The new discipline of Four-Cross (4X), pitting four riders against each other on one track, wrapped up its inaugural season when the World Cup finals took place Saturday night on a swooping track. Crowds were large and vocal as the top downhillers in the world flew on the high-banked turns of the track, racing in the day's final light to the finish line below.

And when it was over, two "new" 4X champions were crowned. "New" because they are also the World Cup champions from the past few dual seasons. Brian Lopes (USA, Fox/GT) and Anne-Caroline Chausson (FRA, Volvo-Cannondale) held onto their points leads as they finished 3rd and 1st, respectively, earning the crystal globe trophies and #1 plates for next season. While Chausson won the final event as well as the title, it was Bas DeBever (NED, Be-One Team) who took the win in the men's season final round.

MEN:
At 34, DeBever (NED, Be-One Team) showed that age is not a factor when it comes to winning a 4X World Cup event.

"What can you say? Not bad for an old bastard!" said DeBever after his upset win in the final run, where he beat World Cup series winner Brian Lopes (USA, Fox/GT) and round two winner (and 3rd overall finisher) Mike King (USA, Haro/Lee Dungarees).

"I had good starts all weekend," DeBever said, "and when the first two riders got tangled up in an off-camber left turn, I got the lead. I guess the old legs are still working!"

DeBever took advantage of a rider bunch-up on a slippery grass turn near the top, where King spun around with Michal Prokop (CZE, Be-One), blocking Lopes from the lead and allowing DeBever to take the front and hold it until the finish. King dropped into third position, but both he and green were able to pass Prokop to finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

"On that first off-camber I did a full 360, the whole pack was coming right at me," said King, who had kept large spiked knobs on the left-hand side of his rear tire just for the occasion. "Then I jumped under Prokop for 2nd."

King was gunning for his second World Cup win of the season, but also overall points, moving into 3rd overall behind Lopes and Cedric Gracia (FRA, Volvo-Cannondale), who was eliminated in the second semi-final. "I'm happy, but it would have been nice to get another win."

Third-place finisher Lopes said he was happy to win his third World Cup title (two dual championships and now one 4X title), but would have preferred to have won this final round.

"The titles are harder to come by," he said. "I would have liked to win, but I pulled it off when I had to. What are you going to do? You need a bit of luck, but the consistency paid off in the series and I got the win in the one-day event [at Worlds]."

"That was a fun race!" added DeBever, who was congratulated by all his competitors. "I think the course made for good racing, with all the passing in the off-camber turns."

Wade Bootes (AUS, Trek-Volkswagen) finishes the season ranked 4th overall after winning the small final for 5th place, while Eric Carter (USA, Mongoose) ends his season ranked 5th overall after missing the first two World Cups. He crashed at the start of his 1/8 final run and was eliminated.

WOMEN:
Anne-Caroline Chausson (FRA, Volvo-Cannondale) had a nearly perfect 4X season, winning four of the five races and beating #2 ranked Sabrina Jonnier (FRA, Intense Cycles) by 30 points overall. Her lone loss came after a hard crash in round 4 in Telluride as the Frenchwoman wins the World Cup title in head-to-head racing just hours after capturing the downhill title.

With fewer competitors than the men's field, the women's race began with a quarter-final, comprised of three riders per heat. They then moved into the semi-finals, and then a small final and a final.

Chausson won each of her three heats to earn the win, first by beating April Lawyer (USA, Maxxis). She then met up with Lawyer, Anneke Beerten (NED, Be-One) and Tai-Lee Muxlow (AUS, Dirtworks USA) in semi-final 1, in which she took the win to advance to the final against Jonnier, Katrina Miller (AUS, Jamis) and Beerten.

Muxlow and Lawyer went to the small final where they met up against Celine Gros (FRA, Morzine Avoriaz) and Diana Marggraff (ECU). Gros won that round.

In the final, Chausson took an early lead and rode it to the finish, followed by 2nd place Jonnier, Miller and Beerten.

Jonnier finishes her season ranked #2 in the 4X (as well as in the DH), while Katrina Miller (AUS, Jamis) finished the season ranked 3rd. Celine Gros (FRA, Morzine Avoriaz) is ranked 4th overall, and Tara Llanes (USA, Yeti/Pearl Izumi), who missed this round due to injury, finished 5th overall.

— Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Correspondent