Ahlmann up against world’s best as Longines GCT heads to Monaco

The breath-taking venue of Port Hercule in the famous Principality will be the venue for round nine of the 2016 series as the race for overall LGCT Champion of Champions is set to intensify after a fortnight’s break.

Nestled between the Formula One pit lane and the beautiful harbour setting, the LGCT of Monaco is undoubtably one of the jewels in the crown of the Tour. The Riviera location and luxurious facilities at the Monaco event have over the years seen HH Prince Albert II of Monaco and members of the Royal Family join a host of celebrities to cheer on the riders.

As the Tour gallops into the second half of the season, this weekend will see a host of riders aim to close the gap on Ahlmann’s championship ranking lead as they challenge one of the smallest arenas on the Tour.

The German currently sits on 209 points and has a 66 point advantage over Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander who will also be in Monaco. After leaping up the rankings following her Grand Prix win in Miami Beach and a second place finish at the last event in Cannes, the two-time LGCT Champion of Champions will be looking to bridge that gap and continue her pursuit to write history by taking a hat-trick of titles.

Behind her in third on 132 points overall is young Irish star Bertram Allen, who has always performed well in fast paced, imitate arenas. Olympic Champion Rolf-Göran Bengtsson of Sweden has once again been a consistent performer on the Tour and will also be in Monaco looking to shoot up the rankings with a strong performance.

Behind him and just five points away sits Colombia’s Daniel Bluman, who has been on the podium twice this year (in Hamburg and Chantilly), and the legendary figure of Great Britain’s John Whitaker who currently sits in eighth on the overall LGCT Rankings.

Fellow top British rider Scott Brash will head back to Monaco where he won in 2015 with Hello M’Lady. Fresh from his victory at the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Cannes, the former World Number 1 and LGCT Champion of Champions will this time be riding Hello Forever and hoping the smallest arena on the circuit will once again favour the brave. He will be joined by compatriot Laura Renwick and Ireland’s Denis Lynch who also comes fresh from a recent CSI5 star event class win in Cannes.

Bassem Hassan Mohammed will also return to the venue where he became the first Qatari rider ever to win a Grand Prix back in 2014. The USA will have a strong showing once more, with Lauren Hough, Jessica Springsteen, Audrey Coulter, Georgina Bloomberg and Kimberly Prince all in action for this round of competition.

There will be a wealth of young talent to complete a stellar line-up on show with the Belgian duo of Nicola Philippaerts and Jos Verlooy, Spain’s Gonzalo Anõn Suarez, The Netherlands’ Lisa Nooren and Kevin Jochems all battling it out with the likes of Italy’s Emanuele Gaudiano – who took bronze in the Grand Prix of Monaco last year, Switzerland’s Pius Schwizer and Jane Richard Philips, and Brazil’s Marlon Zanotelli.