EN A week after the first and second rounds of the UCI BMX Racing World Cup, the riders moved from Sarrians to the legendary track in Papendal, the Netherlands, where the continuation of the WC was on the agenda. Our team of representatives was supplemented by three juniors and one junior woman, for whom it was their first experience with such a big event and they competed in the Women/Men Under 23 category. The best position of the whole weekend came in the form of semifinal races. World Cup Elen Lapková, Oliver Miltner, Vít Novotný and Vít Stloukal joined the group, which already made its SP debut this year in Sarrians. The track in Papendal is very different to the one in Sarrians. The French track is significantly smaller and the jumps are closer together, so there is less room for error and it is harder to catch up. Quick riding decisions are needed on this track. Its layout is more reminiscent of classic bicross tracks. In contrast, Papendal is a pure supercross that contains big jumps and relatively a lot of space. The length of the track is also much longer, so you need a lot of endurance and resistance to lactate. I think our rookies did pretty well and with each run it was clear to see their improvement and better understanding of racing on a track of this format. The experience gained by our riders (not just rookies) is great feedback for future preparation for similar races and we believe our riders will continue to improve. The best positions were recorded by our representatives Eliška Bartuňková and Sabina Košárková. Eliška placed 10th among Women Elite in Saturday's race. Sabina ended Saturday's race with a fall in the second corner and registered 16th place, which she improved on Sunday and was just a hair's breadth away from the finals, taking overall 9th place in the Women Under 23 category. In just a few weeks, the two biggest races of the season await the nominated representatives. In the first half of July, the European Championship in Valmiera, Latvia is on the agenda, and at the end of this month, the very top, i.e. the World Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark. Results: 3rd round: Women U23: 1. Wissing, 2. van Santvoort (both Niz.), 3. Greenough (N. Zél.), ... 16. Košárková, 33. Lapková. Women Elite: 1. L. Smulders (Netherlands), 2. Sakakibara (Aust.), 3. Claessens (Switzerland), ... 10. Bartuňková. Men U23: 1. Noordam, 2. Pipers (both Niz.), 3. Jacquet (Fr.), ... 25. Neužil, 60. Chudoba, 77. Stloukal, 8 7. Cidlinský, 97. Novotný, 124. Gruntorád, 129. Miltner, 150. Vesecký. Men Elite: 1. Bearman (N.Zel.), 2. Schotman (Niz.), 3. Andre (Fr). 4th round: Women U23: 1.Wissing,2. Santvoort, 3. Corder (Eq.), ... 9. Košárková, 28. Lapková. Women Elite: 1. Shriever, 3. Sakakibara, 3. Simpson (Kan.), ... 20. Bartuňková. Men U23: 1. Jolly (Aust.), 2. Noordam, 3. Pipers, ... 24. Neužil, 62. Vesecky, 67. Stloukal, 76. Cidlinský, 78. Novotný, 83. Chudoba, 99. Gruntorád, 126. Miltner. Men Elite: 1. Cullen (Britain), 2. Wood (USA), 3. Andre. Photo: Nico van Dartel