Bruni races his quarter-final at 44:36 and his semi-final at 57:51
Loic Bruni earned his 28th World Cup podium this weekend except this time it wasn't in downhill but in XC Eliminator.
The XCE discipline was added to the World Cup circuit in 2012 and it runs like a 4X race crossed with an XC Short Track race. It's a sprint format with four riders charging round short laps of a generally paved circuit with some obstacles thrown in for good measure. The top two riders advance each heat until you get a final race for the top four positions. XCE used to be run alongside the XCO races at World Cup weekends but it became a separate series in 2017 and was replaced in 2018 by the current Short Track format we have now.
This weekend's race in Barcelona was the 2020 series finale (after the proposed final round in Abu Dhabi was cancelled) and Loic Bruni was in the area so decided to participate. He was the only rider in a peaked helmet and was wearing a Red Bull t-shirt as opposed to the full XC race kit of most of the rest of the competitors but still managed to
qualify third fastest and then worked his way through the rounds to the final. Bruni says he ended up with 'no more gas' in the final and ended up rolling home in fourth.
| Guess who raced a World Cup this weekend!? XC Eliminator for a change. This wasn’t planned at all but as I only had my XC bike here and I was curious to try it out. Turns out that it’s good fun! I ended up in finals with no more gas in the tank and got smashed, guys are pretty strong beasts! Still a World Cup podium though. Downhill training almost fits this discipline.
Thanks to XC Eliminator for having us. I left all my stuff in the Team truck so that’s why I don’t have a RedBull helmet, I have the T-shirt. Photos: @marcrius_fotosport—Loic Bruni |
Full results,
here.
AMEN BROTHER!!!!
I do wonder if Steve Pete is the last of the old school DH riders who also knew how to party
Or am I just a complete sadomasochist who wants to watch people suffer for my entertainment???
That aside i there is some real potential if you put in stairgaps and stuff, i would watch something like that. The actual format is kinda pointless.
We ended up calling it "slopeduro cross"
Yes, I am proposing changes to a format which I have watched a sum total of 2minutes of in my life, but hey, this is pinkbike right?
They'd really Crank out the events! It'd be cool to see something like that in the Works.
Wish granted