NISSAN UCI WORLD CUP ROUND 5 RESULTS
Gee salvages 12th despite 2 crashes
Riders endured a wet track during the qualifiers however the stage was set for an Animal Commencal win with current Downhill World Champion Gee Atherton putting a clear 3.5 seconds between his nearest opponent Justin Leoz of New Zealand.
The track dried out significantly during the rest period and it was Frenchman Fabien Barel who set the marker with a time 3:03.33 - which was only six second quicker than Gees wet qualifying time, so things were looking good for the Brit.
Gee launched into the first few corners before disaster struck; entering one of the slippery corners only for his back end to step out. He got slammed to the floor but got up quick and continued at race pace and amazed the crowd as he posted a faster first split than Barel.
Gees second split was only 0.05 behind Barel and the crowd were going wild as he entered the final section. However disaster struck for a second time as a big understeer in the wooded section directed Gee straight into a huge stump which stopped him dead.
Despite the crash and losing vital seconds, Gee managed to jump back on his bike and crossed the line in 12th place. Gees brother and fellow Animal Commencal rider Dan rode well in the 4X and was unlucky not to make the Final. Gee now sits in 4th position overall with Dan placed in 6th in the 4X Series. Both Dan and Gee now have a few weeks to prepare for the next round which takes place in Canada 24-26 July.
You can stay in touch with all the latest news from team Animal Commencal via Twitter (www.twitter.com/teamatherton) and join the Atherton Extended Family at www.animalcommencal.com
Media enquiries for team Animal Commencal
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