Evie Richards took 7th and Riley Amos took 8th in a banner debut for Trek's prototype platform in Soldier Hollow
Gwendalyn Gibson took second in Soldier Hollow, and made Trek history as the first rider to podium on the brand’s prototype XC mountain bike with 32″ wheels. And she did it in the bike’s debut, no less.
Gibson separated herself from the pack with eventual winner Martina Berta on Lap 4 of seven. Her lap time of 12:26.4 was the second fastest of the women’s race. Only Berta could hang with her, before she made the winning attack on the last lap to edge out Gibson by a slim 13 seconds.
Gwendalyn was on fire all weekend in Soldier Hollow.
Gibson scored her best ever result in an Olympic-distance elite XC World Cup race in the process. Coupled with a seventh-place finish in short track the day before, Gibson can claim one her best race weekends ever. And she was especially proud that she did it on home soil, on a fast, open Soldier Hollow course that created blistering racing.
“With my mom here and my family, so many people who support me, it’s pretty special,” Gibson said. “If I could have picked anywhere to have that breakthrough performance, this was the one.”
Evie Richards placed seventh in the women’s race, and Riley Amos placed eighth in the men’s, matching his second-best elite World Cup finish. Both were also racing on the 32″, capping a special debut weekend for an all-new platform that Trek has been developing for years.
Tears for one of the most consistent and gracious riders in the sport.
“You could really tell it rolls over the rock features really well, and the cornering is super good. Like you have such good traction, and I could just feel that I was really efficient,” Gibson said. “I could save energy, so I was pushing the pace, trying to ride the front and race really aggressively to take advantage of it fully because I think it was pretty clear when we were out there that there were some places where it was definitely more efficient.”
All three of Trek’s 32″ riders on the weekend — Gibson, Richards, and Amos — were instrumental to its development, riding early versions of the bike for timed testing and feedback. Their performances Saturday and Sunday will have Trek engineers beaming in the office Monday.
Hell. Yes.
“It’s been exciting to be a part of this process and helping develop a whole new bike, and so to finally get the opportunity to race it and see what it’s like on a World Cup course was super special,” Gibson said. “It felt good out there, and I’m excited just to keep working.”
We couldn’t ask for much from a World Cup weekend: A breakout for one of the most consistent and deserving riders in the field, a rock solid team showing, and an exciting glimpse into the future of mountain bike technology. We’ll remember Soldier Hollow for a long time.
“World Cup podiums don’t come around every single weekend,” Gibson said. “It’s such a competitive field, and then a World Cup podium on home soil, that is a really special experience. I just wanted to make sure that I was completely present in that moment.”
