Adam Raga capitalized on difficult conditions in France to take a commanding lead in the 2005 WTC outdoor series, winning convincingly on both days.
The stiflingly hot weather took it's toll on some of the riders more than others. Takahisa Fujinami dented his championship hopes by wilting to 5th and 8th places over the weekend, while Dougie Lampkin suffered another big get off, resulting in a trip to the hospital on Saturday evening. Dougie again put in a superhuman effort to salvage what he could, but his 12th and 6th places will be tough to overcome.
The only real challenges to Raga came from Albert Cabestany, and returning Gas Gas sensation Jeroni Fajardo. Jeroni returned from months away with a broken leg with an incredibly strong 2nd position on Saturday, then an unreal recovery from a poor first loop on Sunday. He posted the best second loop on Sunday, with an almost perfect 8 point score, and sneeked into third place.
Adam witnessed Dougie's big crash, and it clearly affected his concentration. The Trial was deemed to be dangerous in many places, and Adam stated that the crash could have happened to anybody. None of these factors affected the end result, with Adam in a class of his own when he needed to pull out the big rides.
