The Pump Track World Championship Qualifiers Series rolled into Valence, France, last weekend and with it some big names in the BMX World. The Aeberhard siblings, Loris and Nadine where both hoping to bring their recent BMX race form to the smaller Pump Track and roll away with a ticket to Beijing for the September finals. New Zealand’s Michael Bias was also back on the Pump Track after what seems like a long time away. We’re not sure he’s back to 100% fitness just yet either …
In the women’s field it was always going to be Olympian Nadine Aeberhard who set the tone with the fastest qualifying time of 31.146, but local young gun Lola Mejean was not far behind, just 0.26 seconds back and looking more dangerous with every lap.
The pair met in the big final, where Lola risked it all in front of the home crowd but a mistake opened the door for Nadine, who soaked up all the pressure to take the win and secure her ticket to China. Margaux Cezanne dominated the small final to claim third, with Lily Soler rounding out the top four.
In the men’s draw neither Loris Aeberhard or Michael Bias could tame Malo Dusseau Brossard, who was quite simply on another level all day. He set the bar in qualifying with a 27.877 lap, more than a second clear of Bias, then saved energy when he could and went all in when it mattered.
Michael’s return to pump track racing gave everyone the final they were waiting for. Even after two flat tyres, the Kiwi pulled out his fastest lap of the day with a 28.655. Malo answered by lowering his own track record once again, stopping the clock at 27.423 to take a well-deserved win.
Loris Aeberhard recovered from a mistake in the small final to grab bronze, while Axel Durand stayed consistent all day to finish fourth.
Elite Women:
1: Nadine Aeberhard
2: Lola Mejean
3: Margaux Cezanne
4: Lily Soler
Elite Men:
1: Malo Dusseau Brossard
2: Michael Bias
3: Loris Aeberhard
4: Axel Durand
Next up in the series is the USA and Sweden, both on the 15th of August, with Slovakia following on the 29th. Find out more at https://pumptrackworldchampionships.com/
