Ziener BIKE Festival Willingen
Slovenia Hrastnik and Zabjek prevail in Willingen downhill
Press Release / 22.05.2017
The last event of the 20th Ziener BIKE Festival Willingen was dominated by riders from Slovenia. After Monika Hrastnik and Jure Zabjek had already posted the best qualifier times yesterday, both also came out victorious in today's super finals of the iXS European Downhill Cup's second tour stop.
Unior Tools Team rider Zabjek therefore built on where he had stopped two weeks ago at the season's opener in Kranjska Gora: with a win.
The 2015 European champion who was the last to drop in on the fast former World Cup course, pulverised the so far remaining best time of New Zealand's very own Matthew Walker of Cube Global Squad (2:13.296) clocking in a time of 2:12.617. "It's been a great week here in Willingen. I'm very happy that I secured back-to-back wins," said the reigning Slovenian champion after his second consecutive show of power. Czech Banshee Bikes athlete Stanislav Sehnal, who had missed the top-3 as seventh ranked rider at the first race of the series, rounded out the podium as third (2:14.019).
On the women's side of things, Hrastnik mastered the 1,650 metres long course on the Ettels mountain in 2:32.861 minutes beating her international competition in style. Team Cube racer Sara Boehm (GER; 2:35.773) as well as Portuguese Filipa Peres of MS Racing (2:38.004) followed in second and third behind of the Blackthorn rider who celebrated her career's first Europa Cup win. "I'm super happy about my win. I didn't expect it at all. I knee I could be fast if I would avoid mistakes. And I did so in the second part at least," explained Hrastnik in the finish area.
However, there was one girl who was even faster than the Slovenian. Valentina Hoell, a mega talent from Austria competing for Sram TLD Racing crossed the finish line after 2:32.096 minutes but got ranked in the U17 category.
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