The Spanish rider (Movistar SBX Team) Lucas Eguíbar has placed today leader of the overall Snowboard Cross World Cup after hanging the silver medal in the second round of the SBX world circuit played in the winter resort of Sierra Nevada.
Eguibar, who on Saturday beat all his rivals with authority, lost in Sunday's test to the Swiss Kalle Koblet who is sixth overall in the World Cup. The final round, once the great rivals of the Spanish rider had been eliminated in the previous rounds (the Italian Omar Visintin and the Austrian Martin Noerl), was a constant exchange of positions between the four snowboarders who disputed the victory.
The Spaniard went from the first to the last position and again to the first to, after the last cant, be suppurated by Kalle Koblet, who yesterday had been sixth. The other big winner of the weekend is the French Loan Bozzolo, who, after being fourth on Saturday in the first world cup, today climbed to the third step of the podium and is second overall, 7 points behind Eguibar.
Eguibar acknowledged at the finish line, supported by his family and numerous fans, that the weekend in Sierra Nevada had been round: "It sounds good to be leader of the World Cup. We had been looking for it for a long time and I came this weekend with that intention and knowing that I could really do it. I'm happy to be here, in this position and I think I can keep winning in the tests we have left."
The rider of the Movistar SBX Team, who arrived in Sierra Nevada eighth overall and is leader, has admitted that while he has had an almost perfect weekend, the Austrian Martin Noerl, who headed the general of the World Cup, "has done two very bad races" and says goodbye to the Granada station fourth of the world circuit.
"I think I can continue in this dynamic and have very good races in Switzerland and Canada. The optimism is very high, "said Eguibar before the challenge of conquering his second crystal balloon in snowboard cross if he maintains the pace shown in Sierra Nevada in the three world cups that remain to be played.
If Eguibar has been the dominator of the weekend in Sierra Nevada with a first and a second place, the British Charlotte Bankes has been even more so in the women's category after winning the two finals and dominating almost all the elimination rounds.
Like Lucas, the results of Bankes in the Granada station serve to make him leader of the overall World Cup, surpassing the French Chloe Trespeuch, who gives the British the first place in the SBX world circuit.
The two world cups of Sierra Nevada have been developed in the spectacular circuit of Loma de Dílar, 985 meters long and a slope of 155 meters, in a great atmosphere of public and sport with sun and high temperatures.
CLASSIFICATION 2ND WORLD CUP SBX SIERRA NEVADA 12/03/23
Men
1. Kalle Koblet (SUI)
2. Lucas Eguibar (ESP)
3. Loan Bozzolo (FRA)
Women
1.- Charlotte Bankes (GRB)
2.- Chloe Trespeuch (FRA)
3.- Josie Baff (AUS)