6-26-07 // Events: Qashqai Challenge Final Results

McCaul get a champagne shower David Ulrich

Darren Berrecloth took the finals and the series title for the first Qashqai Urban Challenge. The day was plagued with high winds and dark skies, but Berrecloth managed to put together a strong enough run to edge out Greg Watts and Cameron McCaul.

The finals were held in Paris, France, this past weekend and Berrecloth’s victory earned him enough points to narrowly eek out a series victory over Paul Basagoitia, who finished fourth in the finals. As series champ, Berrecloth walked away with 50,000 Euros and a new Nissan Qashqai SUV.

While the event attracted a few thousand spectators to the Parisian streets, it suffered a few hitches. Rain hampered the first day of practice and many riders never found their groove on the oversize dirt jumps. The largest line, in particular, proved to be mostly unrideable. And even when riders found their comfort zone, high winds prevented them from throwing down. Even Berrecloth’s winning run was a fairly pedestrian superman seat grab to one-footed, tabled 360.

“We’re not really seeing the biggest baddest tricks, yet,” said Timo Pritzel commentating from his home in Berlin during a live broadcast of the event on the Freecaster web site.

With winds playing havoc on runs, many riders crashed or declined to take their second run, cutting the competition short. Berrecloth’s victory gave him enough points to squeak by Basagoitia by the narrowest of margins—one point—for the series title.

The decision rattled some competitors. Andreu Lacondeguy, who finished fifth in the series, seemed visibly upset on the podium. Even before the finals, some riders had expressed concern about the series, which focused on urban courses in major European cities. Most of the complaints were based on the course designs and format.

The series, however, offered one of the riches prize purses in mountain bike history, with more than 200,000 Euros up for grabs. The five contests were held in May and June in Newcastle, England; Madrid, Spain; Milan, Italy; Cologne, Germany, and Paris, France. And despite the bugaboos, Berrecloth, McCaul and Watts celebrated mightily on the podium in France, spraying each other and any event staffers in striking distance with sheets of champagne.

To see a complete replay of the finals, or highlights from any of the events, check out www.freecaster.tv or click on a thumb below.

Final Results – Paris: Big Air
1. Darren Berrecloth (USA) Specialized
2. Greg Watts (USA) Gary Fisher
3. Cameron McCaul (USA) Trek
4. Paul Basagoitia (USA) Kona
5. Amir Kabbani (GER) Cannondale
6. Kyle Strait (USA) Specialized
7. Andreu Lacondeguy (ESP) Kona
8. Ben Boyko (CAN) Norco

Overall Rankings
1. Darren Berrecloth 88pts (CAN) Specialized - 50,000 Euros
2. Paul Basagoitia 87pts (USA) Kona - 25,000 Euros
3. Lance McDermott 69pts (UK) Scott - 15,000 Euros
4. Ben Boyko 56pts (CAN) Norco - 6,000 Euros
5. Andreu Lacondeguy 54pts (ESP) Kona - 4,000 Euros
6. Cameron McCaul 53pts (USA) Trek
7. Greg Watts 42pts (USA) Gary Fisher
8. Darren Pokoj 39pts (AUS) MS Racing – Intense
9. Kyle Strait 30pts (USA) Specialized
10. Benny Korthaus 27pts (GER) Specialized
11. Adam Hauck 27pts (USA) Black Market
12. Amir Kabbani 26pts (GER) Cannondale
13. Jamie Goldman 25pts (USA) Santa Cruz
14. Grant Fielder 21pts (UK) Kona
15. Brandon Semenuk 19pts (CAN) Trek

Paul Basagoitia Carroux.com

Darren Pokoj David Ulrich