
Belgium’s Aiko Gommers, wearing the Rainbow jersey she won at the 2021 finals in Lisbon, Portugal, was clearly the favourite on the women’s side of the draw, but she would have to contend with the likes of Christa Von Niederhausern from Switzerland and France’s Léa Brindjonc. Von Niederhausern, the 2018 World Champion, also made the Worlds podium with Aiko last year, and Brindjonc had just won the Jr. Women’s World BMX Racing title in Nantes, France … the class was clearly stacked.
The men’s class in Switzerland was no less stuffed full of talent with both German’s Philip Schaub and Thibault Dupont from France in La Neuveville for the event. Both men stood on the 2021 Worlds finals podium. And just to complicate matters, New Zealand’s Michael Bias, who has previously won qualifiers, and Anaia Istil were also in Switzerland, both capable of winning, and winning with style.
Once the racing got going the riders were whittled down quickly, with some surprises cropping up, like the unexpected early exit of Bias.
Come semi final time it was the World Champion, Aiko against Von Niederhäsern, and Aiko’s twin, Robyn Gommers against Léa Brindjonc. The Gommers sisters would both have to settle for a runoff for third place while Brindjonc and Von Niederhäsern moved onto the final.
In the Gommers vs Gommers ‘small final’, it was Aiko who took the lap and the third step on the podium but only by the tiniest of margins … 0.002 of a second!
In the final, Léa Brindjonc, still on a high from her World Championship title in Nantes, took the win with a time of 18.870, with only a 0.010 of a second to spare over Christa. She’s now on her way to Chile and a chance of holding two UCI Rainbow Jerseys, from two different disciplines, in the same calendar year.
In the men’s semi-finals France’s Thibault Dupont looked fast, breaking the 17 second mark, as did Tristan Borel … both moved on to the final.
The third place run off was Anaia Istill up against Tanguy Grandjean, Anaia came out on top by just under a second.
Before the final left the start line, Tristan Borel was already guaranteed the fully funded ticket to Chile in November as Thibault Dupont had already secured his at an earlier qualifier in Spain. Thibault was here for bragging rights, and he earned them with the fastest time in the final … followed by a refreshing dip in Lake Biel.
Women:
1. Léa Brindjonc
2. Christa von Niederhäusern
3. Aiko Gommers
4. Robyn Gommers
Men:
1. Thibault Dupont
2. Tristan Borel
3. Anaia Istil
4. Tanguy Grandjean
You can see the full set of results HERE
There are only a handful of qualifying rounds left to come this year, with two happening simultaneously next weekend in the Netherlands and Norway … make sure not to miss your chance at the title.
Upcoming qualifying rounds …
Norway, Harstad – 27 August
Netherlands, Eindhoven – 27 August
Canada, Lac-Delage – 1 September
Czech Republic, Heipark Tošovice – 17 September
World Championships, Santiago, Chile 18 – 20 November
