July 25, 2009 (Mont Sainte-Anne, QC) – Anneke Beerten (Ned) Suspension Centre and Jared Graves (Aus) Yeti/Fox have taken home the UCI MTB World Cup 4X round #6 titles on the all new Mont Ste Anne world cup 4X track. With the win, Graves also secures the title as overall world cup champion.

The new course here at Ste Anne is the first permanent 4X course that the mountain has ever seen, and was built with the 2010 MTB World Championships in mind. Only two small sections of the track will be bulldozed for the winter, allowing the majority of the course to bed in and firm up. It features big berms, a natural rock garden and a few large gap transfer lines out in the open.

Beerten and Graves were both almost perfect all night, and both had to battle their way through flat tires suffered on the rock garden mid-course.

In the finals Beerten banged bars with American rival Jill Kintner (Red Bull) but slid ahead and stayed out in front when Kintner lost her front tire in a corner and went down. Fionn Griffiths (Gbr) Norco took second and Joanna Petterson (RSA) took third as Kintner rolled in for 4th.

Graves got the holeshot in his final run and never looked back. Spaniard Rafael Alvarez de Lara Luca (Esp) Specialized stayed on his wheel for second and Thomas Slavik (Cze) was also in the hunt taking third. Roger Rinderknecht (SUI) GT ended up in 4th.

Canada’s Anne Laplante (Xprezo) challenged in the 1/4 finals but got knocked out of contention while fellow Canuck Hans Lambert (Norco) was the sole Canadian in the competition but did not advance past the 1/8 finals.

Men’s 4X full results here.
Women’s 4X full results here.

Overall 4X Men here.
Overall 4X Women here.

Results (brief)

Elite Women

1. Anneke Beerten (Ned) Suspension Centre
2. Fionn Griffiths (Gbr) Norco
3. Joanna Petterson (RSA)
4. Jill Kintner (USA)

Elite Men

1. Jared Graves (Aus) Yeti
2. Rafael Alvarez de Lara Luca (Esp) Specialized
3. Thomas Slavik (Cze)
4. Roger Rinderknecht (Sui)