September 3/11 10:21 am - MTB World Championships: Elite Men XC Updates

Posted by Editoress on 09/3/11
 

Men will do a start loop and 7 full laps of the 4.8 km course.

 

111 on the start list, but there are 7 riders listed as DNS before the start

6 Canadians starting: Geoff Kabush, Derek Zandstra, Max Plaxton, Matthew Hadley, Adam Morka, Andrew Watson

 

Neil Kindree wanted everyone to know he did not withdraw from the Worlds.  His selection to the team was challenged by Andrew Watson and Watson was selected after arbitration.

 

 

Start

A very fast start wit all the top riders charging.

 

Lap 1

Heading out onto lap 1, Schurter, Kulhavy, Vogel, Absalon, Hermida, Marotte, Gujan,

 

Fumic who crashed on the start loop 9th

Plaxton 20th having been caught in a bottleneck at the top of the climb

 

10:39 am ET

A group is forming at the front.  Kulhavy leading with Schurter on his wheel, Absalon, Vogel, Hermida, Marotte and Catriel Andres Soto (Argentina)

 

 

10:42 am ET  1/2 way around

Kulhavy leading Shurter with Absalon and Vogel

Gap to Hermida and Marotte

 

Kabush 24th

 

10:45 am

Absalon goes down hard and is about to be caught by Hermida and Marotte

 

 

10:47 am

Schurter is outdistancing Kulhavy on the climb and pulling away.

On the descent Schurter has a gap on Kulhavy

 

Lap 2  10:50 am

 

Heading out it is Schurter leading Kulhavy byn 2 sec.  Vogel at 11, Absalons s.t.

Marotte at 12 sec, Hermida 13 sec, Fumic 7th at 54 sec leading a group of 4 with M. Fluckiger, Stander, Soto.

 

Plaxton 26th at 1:27, Kabush 26th at 1:32, Zandstra 46th, Hadley 76th, Morka 81st, Watson 90th

 

10:53 am

Up the climb, Schurter setting the pace, but the chasers are gaining too, so now 6 at the front

 

11 am ET

 

Up the 2nd climb: Schurter leading, but the bunch all together.  The 2 Swiss are leading most of the way, but Kulhavy is trying to attack and get by before the downhill section after the hairpin

 

Stander now chasing alone in 7th, trying to bridge the gap

 

Lap 3

 

Schurter and Kulhavy at 1 sec, Vogel at 3 sec, Absalon at 4, Marotte at 6, hermida at 6

 

Stander 7th at 50 sec, Fumic 8th at 1:12

Kabush 24th at 2:20, Plaxton 25th at 2:34

 

11:08 am

Stander goes down

 

11:12 pm ET

It has started to rain

 

Still 6 leaders, but Marotte is getting gapped regularly

 

11:14 am

 

Heading up the 2nd climb, Kulhavy on the front, but Schurter takes over

4 at the top:  Schurter, Kulhavy, Hermida and Absalon.  Vogel and marotte have dropped off the pace

 

Kulhavy is the only one of the 4 leaders riding a full suspension which is also a 29'er

 

Lap 4

Heading out.  Schurter, Kulhavy at s.t.

Hermida 3rd at 1 sec, Absalon 4th at 4 sec

Vogel at 5th 19 sec, Marotte 6th at 20 sec

Stander at  7th 1:06

Fumic 8th at 1:21

L Fluckiger 9th at 1:41

Sauser 10th at 2:03

Todd WElls (USA) 19th

Kabush 20th at 2:53

Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (USA) 24th

Plaxton 30th

Zandstra 36th

 

11:23 am ET  at 1/2 way point

3 leaders now:  Schurter, Kulhavy and Hermida.  Absalon 4th at 8 sec

 

It is getting very slippery on the course with fresh rain on top of wet ground

 

Fumic has taken over 7th spot.  Stander has been having mechanical problems. 

Sauser 8th, Lukas Fluckiger 9th.

 

11:29

On the descent heading to the end of the lap nd Schurter has a gap.  Kulhavy has been having problems with hi tires and sliding around a lot.

 

Lap 5  11:31 am ET

Schurter has 5 sec on Kulhavy as they head out and Hermida is 3rd at 8 sec.  Absalon 4th at 18 sec now.

Vogel 5th at1:28

Marotte 6th showing evidence of a crash

Fumic 7th

Lukas Flückiger  8th

Sauser 9th

Soto 10th

 

Wells 15th

Kabush 17th

JHK 19th

Plaxton 27th  4:54

Zandstra 31st at 5:23

Morka 59th

 

Fumic crashes AGAIN!!  he has has 3 or maybe as many as 5

 

1/2 way  11:38 am

Schurter and Kulhavy.  Hermida at 8 sec

Absalon 4th at 20 sec, Vogel 5th  at 1:51

 

11:41 am

Hemida has flattd and is passed by Absalon as he gets a change.

 

Up the 2nd climb and Schurter leading.  Heading down through the technical sections and Schurter is getting a gap as Kulhavy riders a bit more tentative.

 

 

Lap 6  (2 to go)  11:46 am

 

Schurter and Kulhavy go through together.  Absalon 3rd at 25 sec.  Hermida 4th at 45 sec

Vogel 5th at 2:25 and Lukas Flückiger 6th at 2:43, Fumic 7th at 2:56, Sauser 8th at 3:32, marotte 9th at 3:33. Wells 10th at 3:51

JHK 13th, Kabush 16th, Plaxton 27th

 

11:49 am

Kulhavy is starting to attack, forcing Schurter to chase

 

 

11:52 am  1/2 way through the lap

 

Kulhavy alone with a gap of 8 sec on Schurter.  Absalon at 34 sec, Hermida at 1:07

 

Lap 7  Last lap  11:59 am ET

 

Heading out onto the final lap, Kulhavy goes through with a gap of 24 sec on Schurter.  Absalon 3rd at 1 min.

Hermida 4th at 1:42.  Lukas Flückiger 5th at3:39, Vogel 6th at 4:08, Fumic 7th at 4:21. Wells 8th at 4:42, Sauser 9th at 4:43, Jan Skarnitzl (Czech Republic) 10th at 5:05, Kabush 11th at 5:11, JHK  12th at 5:35

Plaxton 23rd

 

At the halfway point

Kulhavy has 40 sec on Schurter, Absalon at 1:11 and Hermida 4th over 2 min

 

It is getting very dark in the woods.  The riders were afraid of this and did not agree with the decision of teh Organization to run the race so late in the day - for TV broadcast -

 

12:11pm ET

Kulhavy goes up the 2nd climb for the last time.

 

Final

 

Unofficial

 

1 Jaroslav Kulhavy (Czech Republic), 1:44:30

2 Nino Schurter (Switzerland), at 0:47

3 Julien Absalon (France), 1:26

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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