Junior downhillers nip at the old dogs' heels

By Matt Lanning

The rain fell and so did a few bitter tears, but neither cooled the anger and frustration of an aggressive young rider who beat all the seniors, but was denied the title of world champion downhiller for administrative reasons.

Race organizers ruled that Anne-Caroline Chausson (seen here just after the race) was participating in the junior division of the 1995 Mountain Bike World Championships when she turned in a scorching run, a full six seconds faster than the time by Leigh Donovan, who ultimately was crowned world champion.

Lost in the heated dispute over Chausson's eligibility was Donovan's triumph, the second consecutive world downhill title grabbed by a U.S. rider.

Mercedes Gonzales of Spain finished second, followed by Italian Giovanna Bonazzi. And those who have questioned the health and fitness of U.S. bomber Missy Giove should take note of her very close fourth-place finish. She's back.

Donovan was ecstatic upon completion of her blistering run, more than eight second faster than Gonzales, her closest senior competitor.

Donovan's victory thrills were short-lived, overrun by nasty sentiments that peaked that evening during the awards ceremony for the junior women.

As Chausson was presented with her medal, the young French rider pulled off the champion's rainbow jersey to protest the decision that forced her to remain in the junior classification.

The delegates on the stage demanded that she put it back on, but she would only hold the jersey up, tears welling in her eyes. They motioned that if she would not cooperate, she would have to leave the stage. Reluctantly, she put it back on, as the tears streamed down her face.

French fans, wanting to see the French bullet awarded the world championship, booed in disagreement as she stood stone-faced between the other junior leaders, Nolvenn LeCaer of France and Marielle Saner of Switzerland.

When the senior women took the stage, the French fans booed Donovan for accepting her rainbow jersey. She responded accordingly, gesturing her sentiments to the throngs of French fans.

The downhill venue was a 4.7-kilometer twister through the Black Forest region around Kirchzarten, Germany. The course was a combination of very narrow, rooted, and muddy singletrack and wider fire roads, with lots of rough stuff, and very little real steep sections. Rains on Thursday cleared by the weekend, giving way to sun, drier dirt, and faster speeds.

Although the men's competition lacked the bitter ending that the women riders experienced, the action was no less intense.

Nicolas Vouilloz of France (seen here just after his winning run) flew down the course in a flawless performance to take the victory away from defending world champion Francois Gachet, who had finished moments earlier with a run nearly as impressive as that of the new world champion.

Mike King redeemed the American team with a bronze medal, and silenced his critics who had questioned his ability to compete at this level. The next-best U.S. rider was Myles Rockwell in twelfth place, who had an "off day," but was not disappointed. "It's just a one-day race, and only a seven-minute run. It was just one of those days."

The course dried considerably as the day wore on, and the track got faster with each passing racer. The faster times late in the event didn't alter the leader board, however. There were no back-of-the-pack winners.

The junior men also gave their elder brethren a run, with Cedric Gracia of France running three seconds faster than senior champion Vouilloz. There was no conflict here, though, as Gracia was always registered as a junior. It is interesting to note that Gracia has beaten Vouilloz three times this season, and on equal ground. The two hours between runs changed the course considerably, increasing speeds, but Gracia was impressive nonetheless.

All in all, the day was one for the storytellers. Many sat at the bottom and watched the big-screen TV, just like in World Cup skiing, following the action from top to bottom, while thousands of others lined the course at least three deep for the entire 4.7 kilometers. It was a day when many lasting memories were made.