Christoph Sauser (SUI, Volvo Cannondale) gave much credit to his full suspension Scalpel for winning today, saying it helped him on the rough stuff. "I'm not just saying that because they're my sponsors," he insisted.

Marga Fullana (ESP, Orbea) was using RockShox's lockout for the first time. She was also riding a new blue bike, replacing last week's orange and yellow Orbea. It's all custom geometry and now they're working on a special design fit for the "spiderwoman." We can only imagine the graphics.

The front line of any XC race typically features just two fork manufacturers: RockShox and Manitou. But after seeing the introduction of the Fox Forx to the lineup, we were pleased to see another entrant by Magura on the bike of Regina Marunde (GER, Focus).

We visited Annabella Stropparo (ITA, Be-One) in her small motorhome after the women's event to talk about her race. She invited us in for snacks and a drink. While playing with a small stuffed duck that her friends gave her, she summed up her race in broken English by saying, "If you don't have good form, it's just that much harder to push hard." And she was pushing, getting over a cold she caught on the flight home from Madrid. A renowned cook on the circuit, she also promised to make pasta for the journalists after Worlds in Austria. What a nice girl.

Last year we spotted a digiridoo player next to the track. This year he was joined by a friend, as the two serenaded the riders as they raced past.

"I've never ridden with so many girls!" - Gunn-Rita Dahle (NOR, Merida International), about all the women on her new team this year.

Ever wonder how photographers get so many good photos at one race? For top shooters like Malcolm Fearon and Mark Dawson (who shots are featured in this and last week's MountainZone.com gallery) it's all about mobility. While Mark was racing around the course on the back of a motorcycle this week, Malcolm was hitting up to four spots per lap on his scooter. We appreciate that he took us along for the ride this week, which helped us cover this sprawling course.

Our favorite female competitor's name is still Germany's Katrina Schwing.

Todd Wells (USA, Mongoose/Hyundai) is Mr. Consistent American, finishing 28th today after taking 27th last week as the top USA male finisher.

"I crashed. I hit a tree and a rock."
Seamus McGrath (CAN, Haro/Lee Dungarees) explaining his drop from 18th to an eventual 27th-place finish.

How did 209 men manage to enter a race that is normally limited to 130? With only one hour to go for registration, only 130 men were signed up. But word got out that the UCI and organizers were not going to close registration, so 79 more men from all across Europe signed up. Only 118 men finished the race in the lead lap. Of 89 women starters, 74 finished.

While Houffalize is an exciting place to watch a race, it's also sobering knowing that this is an exact spot where so many gave up their lives in WWII's Battle of the Bulge. After seeing this entire region featured in HBO's "Band of Brothers," the contrast really hit home this year.

— Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Correspondent