By hosting the second race in the European series, Todtnau/GER has returned to the international downhill stage. Huge crowds and 317 top-quality riders from 20 nations set the scene for a perfect race weekend.

The German leg of the iXS European Downhill Cup in Todtnau was run under ideal conditions. The weather was perfect, the 3 km course with a drop of 320 metres was in excellent condition and there was a top class field.

Nick Beer (SUI - Scott 11), Brook MacDonald (NZL - MS Evil) and Marcus Klausmann were considered the most likely victors. Klausmann was last to go and was really fast until one of his tyres came off its rim on one of the final bends. Nick Beer came second and was only beaten by MacDonald, whose time of 3:45 min was good enough to give him victory.

In the Elite Women class, team boss Claudio Caluori of Scott 11 was able to celebrate a double victory. First place went to Floriane Pugin (FRA - Scott 11) whose winning margin over second-placed Emilie Siegenthaler (SUI - Scott 11), the current Swiss champion, was more than 11 seconds. Miriam Ruchti (SUI - SC Nukeproof) was third.

Pugin photo © Scott Sports

All in all this was a perfect return to the racing scene for Todtnau and following this successful event the Black Forest track is once again certain to be a regular venue for international races. Go HERE for a full list of results.