World Cup Pal Arinsal: New milestone for the team
Racing at the highest level has became so intense, that not a single weekend passes by without a lot od drama and excitement. Whoop UCI MTB World Series at Pal Arinsal was no different, but also with lots of success for our team. For the first time ever we had three elite riders in the finals, on the end both Hattie and Monika finished in top-10.
Race in Andorra is iconic stop in the calendar, with high-speed track where stakes are always high. Our team gave everything we had and we walked away with the results we’re proud of.
Hattie – Incredible Ride to 9th
Racing with a broken finger and a heavily sprained wrist, Hattie pushed through the pain to finish in an incredible 9th place. It was a gutsy, inspiring performance and a true testament to her resilience and determination. Hattie after the race: “I came to Andorra not knowing how strong my wrist will be, so I decided to use this race as a learning experience. I still need to learn a lot of things! I was trying different things on the track, trying to ride sections in different ways and that was very good for me. I didn’t expect to qualify, so going into the finals was just a bonus for me. Another top-10 result is great. Team did amazing job on track and off it, big thanks for that.”
Monika – Staying in the Top-10
Monika laid down a smooth, consistent run to finish in 10th place. After a tough qualifying day, she showed composure and strength to lock in another solid top-10 finish. Great momentum to carry into the second half of the season. Monika: “I’m happy with another top-10 result. The track in Andorra was, as always, very fast, which doesn’t suit me very well. Once again, I had to ride in the second round of qualifications, which is physically very demanding for me. Riding two runs at hundred percent is really hard, and that definitely shows the next day in the finals. The final run was smooth, but still a bit too safe. Looking back at the whole week, I’m satisfied with the race, and I’m also happy that Hattie and Reece made it to the finals. Thanks to the team for all the support! Up next are the national championship, then the European championship, but I’m also looking forward to the summer break.”
Reece – Steady into 22nd Place
Reece put together a solid run for 22nd place, best in the season so far. While it wasn’t quite the result he was hoping for, he continues to show consistent form and is right there in the mix heading into World Champs. Reece had this to say after the race: “Another great race for me. Probably one of the easiest tracks of the year, but a very difficult one to perfect. I had amazing qualifying runs that I can be very proud of but it really did use a lot of my energy going through Q2. Finals morning was some of the best bike riding I’ve done so far this year, but it was the last of my energy. My race run was smooth and another solid one to end this block of racing. Going home happy.”
Stan didn’t make it to the finals. He’s fast over the weekend, even his qualifications run was very fast… until the crash at the very bottom of the track. When everything clicks, Stan is a safe finalist!
Next Up: Summer Break, Recovery & World Champs
With the first half of the season wrapped, the team is looking forward to a well-earned summer break — time to recover, reset, and fine-tune everything ahead of the World Championships and the second half of the World Cup season, kicking off at the end of August.
Photos by Grega Stopar & Isaac Urban