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PLAYBIKER - IRON HORSE IN FORT WILLIAM, LOOKING ON TO THE WORLDS
June 11, 2008
Bad, really bad luck, at the turning point of a season which in its first
two months encloses half of the most important international races: this was the
main element of the weekend for team Playbiker - Iron Horse during its trip to
Scotland to race the third stop of the World Cup in Fort William. This legendary
track, home to the 100th World Cup downhill race in history last weekend, was as
dusty and dry as it had never been seen in ages, due to an unusual lack of rain:
this only contributed to making this already tough track even more challenging,
with rocks and stumps appearing everywhere, ready to put an end to even the most
determined rider's run.This happened, unfortunately, to Floriane Pugin, who, after a fourth place
in the semifinals seemed bound to repeat her great performances of Maribor and
Vallnord, had her final run ruined by a flat tyre in the upper part. Floriane
didn't give up, pedalling hard everywhere and showing a determination much
bigger than her small figure and her young age, but whitout luck: her entrance
into the finish arena with a wobbling rear wheel left everyone disappointed, but
we are sure she's going to be even hungrier for victory after this. Good weekend
for Elisa Canepa, who secures her first seasonal World Cup final earning
precious points in the ranking and a lot of confidence for the next big
races.
No better luck for the boys: everyone was waiting for Adam Brayton's
enormous moto whips on the final jump, but he as well rolled past it with a
front flat, ending a weekend that the Keswick rider much expected, since he was
racing in his home country. Too bad not being able to see in action a rider
which Dirt Magazine recently described as "one of the most menacing riders on
the international circus".
Geoff Ulmer and Lorenzo Suding were both out of the final by inches, while
Luca Bertocchi keeps getting faster. Mechanical problems for Mike Skinner, and
Edoardo Franco as weel out of the finals.
Just two weeks of time to rest and dust off after Fort William, and then almost the whole team will be racing the most important event of the year, the World Championships in Val di Sole, Italy. We are proud to announche that Floriane Pugin (France), Elisa Canepa (Italy), Nathan Rankin (New Zealand), Mike Skinner (New Zealand), Geoff Ulmer (USA), Lorenzo Suding (Italy), Luca Bertocchi (Italy) and Edoardo Franco (Italy) will all be wearing their national team's jerseys, while the team's infrastructure and staff will be in the tech area to assist the riders and meet friends and fans who will not miss this unforgettable event. See you in Val di Sole from monday, june 16th, with the 4X and downhill finals on saturday, june 21st.
Team Playbiker – Iron Horse is the first international UCI Trade Team based in Italy specialized in gravity racing. The team is supported by factory sponsor: Iron Horse Bicycles, UFO Plast, Kenda tires, Pila MTB Planet, Funn components, e.thirteen components, RMS Component Selection, A-Class Wheels, Five Ten, POC, SRAM, Rock Shox e Insight Productions.
