News
Maikel van der Vleuten elevated second in Verona
Nov 11, 2014
What a wonderful jump-off at the World Cup qualification in Verona this Sunday. Ten participants qualified for the battle about the much sought-after credits. Nineteen-year old Bertram Allen came, saw and conquered. Maikel van der Vleuten missed out one detail and became elevated second.
Piergiorgio Bucci on Casallo Z and Martin Fuchs in the saddle of PSG Future were the first ones to put on a clear round in 37 seconds. Subsequently Malin Baryard-Johnsson on H&M Tornesch showed that she would stand her ground and took over the lead for a moment, finishing in 36.28 seconds.
Then Marcus Ehning found it was his time to accomplish his first credits and showed Cornado NRW in a very sharp round in only 35.77- hard to believe that it was true.
But Maikel van der Vleuten, who started on eighth position, had been watching the previous riders very well. Van der Vleuten managed to show an amazing round on a fantastic jumping VDL Groep Verdi TN N.O.P., being 0.25 seconds faster and taking over the lead for less than one minute. It was the young Irish Betram Allen who knew how to encourage the only ten-year old grey mare Molly Malone V to an incredible performance in order to cross the finish line at 34.89 seconds. Because of his victory, Allen received 21 World Cup credits and €43.750.
“It was so fast”, said Maikel van der Vleuten directly after his ride in the jump-off. “I cannot accuse myself to have left something somewhere out there. When I was watching Bertram Allen directly after my ride, I realized that I maybe could have taken the turn a bit shorter after the last but one jump, just as he did, but of course that was very full of risk. I was able to ride the jump-off just as I had planned to do”, Maikel told, who also had to deal with a little buck of Verdi just after the last jump. “However it had no influence on my time, because I was 0.6 seconds slower than Allen and this little buck just didn’t make the difference”. He was also happy to talk about the first round: “It was built difficult but fair and the half distances suited me and Verdi. I can extend his canter very easily and make it suitable for the jumps. I am very happy about this second place because I really needed the credits. In Oslo and Helsinki I didn’t manage it, but now I did-luckily”.
Bart Bles got four penalty points in the first round, riding Lord Sandro DDH and despite of his performance didn’t come further than place 24.