American riders Payton Ridenour and Tommy Zula top the field to claim the coveted rainbow stripes in the first-ever Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championship in Bern, Switzerland.
Americans Tommy Zula and Payton Ridenour triumphed in their respective Men’s and Women’s finals at the inaugural Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championship at the Swiss Bike Park in Bern to claim the honor of wearing the UCI’s coveted rainbow jerseys for the first-ever time.
After 26 qualifying events in 22 countries, over 130 riders congregated at the Swiss Bike Park in Bern, Switzerland to lay it all on the line for a chance to go down in history as the first 2019 Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championship winners.
In 2018, Swiss duo David Graf and Christa von Niederhäusern were victorious at the first Pump Track World Championships and they returned to defend their titles on their home soil, but couldn’t repeat their victories.
The state-of-the-art Swiss Bike Park provided a highly technical Velosolutions Pump Track for the finalists and despite the challenging wet weather, the Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championship final delivered on the promise shown in the global qualifiers. Friday’s Last Chance Qualifier added a further eight riders to the field, alongside the top four from each of the 26 qualifying events.
The enthusiastic crowd braved the elements and stuck it out to the end as the competitors battled on track, with Tommy Zula sealing gold in the thrilling Men’s final on his 26-inch MTB against junior BMXer Tristan Borel from Switzerland, with Frenchman Eddy Clerte claiming the bronze medal.
In the Women’s event, talented teenager Payton Ridenour stormed to the gold medal against Nadine Aeberhard from Switzerland, with 2018 winner Von Niederhäusern making do with the bronze medal this time.
