After the downhill athletes took on Fort William, and the enduro athletes Finale Ligure, the two disciplines converged for the Bielsko-Biala World Cup in Poland. EDR & E-EDR races kicked off racing, with the downhill finals wrapping things up on Sunday. Richie Rude (Yeti Cycles) and Flo Espiñeira (Orbea Enduro Team) were coming off wins from the Finale Ligure round while many Maxxis downhill riders started their season on a strong foot, with Maxxis holding the most podium spots in the elite category out of the all tire brands in Fort William.
With a course length of only 22.7 miles, yet 6800 feet of descending and five stages, the course in Poland was fast and furious for EDR racers. At the end of the day, Maxxis held three out of the top five spots in Elite Men with Slawomir Lukasik (Yeti Cycles) and Richie Rude slotting into second and third as well as Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV) in fifth. In the Women’s race, Chloe Taylor (Gowaan Gals) achieved her first podium of the year in the bronze medal position, with fellow Maxxis athlete Ella Conolly (Cannondale Bikes) just behind her in fifth.
The next day, the E-EDR riders took to the Poland World Cup course, and Maxxis Tires came out on top. Both Slawomir Lukasik and Flo Espiñeira raced to first-place positions on the day, cementing Maxxis’ current domination in both EDR and E-EDR racing.
After the EDR and E-EDR races finished, all focus was on the downhill event. Rain meant that the brand new track, which was already loose, presented riders with one of the most difficult challenges of the year. Traction was hard to come by, meaning tire choice was absolutely crucial to success.
Unfortunately for the Juniors, they were forced to drop into a wet track just after rain on Sunday, tackling the tough conditions with unreal confidence. Maxxis saw riders Eliana Hulsebosch (UNION) and Kale Cushman (Gravity Collective) on the podium in fourth and fifth place.
The Elites had a slightly drier track than the Juniors; however, some spots stayed wet underneath tree cover, making it extremely challenging to judge speed and traction in some sections. This didn’t faze Marine Cabirou (Scott DH Factory) – she and her team mounted two Maxxis Test Pilot tires to her Scott racing bike and took it down the mountain into first place, taking her first win of the year. Nina Hoffmann (Santa Cruz Syndicate) was also right back on the podium, achieving third place on the day.
Poland’s Elite Men’s race was one of the best we’ve seen in a while, with the tricky conditions definitely affecting the riders and pushing them to their limits. In the end, the young, blazing fast Irishman, Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing) took his first-ever Elite World Cup win, igniting social media and fans alike. One of the fastest World Cup runs ever? You be the judge.
The Bielsko-Biala World Cup was an overwhelming success for Maxxis and its athletes, who embraced the “Tread Victoriously” phrase to its full extent. We can’t wait for the next round in Nové Město na Moravě, where cross country is back in action!
