World Cup #3 Taken By SRAMs
SRAM had much to be proud about at Houffalize. Eric Schutt sent us this press release that highlighted Jill Kintner’s victory in 4X and an inside look at corporate shenanigins participating on the world cup circuit.
Jill Kintner he is present with authority and takes no prisoners
You won’t find Nike swooshes in the hair of puma-slipper wearing men anywhere else. And waffles that are so delicious you can’t resist the temptation to pass by. Belgium.
It was our first time to Houffalize to attend the world cup 4x. What makes each place special is the passion and culture of the fans.
Many people showed up to support their favorite riders and watch the show in large numbers, many speaking English, French, German, Dutch, and other languages. The Belgium beer was flowing, fireworks blaring, and bar to bar excitement from the world’s top bike riders racing under lights at night. As a rider, it is difficult to describe what this experience has meant. I love riding bikes in the great places, but I also enjoy the victories.
Little Whitey, my Intense Tazer hardtail, did well powered by SRAM BlackBox components. We now drive through Europe to the next round in Andorra, to see if our luck will continue
Bryn Atkinson, Jill’s teammate and tech for Jill at the Houffalize Event:
We flew into Frankfurt Tuesday morning and rented a motorhome for the month. Then we set off for Houffalize in Belgium. We flew into Frankfurt on Tuesday morning and rented a motor home for the month. Then we set off on our journey to Houffalize, Belgium.
I originally came to Houffalize to be a wrench for Jill at the 4x. Little did we know that there was a Red Bull Belgium race offering 3000EUR to the winner. Although the track was flat, there were only 12-15 seconds of actual DH. I had my SRAM-equipped M6 evo ready to race in La Bresse’s World Cup. It worked flawlessly on the mini DH.
We came out victorious after Jill won a hard 4x final under the lights and in front a large crowd last night. Yeeah. France, here we come!
Bryan Dalton , one of the newer techs in SRAM, is . Bryan was on his first European World Cup trip.
Houffalize was a wonderful experience for me as I participated in my first European World Cup. It is a very cool town and the weather was perfect.
One night, we had dinner at LaChouffe brewery in Achouffe. As we pulled up in the parking lot, the smell of fresh-brewed beer was immediately evident. It was the first time I had ever eaten rabbit. It was amazing! It was delicious! I cannot wait to go back next year, and will order the plate with two rabbit legs next time. It is more expensive because you need to take a head shot. McChouffe was also excellent, it’s the darker beer. Jon Rourke, Reg (the European mechanic for the team) and Matt Opperman from Subaru Gary Fisher were very kind to pick up the check.
As far as alcohol consumption, we all kept it very low. Mark, the GT team mechanic, wins the Most Hung Over award. His eyes were totally ruined the next morning after 4x. He might have been disadvantaged by the home field advantage.
Although I didn’t meet many new people, I was able to establish some connections with a few people that I hadn’t seen since last season in Canada. Julien, or Julien Absalons mechanic, or The Smoking Mechanical as I prefer to call him, is my favorite Euro wrench. He is so calm. He looks as if he’s waiting for the next wave to arrive.
The 4x racing was great, with some amazing pile-ups in the first dozen heats. The crowd was incredible and comparable to AMA Motocross racing in America. These XC race enthusiasts are true fans! It is amazing to see the passion these people have about XC racing. It is actually possible to pay for a ticket to watch the racing. It is comparable to NASCAR’s enthusiasm in the USA. It was amazing to see people standing in rows and looking at the riders while they were warming up on their trainers. The men were even more popular than the girls in lycra.
Regards-Eric Schutt:(SRAM guy)
