The dual is dead, long live the four-cross, or 4X. In case you weren't paying attention, the dual (dual slalom without separate tracks) has been killed off by the UCI in favor of the hottest new thing in downhilling. Sending four riders down an enlarged BMX track with huge jumps, the 4X made its World Cup debut in Scotland Saturday evening, and was promptly won by Volvo-Cannondale's French downhilling duo, Cedric Gracia and Anne-Caroline Chausson.

Over 5,000 boisterous fans came out early Saturday to cruise the race pits and watch their favorite riders practice the downhill course and later that evening contest the 4X finals. The venue's loud music, spun by the Red Bull DJ, was complemented by a drum corps and, believe it or not, sunny skies. By the time practice and qualifying runs were finished, a huge crowd had crammed along the 24-second track, cheering loudly for the UK riders.

Brian Lopes (USA, Fox/GT) looked like a lock for the win in the early rounds as he qualified much faster than second-fastest Gracia. Brian Lopes was on fire each round, taking the inside line and closing out the competition after the opening stretch's stutter bumps which drop into a steep banked right-hander.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the finish line during the men's final round. Lopes was up against traditional rivals Wade Bootes (AUS, Trek-Volkswagen) and Gracia, but an addition was a smoky Steve Peat (GBR, Royal/Orange), on fire during the early rounds and no doubt stoked by the local crowd.

In the men's final run, Bootes got the jump on Lopes and Gracia, with Peat trailing. But Gracia made an aggressive move to take away Lopes' inside line and that's where Lopes' race ended.

"Steve and I were last out of the start," said Gracia afterward. "Wade slipped in the start though, so I was coming up fast into the first turn. I tried to make a nice inside move on Brian, but I slid and pushed him to the outside of the track. I don't know what happened after that."

What happened was that the dual champ Lopes crashed off the course, finishing 4th after hitting the ground hard and slamming his leg into a log. "It was a good move by Cedric," he said. "It was a weird turn; he was inside and I ran out of room."

As Lopes hit the deck, Peat made a pass to get up to third position, trailing Bootes and Gracia to the finish line. But he slammed through a red gate while making a left-hand turn before the final drop to the finish, and was DQ'd (red-flagged?) by a UCI judge and relegated to 4th place, thus moving Lopes up to 3rd.

"I hit the gate and they saw it," said a smiling Peat after being cited by the UCI officials. "There's not much I can do, but it was a great race and the crowd was really good."

As for Lopes, he says he is also pleased with the 4X debut. "It went off well," he said. "The crowd was awesome and the organizers built a good course for any weather."

Michal Prokop (CZE, Team Be-One) won the men's small final, followed by British BMX standout Dale Holmes (GBR), Kirt Voreis (USA, Haro/Lee Dungarees) and Bas DeBever (NED, Be-One Team).

Overall it was a great men's final and a great start to the 4X season.

— Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Correspondent