Cerisola split seconds away from City Mountain bike Eliminator Series finals

A cloudy, drizzly afternoon greeted the City Mountainbike Eliminator Series final round in Gibraltar. It was not quite the finish many would have hoped for, with the humid levanter weather, alongside limited marketing for the event at a local level, seeing a much-reduced number of spectators attending.
The final race in the series saw some of the top riders in attendance, with the final leaderboard positions at stake.
Gibraltar was represented by Giles Cerisola, who was invited to compete although not part of the series competitors themselves.
It was a smaller field than in previous years, with just five riders in each category competing, although this was not to detract from the drama and excitement.
Four specially built ramps were located along the pedestrian walkway by the Europa Point cliff-face promenade, an area which eleven years ago was the scene of the Freda tanker incident. The drizzly, windy conditions provided a reminder of that October day when the tanker was swept onto the cliff face, with 31 crew members rescued by local emergency and law enforcement agencies.
The time trials saw riders complete a lap of the circuit, with the best four from the five competing in each category progressing to the final.
The final consisted of two laps of the circuit, which would determine the Gibraltar series event winners.
Giles Cerisola was unfortunate not to reach the final, missing out by milliseconds with a time of 00:47.391, against Italian Michel Lellina, who made it through with a time of 00:47.139.
The finals produced some exciting action, made especially challenging as the drizzling rain came down over what was already a somewhat slippery surface.
This proved to be a factor in the women’s final, with the Italian competitor coming off her bike on the first bend as all four finalists tried to squeeze through into the narrow stretch.
Germany’s Marion Frmoberger, who had impressed in the time trials, took the final-round win in the women’s category.
Jacob Klemencic won the men’s category.
The overall series champions were Lora Oravecz in the women’s category, with Klemencic finishing as the overall men’s winner following his victory in Gibraltar.
This brought the City Mountainbike Eliminator Series to an end.
The event hosted in Gibraltar saw local riders provide an essential part of the organisation, manning marshal points, fitting the track and helping to ensure the overall safety of the event. The riders all worked voluntarily throughout the weekend, helping to ensure the event went ahead without a hitch.