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Marion Fromberger wins the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup start in Paris

The German Marion Fromberger sprinted to the World Cup victory in Paris and got off to a perfect start to the season with the World Championships in Germany. Teammate Titouan Perrin-Ganier is also in the big final at his home race and ends the first World Cup of the season in 4th place.

Sacré Coeur - Montmartre - Paris, you couldn't create a more impressive setting for the start of the UCI World Cup. Just right for a big season and the German champion Marion Fromberger started it perfectly. The very physical course went down the famous stairs of the Sacré Coeur Basilica and then back up through the narrow streets of Montmartre. “It won't be a walk in the park, but it will definitely give us a real benchmark in the world rankings. And that in a very important season for our Racingteam with the highlight the home World Championships in Germany,” said Simon Gegenheimer at the press conference before the event.

For the women, the time trial already showed that the winter produced new talent but that the big names had also completed their tasks. Tormena and Fromberger seemed to be the ladies of the scene to beat in 2024 and secured first and second places for the heats. What was noticeable, however, was that Marion Fromberger took a much more tactical approach than in previous years. The 23-year-old rode very little at the front of the field, closed gaps quickly, but then lingered in wait: “We work day by day to get better. Conditionally, in terms of strength but also in tactical and mental matters. In Paris, for the first time, I was able to not only implement this in terms of riding technology, but also perceive it in the race. I had an overview - that was a phenomenal feeling,” says Marion Fromberger about her development. She then remained cool in the big finale, where the three best of the year from 2023 were Marion Fromberger, Gaia Tormena and Annemoon Van Dienst, and Fromberger didn't start from the front here either. After descending the stairs, the strong technician Tormena gave her a small gap, but the German closed it straight away and remained in a lurking position on the Italian's rear wheel. However, 170 meters from the finish, the attack came - once, tough and successful. The Italian couldn't follow and Fromberger won by a bike length ahead of Tormena and the Frenchwoman Margaux Borrelly.

For the men, the Racingteam's cards were designed for Titouan Perrin-Ganier. He received strong support from 13-time UCI World Cup winner Simon Gegenheimer and Gegenheimer continuously gave his French teammate slipstream and brought him into position for the sprints several times. “We are a team, Titou gave me great assists in Aalen and last year in Palangkaraya. It is very clear to me that we are all fighting in Paris to have him in the big final,” said Gegenheimer at the press conference. In the end it was 4th place for Perrin-Ganier, who as world champion will never be 100% satisfied if he is not at the top but was able to deal with the result forgivingly: “We have a big goal in the Racingteam with the World Championships in Aalen, and the training is already geared towards that. Even if you want to, you can't have everything and I'm glad that we were there in the final with these crowds and in front of this dream backdrop. My fans, my wife and my children were there at the finish and it was a very great moment in my career,” said six-time world champion Titouan Perrin Ganier. Incidentally, his famous water carrier from Germany finished only one place behind Perrin-Ganier, so Simon Gegenheimer also seems to be on schedule, with a view to his home World Championships in Aalen.

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