Ryan Trebon and Chloe Woodruff took the inaugural Eliminator formatted race at the Ute Valley XC Pro Tour race in Colorado Springs this past
Sunday, at it was really exciting racing.
Sunday, at it was really exciting racing.
Dena Rosenberry photos
With the UCI now sanctioning an "Eliminator" mountain biking event, the best professional riders in the United States lined it up for the first ever Eliminator race at the Ute Valley Pro XC Tour weekend in the Springs. The format starts with 32 riders who race in 4 person heats. Think 4 Cross cross country here. They race a .75 mile circuit ONCE. The top two advance to the next round and the bottom two are eliminated. The last four rounds of four racers produce the final 4 by winning that heat, and what is called the "small final" which determines spots 5-8 overall. The small final group are the riders that finished second in the last four heats. The racing is fast and furious and heats roll one after another. It's perhaps the best spectator discipline you may watch. The course in Colorado Springs started with a long gradual climb, had a FAST descent that went into a hot left hander where there were plenty of crashes, and finished with a short grueling climb to the running track where the finish was located. It was great racing to watch, and Ryan Trebon put the wood to Colin Cares, Gert Heyns of South Africa, and Brady Kappius for the win. Cloe Woodruff left her competitors in the dust on the women's side. Good stuff.
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