Six-time mountain bike World Cup winner Simon Gegenheimer has set his sights on winning the Cross Country Eliminator World Championships in 2020.
The German, who was runner-up in the 2016 World Championships, enjoyed mixed success this campaign, finishing fourth in the UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup standings.
The 31-year-old clinched victory in Valkenswaard, Holland in September – the fourth round of the six race series, with his next best finish coming in the form of fourth at Volterra, Italy in June.
Speaking to Sport360 at City Walk recently, Gegenheimer said: “I won the overall World Cup in 2017 and for me the main goal is to win the World Championship next year.
“For some riders, it’s may not be as important as the World Cup but for me personally I want to win the World Championship as I’ve never won it before even though I have finished second or third in the championship.”
Aside from his silver medal three years ago, Gegenheimer sealed bronze in 2015, but is hoping to up the intensity of his training and performance in key races ahead of next year’s global showpiece event.
With Dubai now listed as the opening leg of the 2020 Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup season, the Aalen native believes it’s another chance to boost his confidence on the grand stage while also promoting the sport in the Middle East.
“It’s a big opportunity for Dubai to host a mountain biking event. It will be the first race of the season and I think it will be a great chance to keeping pushing forward and improving on a personal level,” he said.
“It is a good decision by the UCI to host the first race because us riders never compete in the Middle East and this will be a good opportunity to promote mountain biking in this region.
“For us riders, it was a good test to get familiar with the track and the conditions and what to expect in March.”
