First-ever WES UCI World Cup Winners crowned at the Castle: Pugin and Gilloux make history at the Barcelona Round

Race win for Laura Charles and the GOAT Jérôme Gilloux.

Castelldefels-Barcelona (Spain), Monday 18 October – A great day of racing and celebration set the grand finale of the season last weekend at the Castelldefels- Barcelona Round Presented by Raspini.

One-race format for the first time in the season for an all open battle in the men’s standings. In the women’s, the game was easier for the overall leader.
Mélanie Pugin (BH) clinched the title in the penultimate round, Round 4 at the Girona Sea Otter, after an exciting race season, although made of ups and downs. The 2020 UCI E- MTB Women’s World Champion tried her best also when she suffered some technical problems (Round 3 at Charade), and fought until the very last race of Round 5 Barcelona, where she started in first position but struggled along the way due to her physical conditions. Her third place was enough to secure the World Cup Title, while the race win went to the other French rider Laura Charles (Orbea), silver medallist at the World Championships, ahead of the Swiss Kathrin Stirnemann (Thömus), silver medallist in the 2020 edition instead.

The fight for the second place overall didn’t happen as the German Sofia Wiedenroth (Specialized) made the last minute decision not to participate as she was not fully recovered yet from the concussion suffered a few weeks ago.

UCI E-MTB XC World Cup Top-5 Women’s Overall Standings

1st Pugin (FRA) 133 pts
2nd Schneitter (SWI) 86 pts
3rd Wiedenroth (GER) 83 pts
4th Pepper (GBR) 77 pts
5th Stirnemann (SWI) 67 pts

In the Men’s, “The Specialist” of the discipline, Jérôme Gilloux (Moustache) can now claim to be the GOAT in E-MTB. The Reigning World Champ from Nice got to the starting grid on the Castelldefels track in first position after an excellent performance in the Qualirace, the race course making him feel home thanks to the terrain conditions and the design. Gilloux managed to take an incredible advantage over the other competitors after one lap only and to widen the gap lap by lap, over the total distance of the race.

Country fellow Théo Charmes (Cube) made it to a great race start and defended the second position for most of the race, ahead of Joris Ryf (Bergstrom) who saw his dream of clinching the title becoming an impossible mission. The Swiss eventually managed to overtake, the race podium reflecting the overall standings:

UCI E-MTB XC World Cup Top-5 Men’s Overall Standings

1st Jérôme Gilloux (FRA) 210 pts
2nd Joris Ryf (SWI) 183 pts
3rd Théo Charmes (FRA) 118 pts
4th Jeroen van Eck (NED) 75 pts
5th Francescu Maria Camoin (FRA) 68 pts

Setting the fastest lap on lap 2 at Castelldefels in 12:42.54, Laura Charles won the Magneti Marelli Checkstar Power Lap trophy, while the big season award went to Mélanie Pugin.

On the Men’s side of the paddock, both the day’s trophy and the 2021 award went to Jérôme Gilloux, who scored 4 in 5 rounds, setting here an unbelievable fastest lap in 11:34.43, on lap 2.

The beautiful Castle of Castelldefels hosted the awaited end-season Prize-Giving Ceremony where the first-ever UCI E-MTB World Cup Winners took all the awards!

WES Holeshot is awarded to the first rider Women and Men through the first corner of the race and the overall standings for this trophy is again led by Mélanie Pugin and Jérôme Gilloux.

Although the E-Team Moustache had a one-rider line up in 2021, they managed to be the Winning Team of the season thanks to the unreachable Gilloux’ results.

The first full season of the UCI E-MTB XC World Cup is in the books and we can’t wait to start the 2022 racing year!

WES 2022 Calendar will be announced in the next few weeks on WES channels.