African glory for Matic Kranjec

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African glory for Matic Kranjec Zagar & Didi de Vries


For the first time in history, an XCE race was staged in Addis Ababa, marking a landmark moment for the City Mountainbike Eliminator Pro League and for mountain biking on the African continent. Riders from 14 nations lined up on the start grid, including Ethiopia, Rwanda, Botswana, Kenya and Uganda, bringing together a powerful mix of emerging talent and established names. Rain added a technical edge to the course, making every section more demanding, but the energy from the crowd never faded. Ethiopian fans packed the venue and backed their home riders, while a strong Kenyan squad brought intensity to every heat.
Kranjec Žagar masters the storm in historic men’s final In the men’s qualifying, it was fellow Slovenian Jakob Klemencic who set the fastest time, once again placing Slovenia at the front of the field. African riders kept the racing intense and unpredictable, with Botswana’s Mark van Zyl finishing as the top African in eighth place after a crash-filled small final. The finals told a different story. As the rain-soaked course pushed riders to their limits, Matic Kranjec Žagar delivered when it mattered most, taking the win in a head-to-head sprint against Austrian champion Theo Hauser. Sweden’s Edvin Lindh secured third place, while luck was not on Klemencic’s side, and he had to settle for fourth.
Dutch victory as African riders shine in women’s finals  The women’s competition carried the same intensity and passion as the crowd. A strong group of African riders featured prominently throughout the heats, lining up against some of the world’s leading Eliminator specialists. At the front, Didi de Vries stood out. The Dutch champion was not only the fastest qualifier, but also showed strong race awareness, handling the slippery course effectively after taking on board feedback from Simon Gegenheimer following the men’s small final. In the final, she took the lead early and maintained her position to secure the win. Behind her, the fight for the podium remained open, with Elodie Kuijper recovering to second place after a crash on the stairs in the opening lap. Kenya’s Monica Kiplagat and Kendra Tabu Masiga finished third and fourth, while Germany’s Hannah Beck won the small final to take fifth place overall.

Finish line quotes “It’s incredible to win here in Addis Ababa. The weather changed completely and that changed the whole dynamic of the race, but I’m happy that I was able to pull it off. I screamed so loudly the moment I overtook Theo Hauser that I even lost my voice a little bit. It’s always great to win so early in the season, so I’m really motivated to see what’s next. I planned my whole season around the UCI World Cups, and in two weeks, there are the National Championships in Slovenia, which is my next big goal, followed by the UEC European Championships afterwards. It will be interesting to see how the Nationals go, especially with the race being organised close to home, so I’m really looking forward to competing against Jakob Klemencic.”– Matic Kranjec Žagar “I’m really overwhelmed to win here. This was more than just a race, it was an experience, especially after the heartfelt welcome in Addis Ababa. I didn’t want to take too many risks in the end, but I wanted to give it everything at the start and then manage the pace to avoid any crashes. The level was really high, and the Kenyan riders were pushing so hard. I’m really happy that it all came together.” – Didi de Vries Men’s results – City Mountainbike Eliminator Pro League – Addis Ababa 1. Matic Kranjec Zagar (SLO)
2. Theo Hauser (AUT)
3. Edvin Lindh (SWE)
4. Jakob Klemencic (SLO)
5. Loic Tournillon (FRA) Women’s results – City Mountainbike Eliminator Pro League – Addis Ababa 1. Didi de Vries (NED)
2. Elodie Kuijper (NED)
3. Monica Kiplagat (KEN)
4. Kendra Tabu Masiga (KEN)
5. Hannah Beck (GER)  FULL RESULTS

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