Posted by Editoress on 08/31/13
A Beautiful sunny morning in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. 47 women will take the start today.
After rain last night course is in best shape of the week - dust is down, trail feels not as slippery - at least in the open, but the rain will have made the rocky sections in the dark under the trees a bit slippery. Beautiful sunny day, around 20C, bit of a breeze.
See our preview from earlier in the week.
The #1 rider Sabine Spitz broke her collarbone in training and will not start.
Women will do 6 full laps of the course - no start loop.
The lead moto driver knows the course well: has driven every race in Masters and these Worlds - except for the one he raced in. For that one he drove the race before, raced his race and then got back on the moto for the next race.
Canada has a large sqaud: Emily Batty, Catharine Pendrel (Canada), Andréanne Pichette, Sandra Walter, Mikaela Kofman
Lap 1
Up the first climb Katrin Leumann (Switzerland) leads Eva Lechner (Italy), Tanja Zakelj (Slovenia), Kathrin Stirnemann (Switzerland), Julie Bresset (France) all just a long long line
Sandra walter and Amdanda sin were involved in a crash at the start.
1/2 way round and it is Lechner and Leumann leading
Catharine Pendrel (Canada) sitting 14th, Emily Batty 18th,
No real seperation yet, still a long line of riders.
Pendrel has gone down but gets back up quickly
Bressett now in the lead followed by Eva Lechner (Italy), Maja Wloszczowska (Poland) Tanja Zakelj (Slovenia) Katerina Nash (Czech Republic) Esther Süss (Switzerland) and they have asmall gap over chasers
Lap 2
6:48 am ET
Heading out: Bresset, Lechner, Wloszczowska, Zakelj, Nash and Engen
Next group is at 20s
Irina Kalentieva (Russian Federation), Kathrin Stirnemann (Switzerland),
Lea Davison (United States of America), Pendrel 10th at 30s
Batty 17th at 42s
Kofman 26th
Pichette 29th
Sin 32nd
Walter 41st
1/2 way round 655 am ET
Bresset, , Wloszczowska, Lechner, Engen,Nash, and Zakelj
7 Irina Kalentieva at 6s, 8 Stirnemann 11s
9 Esther Süss (Switzerland) 20s
Pendrel 10th at 27
Batty 16th at 48s
Lechner goes down HARD! on the logs with just over a km to go to the finishline
She is up but her day is done.....
Lap 3
7:04 am
Bresset, Wloszczowska and Zakelj now have a 6s lap on Irina Kalentieva and Engen
Nash 6th at 13s
Suss 7th at 16s
Stirnemann 8th at 17s
Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Norway) 9th at 43
Davison 10th 43s
Pendrel 11th at 46s
Batty 15th at 1:18
Kofman 21st at 1:57
Sin 27th
Walter has had a mechanical
7:14 am ET
1/2 way round the 3rd lap and Bresset leading Wloszczowska by 1 s. Engen at 2s, Zakelj 3s and Suss on her wheel, Kalentieva 6th at 5s
7th and 7th are Nash and Stirnemann at 14s
Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Norway) 9th at 25s
Davison 10th at 36s
Pendrel 11th at 48s
Batty 15th at 1:20
7:19 am
Wloszczowska and Zakelj have dropped Bresset
Wloszczowska leading and Zakelj has crashed hard while chasing
Lap 4 start 7:22 am ET
Wloszczowska leading Breset by 4s. Suss 3rd at 16s, 4 Kalentieva 18s
Engen 5th at 26s
Stirnemann 6th at 41s
Pendrel has crashed again in the Treehouse and sitting 15th at 2:04 back
7:31 am - Half way round and Wloszczowska leading Bresset by 1s
Suss 3rd at 29s
Kalentieva 4th at 32s
Engen 5th at 44s
Zakelj 6th at 50s
Davison 10th at 1:35
Batty 16th at 2:45
Pendrel 17th at 2:48
Lap 5 start - 2 to go
7:38 am
Bresset leading Wloszczowska
Suss 3rd at 35s, Kalentieva 4th at 36s
Engen 5th at 1m
Zakelj 6th at 1:01
Dahle Flesja 7th at 1:34
Davison 9th at 2:08
Batty 16th at 3:23
Pendrel 19th at 3:47
1/2 way round 7:47 am ET
Still Bresset and Wloszczowska battling it out in front
Kalentieva 3rd at 23s
Suss 4th at 29s
Zakelj 5th at 59s
Engen 6th at 1m
Dahle Flesja 7th at 1:47
Batty 17th at 3:56
Pendrel 19th at 4:34
7:55 am
Wloszczowska attacks just B4 Treehouse and has a small gap at the bottom
Lap 6 - LAST LAP
Still Bresset and Wloszczowska as they head out for the last lap
Suss back into 3rd at 25s, Kalentieva 4th at 34s
5th Tanja Zakelj 59s
6 Engen
7 Stirnemann
8 Dahle Flesjaa
9 Davison
10 Lechner
8:05 am ET - 1/2 way round
Bresset and Wloszczowska still together
Suss 3rd at 27s
Kalentieva 4th at 41s
5th Tanja Zakelj 1:04
1 Km to go and Bresset at the front
Bresset has opened a gap as they go through TreeHouse rocks
Bresset Wins and repeats as World Champ
Finish
1 Julie Bresset (France) 1:42:54
2 Maja Wloszczowska (Poland) at 0:05
3 Esther Süss (Switzerland) 1:06
4 Irina Kalentieva (Russian Federation) 1:29
5 Tanja Zakelj (Slovenia) 2:03
Course Map
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