What an intense week at the DH and XC World Championships in the resort of Pal Arinsal, Andorra! Our presence as one of the official sponsors floated in the atmosphere by the presence of the Mondraker corporate blue color in the paddock throughout the weekend. Both Mondraker Factory Racing team in downhill and Primaflor Mondraker team riders in cross country representing their countries, fought to the maximum in both disciplines, coming very close to glory in downhill.
An impressive weekend for the Mondraker Factory Racing team. After achieving spectacular results in the current 2024 World Cup racing season, the World Championships in Pal Arinsal was a clear goal for all the team members. We did everything we could to make history again.
After practice and qualifying sessions that suggested we could take home some of the medals in the final and despite crashes on one of the most demanding courses of the year, Dakotah, Dunne and Pinkerton were up to the task at all times. The qualifying performances of Pinkerton (2nd), Dunne (9th) and Dakotah, suggested that something big could happen in Saturday's final.
Setting the best times from the start and with only two riders remaining, Norton crashed in the penultimate corner, when he was improving the leader's time up to that point. Coming close to glory is not enough when you are in a World Championship. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to the chance of a medal and the first World Championship as a team for the Mondraker Factory Racing team.
Regardless of Dakotah's crash, Rónán Dunne finished in a creditable sixth position. The Irishman managed to ride a very consistent run throughout, finishing just +1.009 behind the winner and new World Champion Loris Vergier. Meanwhile, the young MFR rider Ryan Pinkerton finished 22nd in his first World Championship in the Elite category.
The Muc-Off Young Guns riders were not lucky either, especially for Heather Wilson. Heather was one of the clear contenders for the gold medal after her excellent pace in the current World Cup. Unfortunately, a crash left her without any options. Oriol Cuadrat (15th), Rafael Pelletier (25th) and Nacho García (37th) were the results of the rest of the Muc-Off Young Guns riders, representing their respective countries.
The Primaflor Mondraker Racing Team was also present at the World Championships in Pal Arinsal with its 3 riders: Rebecca Henderson, Ondrej Cink and Marta Cano.
The Australian, who arrived to Andorra in good condition, started on Friday with a ninth place in the XCC race, always one of the most disputed events given its short duration of just 20 minutes.
In the XCO race on Sunday Bec was also at a great level, but a crash with 2 laps to go left her far from being able to compete for the medals. Despite this, Henderson recovered to take a creditable 10th place. To get two top 10s at a World Championships is not easy and shows how well Bec came into this year's event.
Ondrej, on the other hand, finished 16th in XCO, while the young Marta Cano crossed the finish line in 18th position in XCC and 17th in XCO, making it into the top 20 in both competitions.
The World Championships are now history, but the World Cup continues. For MFR riders there is no time to relax, as the following weekend is the World Cup in Loudenvielle, France (September 6-8). The XCC and XCO races return September 27-29 at Mt Van Hoevenberg (USA). The finale of the 2024 World Cup will be at the legendary Mont-Sainte-Anne (Canada) from October 4-6.
This size table is only an estimation, the optimum frame size depends on your personal preference and riding style
