WORLD CUP SEASON UNDERWAY FOR GIANT GLOBAL MTB TEAM

Craig finishes 14th in Germany, team readies for Houffalize

The Giant Global mountain bike team kicked off the 2009 Nissan World Cup series in South Africa earlier this month and cross-country riders Adam Craig (USA) and Oli Beckingsale (Great Britain) continued their season with Round 2 in Germany on April 26. Craig’s 14th-place finish in Germany, on a new prototype Giant bike, marked the high point of a young season that has already seen its share of ups and downs.

A field of 150 pro men turned out to contest the World Cup XC opener in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Beckingsale’s hard-fought 22nd place finish topped Team Giant’s results in South Africa, where more than 6,000 spectators watched an international field battle in the heat during the 33-kilometer, seven lap men’s XC race.

“The opening race of the year is always fast and furious, and a nervous affair,” reported Beckingsale after the race. “It’s good to get it out of the way and have a decent grid position to take to Europe.”

Meanwhile, American Adam Craig’s World Cup season got off to a rocky start when mechanical snafus forced him into the tech zone for repair. The delay put Craig back to 102nd position, but he fought his way through the field the rest of the race, eventually finishing 49th.

In gravity racing, Giant’s Jared Rando came into the South Africa downhill event feeling flat, and he ended up finishing 47th.

Rando made up for his South Africa disappointment the following week when he flew to the U.S. and finished third in the dual slalom event at the Sea Otter Classic. “It was an awesome race,” Rando said afterward. “The crowd was awesome, the track was great and the times were incredibly tight. Can't wait for next year.”

OFF TO EUROPE
While Rando was racing the Sea Otter in California, Craig and Beckingsale stayed in South Africa to train for an extra week before heading to Europe to contest back-to-back World Cup XC races in Offenburg, Germany (Round 2) and Houffalize, Belgium (Round 3).

At Round 2 in Offenburg, Craig fought his way through a massive field of 220 riders and posted an impressive 14-place finish while riding a prototype composite version of the Anthem X.

“That bike is basically the end-all be-all for this kid,” Craig said of the Maestro-equipped composite bike. “Between the extra stiffness of the massive composite structure and the 1.5-inch tapered fork I was astounded with the amount of heat I could take into hacked out blue-groove turns and G-outs. Oh, and it's light. Real light.”

Beckingsale finished 29th in Offenburg, sliding back a few places in the overall standings, but maintaining a decent spot on the starting grid for the next round of World Cup racing.

Next up for the Giant Global mountain bike team is World Cup XC No. 3 on May 3 in Houffalize, Belgium.