The mud, the rain or Asa Vermette’s recently healed hip couldn’t slow him down this past weekend in Poland.
Despite challenging conditions, Vermette took his second straight UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill Men’s Junior win on Sunday in Bielsko-Biala, Poland after winning in Fort William, Scotland two weeks before.
Vermette took the top spot on the podium with a time of 3 minutes and 3.588 seconds on the 2.010-kilometer-long track. France’s Mylann Falquet finished second 3.823 seconds behind.
“It’s the best I could do,” Vermette said. “I was very stoked it went the way it did especially after breaking my hip and thinking that I wasn’t even going to be able to race. So it’s pretty crazy I was even able to be there. To win was just the cherry on top.”
Vermette broke the top part of his hip in March and it healed in about four weeks. Then he could train after that on his e-bike. Vermette’s first full ride back was the day before the Fort William race. He feels like his hip is back to normal.
Just like in Fort William, the 17-year-old started off second after the first split but had the top time after the second split. Vermette said the first split was the muddiest and he didn’t know how hard to push.
Then Vermette took off in the forest section and built up a 2.2-second gap after the third split.
“I’ve always ridden that type of stuff,” Vermette said. “Purgatory is just all steep, loamy stuff. That’s all I’ve ever ridden. Living in, Colorado, it’s nice and high and I’m always training and am pretty fit. Everyone there is too but on the flatter sections, I try to keep my cool, keep my energy. In the steeper sections, I can go faster and have more energy to do that. But I’ve just always been better at the steeper, gnarlier stuff.”
The men’s junior field didn’t have much luck with the weather as the skies opened up and it was downpouring when Vermette dropped out of the gate. He said it got nicer after all the juniors finished.
Vermette hoped it would be dry so he could compare his time to the pros who rode when it was much drier.
Next up for Vermette is a quick stop in the States for a race at Mountain Creek Bike Park in New Jersey this weekend. Then Vermette will head back to Europe for the third round of the UCI Downhill World Cup in Leogang, Austria from June 7-9.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
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