Published December 8, 2009 11:52AM
Singletrack.com
In the wake of each World Cup season, riders, teams, journalists, sponsors and UCI officials vote for the best event venues of the year.
In 2009, the winners were Offenburg, Germany for cross-country, La Bresse, France for downhill and Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada for four-cross.
For the second year in a row, Offenburg was unanimously voted best XC event.
“The young but smoothly run event is appreciated for its organisation, spectacular course and its large and enthusiastic crowd,” UCI officials said in a release.
Results for the second and third place are also the same as last year with Houffalize, Belgium coming in second and Mont-Sainte-Anne third.
Featured on the World Cup DH calendar for the first time in 2009, the little French town of Bresse took first place in front of Fort William, England, a previous winner of the downhill trophy. The short and original track in Bresse, as well as the huge crowd that cheered the riders all week long came as a big surprise to the mountain bike community, according to the UCI.
Fort William finished second place in front of Mont-Sainte-Anne for DH.
After years near the bottom of the four-cross votes, Mont-Sainte-Anne jumped into first place for 2009. With the 2010 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships in mind, the organizers decided to create a complete new track.
“Their investment and effort was directly rewarded with the winning trophy,” UCI officials said.
With another new track and a night-time event, Schladming, Austria was voted second and Fort William third.