With even more action than the dual of the last few seasons, the Four-Cross (or 4X) looks to be a success thus far, pitting downhillers and dual specialists against each other in an hour of action-packed racing especially designed for the fans.

This week's round was on the notoriously steep slopes of Maribor, and had riders going mach speed in front of several thousand spectators under the lights of this World Cup ski course. With a live DJ & band, a huge sound system and the nudity-filled "Miss Bicycle" contest on the evening's slate, Saturday's 4X resembled a snowboard big-air contest as much as a cycling event. So much the better we say, so on to the racing.

The King Ain't Dead, Long Live the King
Since childhood Mike King (USA, Haro/Lee Dungarees) and Brian Lopes (USA, Fox/GT) have been friends, riding buddies, training partners and, most significantly, heated rivals. Steeped in the So Cal downhill scene before it even existed, these two epitomize the extremes of the sport; Mike with his penchant for fun and partying versus Lopes' laser-like concentration on winning head-to-head races.

And thus the yin and yang of the new 4X met up once again in a start gate Saturday night, both eyeing the track's crucial first turn. While King and teammate Kirt Voreis (USA, Haro/Lee Dungarees) had been successful all night at diving down low on the high-banked right turn and making passes, Lopes was a different story and Mike knew it.

"Brian's strong, probably the fastest starter," said King after a wild men's final in which he stole that inside line and took a huge upset win. "I knew I was strong in the start also, and knew it would be a drag race," he added. Lopes had qualified 3rd-fastest and King 5th, so Lopes had lane choice going into the final. Also loaded into the new BMX-style start ramp were 4th-seeded Steve Peat (GBR, Royal/Orange) and 7th-seeded Voreis.

Peat had arrived in the final after a spectacular crash in the quarter-finals took top-seeded Cedric Gracia (FRA, Volvo-Cannondale) out of the race, and sent Scott "Boom-Boom" Beaumont (GBR, Kona) away in an ambulance. Peaty had dragged his bike across the finish of that heat to advance to the semis. Number two seed and 2001 Dual World Champion Wade Bootes (AUS, Trek-Volkswagen) had suffered a similar fate in the semis, crashing out and going to the small final with a bandaged shoulder.

So there were the survivors in the final; 33-year-old King with his teammate Voreis up against the master and current World/World Cup champ Lopes - plus the wild card Peat. The gate dropped and soon, in the words of Peat, "it was a war zone."

King dropped underneath Lopes in that first turn to steal the inside line, pushing Flyin' Brian up the berm and into second position. "Mike made a good move on me - we were battling," said Lopes afterward. "He had to roll the doubles after that, so I thought I'd catch him by jumping them. But after that I drifted off course and crashed trying to catch back up to him."

Lopes suffered a banged up leg for the second-straight week in his chase, finishing second while behind him Peat and Voreis had their own battle. "Lopes went down, and I went inside Peat and thought I could get second," said a happy Voreis afterward. "But I'm so pumped for Mikey and the Haro team."

"I was seeing stars after my crash with Cedric," said Peat as he congratulated King and swapped war stories with Lopes, adding "I feel lucky to get 3rd. Brian went down and Kirt came inside, but there was Brian's bike sideways on the course so I went right over the top of it."

King, who also had team management duties for his team, collected his first 4X win after only two races of the new discipline, while Lopes is ironically winless in the new sport, although he holds onto the Tissot leader's jersey.

It was a redemption of sorts for King as well, taking his first win in years after narrowly losing the Swatch Dual World Series round here in '99 after a crash with Karim Amour (FRA). But for King, it was all good, "the significant thing for me," he said, "was that I beat Brian."

Chausson Juggernaut
After a tough week at the office in Fort William, Scotland, last week, Anne-Caroline Chausson (FRA, Volvo-Cannondale) rebounded from her crash-induced hesitation to again crush all comers with a dominant victory in the women's final.

Trailing behind Chausson like the cars of a train were 2nd place-finisher Katrina "The Killer" Miller (AUS, Jamis), followed by Sabrina Jonnier (FRA, Intense Cycles) and Tara Llanes (USA, Yeti/Pearl Izumi).

With 15 wins, Miller has the most dual victories of any other woman. The 4X is of course not the dual, yet demands similar skills and speed. Llanes, who took the bronze at last year's dual in Vail, finished 4th this week as the top ladies look for a way to crack the Chausson juggernaut.

For her efforts Chausson retains the Tissot leader's jersey for another week, as the series is likely hers to lose so long as she retains interest, something that is never a forgone conclusion.

— Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Correspondent