The 2014 4X ProTour Champions will be back in 2015 to defend their titles. Tomas Slavik and Helene Fruhwirth were the king and queen of the tour in 2014 with consistent results that gave them the overall crowns. Who will they be up against in 2015?
Tomas Slavik
In the men’s, Quentin Derbier showed in 2014 that he has the speed to beat Slavik. Consistency will be what he needs to find to get his hands on the title. Felix Beckeman will wow crowds with the biggest MTB whips once again and will try to get the better of his team mate, Tomas. The old guy Scott Beaumont brings experience and is always in contention, and, after his huge crash at JBC Bikepark in 2014, Hannes Slavik will be back in a bid to win the overall title. The Australian challenge will come from Blake Neilson, who after a couple of years of injury, will be looking to finally reach his potential and push for race wins.
Quentin Derbier (in front)
In the women’s, there is some fresh competition that will be looking to beat Helene. The British contingent of Heather Kay, Liz Fowler and Cara Murray are all set for a season of 4X ProTour. Polish rider Natalia Piwowarczyk will be looking to avoid injury, stay consistent and give herself a chance of being crowned the 4X ProTour champion. German riders Dana Elena Schweika and Tanya Hendrysiak will also be looking for consistency to lift the title.
Helene Fruhwirth, photo credit: Cal/Loam9 Media
Round 1: May 24th - Winterberg, Germany
Round 2: June 6th - Fort William, UK
Round 3: June 20th - Pamporovo, Bulgaria
Round 4: July 18th - Szczawno Zdroj, Poland
Round 5: August 22nd - Val Di Sole, Italy
Round 6: September 5th - Malmedy, Belgium
The season will kick off at Winterberg in Germany as part of the huge iXS Dirt Masters festival on May 24th. In addition to the opening round of racing, 4X ProTour and some of its top stars will be offering free coaching clinics for the crowds at this stop. Hopefully we will see plenty of future champions giving 4X a go.
Round 2 in Fort William is always one of the best stops. If you haven’t been to Fort William before, then believe the hype. It is an awesome weekend and is one of the venues that simply have to be included on the 4X ProTour.
Round 3 will be held at Pamporovo in Bulgaria. After hosting the finals in 2014, the riders loved the track and without a doubt we needed to go back in 2015. This event will be run as part of a huge mountain bike festival weekend with Downhill as well.
Round 4 will be held at one of the finest 4X tracks in the whole world. ‘Sunny Meadow’ in Szczawno Zdroj is set in parkland in the centre of a town in western Poland. The entire town supports 4X and on race night, be prepared to see over 8,000 spectators lining the course screaming for the riders.
Round 5 in August and we will be in Val Di Sole in northern Italy, at the longest track on the Tour. Since the track was first used for the World Championships in 2008, this track has provided more passes and action than most other venues. Look out for plenty more fireworks at this; one of the rider’s favourite tracks.
Round 6 will be a fresh venue on the calendar for 4X ProTour. Malmedy in Belgium will host the 4X ProTour finals and we are looking forward to racing at this new venue. Stay tuned!
Photos: © 4X Pro Tour
Source: http://www.4xprotour.com
