With a victory in the final, to the double victory in the overall World Cup

Published 08/27/2018 · Updated 01/05/2022

Barbara Benko with second place in XCC – Seventh U23 win in seventh World Cup

The season’s World Cup finale for the GHOST Factory Racing Team was just as successful as the entire season and the team crowned itself with the seventh victory in the seventh World Cup. Sina Frei was able to win all World Cups together with her team mate Malene Degn – who won the opener in South Africa. Lisa Pasteiner rounded off the U23 race with an eleventh place. Barbara Benko set her highlight already on Friday with second place in the XCC short race.

The race in La Bresse was back on the competition calendar after a year’s break, but no longer with the venue in the city centre, but on the outskirts in the nearby ski area. The new XCO course was laid out very naturally and especially the crazy spectators celebrated an unforgettable cycling festival.

Lisa Pasteiner had to miss some World Cups during the season due to health reasons and only returned to international competition at the European Youth Championships. From the beginning, the muddy terrain in LaBresse suited her and she was able to settle between eighth and twelfth place: “I’m actually always happy about rain, it’s just fun for me. After the race and eleventh place at the end, I’m happy to be almost back to where I started the season. It hasn’t been an easy year, but today’s race was certainly one of my highlights and together with the result from South Africa I can already be very satisfied with my first U23 season. The team supported me in the best possible way even during the difficult time and I hope to set another highlight at the World Championships!”

Barbara Benko, meanwhile, is developing more and more into a short track specialist and only had to admit defeat to perennial winner Annika Langvad on Friday

“In the XCC I manage surprisingly easily, I can keep up the pace well and in the end I just couldn’t parry Annika’s attack.”
Barbara Benko

In the last lap, the Hungarian managed to pull away from the later overall World Cup winner Jolanda Neff and thus secured herself valuable points for the overall World Cup and a place in the first starting row in the XCO race on Sunday: “The best starting position doesn’t help, however, if you start like I did today” was then the résumé after a 19th place on Sunday: “I didn’t get away well, but still found my way into the race well and was around twelfth place. I’m more embarrassed that I slipped away so badly in a running passage that my knee had to be stitched later and I was clearly impaired in the race.” Immediately after the race it turned out that some stitches would be necessary, but the bones were not damaged. Nevertheless, the Hungarian champion lost a few places, lined up 19th, but brought home eleventh place in the overall World Cup.

The season ended on the top of the podium in the U23 World Cup. Seven World Cups, seven victories for the GHOST Factory Racing Team, six of them for Sina Frei, two double victories and a total of 13 podium places describe the incredible balance, broken down into hard numbers. In the end, Sina Frei wins the overall World Cup with her twelfth and last U23 World Cup victory and Malene Degn secured her second place overall with sixth place in France: “Honestly, after crossing the finish line I was disappointed about sixth place. However, with a couple of hours behind me, I am super proud of my season. I was able to stand on the podium in six out of seven races and celebrate my first U23 World Cup victory right at the start of the season. I wouldn’t have dared to dream of more before the season. Now, of course, I hope for a successful end of the season in Lenzerheide, because I am sure there is more in it than I could show today.” The Dane sorted herself into third place at the beginning of the race, but then had to let her opponents go and finished the race in sixth place:

Malene Degn, GHOST, DEN Sina Frei, GHOST, SUI

“I got into a bit of trouble downhill once, then I was unsettled for the rest of the race and then I could hardly make up time.”
Malene Degn

Once again in her own league, Sina Frei fought her way to another and probably her last U23 World Cup win. The Swiss rider was able to break away from the competition on the first lap, as she often does, and then tried to control the race with her own rhythm and free ride: “I felt quite comfortable in the mud and handled the ground well. We analysed a few places again this morning and I knew what I had to adjust to. In the last two laps the chain fell off twice, which can always happen in these conditions, but it cost me a few seconds. Then it got more exciting than I would have liked, but I am so happy about the first season in the new team and the achievements we were able to achieve together. I want to explicitly thank everyone again, I feel super comfortable and couldn’t have it better!” The World and European Champion had already secured the overall World Cup at the penultimate World Cup of the season, but was still just as happy about her last U23 Wetlcup win:

“This was probably my last one in the U23, next year I plan to face the elite early.”
Sina Frei

Sina Frei, GHOST, SUISina Frei, GHOST, SUI

Sina Frei, GHOST, SUISina Frei, GHOST, SUI

The team is now preparing for the World Championships in Lenzerheide. The athletes will travel with the national team to Livigno or directly to Switzerland, where the last major highlight of the season awaits them in a fortnight.

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