April 23/11 5:36 am - World Cup Pietermaritzburg: Women's XC UPDATES
Posted by Editoress on 04/23/11
Good morning and welcome to our first report of the 2011 World Cup season. Not much of a crowd out, but it is beautiful day in Pietermaritzburg. The sun is drying the track out nicely after another overnight downpour.
The women are lined up ready to start lap 1 of 5 the 5.8 kilometre circuit.
A BIG surprise this morning is the announcement by Willow Koerber that she will not start. Reason? She is pregnant.
Lap 1: And they are off
Nathalie Schneitter (Colnago Arreghini Sudtirol) gets the holeshot and leads as they hit lap 1.
As they come around, there are 8 riders starting to create a gap at the front. Schneitter still leading with Julie Bresset (BH-Suntour-Peisey Vallandry) on her wheel. Elisabeth Osl (Ghost Factory Racing Team), Marie-Helene Premont (Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain), Catharine Pendrel (Luna Pro Team) are also part of that bunch.
Bresset has gone to the front and has a decent lead as they hit the rock garden.
6:04 am
As they head to finish the first lap, Bressette still has a gap on 5 chasers
Lap 2
Bressette with a lap time of 18:14 and a gap of 13 seconds on Chengyuan Ren (Specialized Racing) and Irina Kalentieva (Topeak Ergon Racing Team). Nathalie Schneitter (Colnago Arreghini Sudtirol) at 15 sec. Esther Süss (Wheeler - iXS pro team) and Catharine Pendrel (Luna Pro Team) at 18 sec.
Marie-Helene Premont (Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain) 11th at 32 sec back
Mary McConneloug (Kenda Seven Notubes) 12th at s.t.
Emily Batty (Subaru-Trek) 26th at 55 sec back
Amanda Sin (Team Canada) 39th at 1:45
Amanda Sin (Team Canada) has crashed in the rocks but gets up ok.
6:15am
Out on the course, Bressette still holding her lead with 3 chasers now: Pendrel, Ren and Kalentieva
6:20am
Katie Compton has crashed on the rock garden
6:21 am
Ren has now caught Bressette and moved to the lead. Pendrel 3rd and Kalentieva 4th and they now have a good gap on Eva Lechner (Colnago Arreghini Sudtirol) and Katerina Nash (Luna Pro Team) in 5th and 6th
Lap 3
As they head out onto lap 3. Ren and Bessette leading. Pendrel 3rd at 15 sec. Kalentieva 4th at 21 sec. Lechner 5th at 1:03. Nash 6th at 1:04. Lene Byberg (Specialized Racing) 7th at 1:11. Premont 8th at s.t.
Caompton 17th at 1:56
Batty 19th at 2:04
Gould 21st
McConneloug 22nd
Sin 43rd
6:30 am
Ren has now dropped Bressette by ~8 seconds. Pendrel 3rd with Kalentieva 4th
6:36 am
Ren leading and the gap to Bressette is opening. Pendrel and Kalentieva together going for 3rd now, but they are well off Ren's pace (they are now 40 sec behind Bressette), Byberg is now in 5th
Katerina Nash 6th
Marie-Helene Premont slowly moving up and is sitting 7th
Lap 4
Ren sets out onto Lap 4 with a gap of 20 sec on Bressette. Pendrel still 'pulling' Kalentieva around at 1:07 and 1:08
Byberg 5th at 1:55, Nash 6th at 2:13, Premont 7th at 2:27
Batty 18th 4:11
Gould 19th at 4:26
McConneloug 23rd at 4:58
Sin 42nd
6:45am
Ren leading with Bressette now at 25 sec
Ren has obviously been working on her technical skills
6:53 am
Ren is opening the gap still on Bressette with Pendrel and Kalentieva still battling for 3rd
Nash has had a mechanical (flat) dropping her out of contention.
6:56 am
Ren heads to the end of the lap with a gap of ~ 30 sec on Bressette. Kalentieva has passed and gapped Pendrel and is 1:12 behind Ren. Pendrel at 1:14
Last lap
Ren, then Bressette at 28 sec
Kalentieva 3rd at 1:31
Pendrel 4th at 1:43
Byberg 5th at 2:31
Schneitter 6th at 3:57
Premont 7th at 4:01
Batty 17th
7:07 am
No change at the lead as the riders work to complete their final lap
Ren leading and her gap to Bressette is now 45 sec
Final
Unofficial
1 Chengyuan Ren (Chn) Specialized Racing, 1:32:36
2 Julie Bresset (Fra) BH-Suntour-Peisey Vallandry, at 1:06
3 Irina Kalentieva (Rus) Topeak Ergon Racing Team, 2:18
4 Catharine Pendrel (Can) Luna Pro Team, 2:44
5 Lene Byberg (Nor) Specialized Racing, 3:16
6 Nathalie Schneitter (Sui) Colnago Arreghini Sudtirol, 5:01
7 Sabine Spitz (Ger) Central Haibike Pro Team, 5:18
8 Maja Wloszczowska (Pol) CCC Polkowice, 5:26
9 Marie-Helene Premont (Can) Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain, 5:33
10 Elisabeth Osl (Aut) Ghost Factory Racing Team, 5:57
16 Emily Batty (Can) Subaru-Trek, 7:13
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