September 1/11 10:56 am - MTB World Championships: U23 Women XC UPDATES

Posted by Editoress on 09/1/11
 

The U23 women are on course.  They will do a start loop (3 km) and 5 laps of the 4.8 km course.

The Favourite has to be Julie Bresset (France), 2011 World Cup winner, but on this course, with its hazards?  anything can happen.  Great Britain's Annie Last has been improving all season and has had some good results of late and the U23 World Cup winner Pauline Ferrand Prevot (France) could surprize.

There are 46 entries with 3 of the 4 Canadians taking the start. Mikaela Kofman, Andréanne Pichette, Laura Bietola (Canada).  Rebecca Beaumont had to withdraw after injury

Lap 1

Heading out onto the first full lap Julie Bresset (France) leading Annie Last (Great Britain) by 3 sec. Pauline Ferrand Prevot (France) 3rd at 19 sec.  Yana Belomoyna (Ukraine) 4th at 26 sec, Vivienne Meyer (Switzerland) 5th at 27 sec,

Pichette 25th, Kofman 27th, Bietola 47th

Barbara Benko (Hungary) a top U23 has dropped out

Lap 2   11:25 am ET

Bresset leading as they head out onto lap 2, with Last 2nd at 26 sec.  Ferrand Prevot 3rd at 1:41

Vivienne Meyer (Switzerland) 4th at 2:02, Yana Belomoyna (Ukraine) 5th at 2:14

Pichette 23rd, Kofman 24th, Bietola 38th

Lap 3  11:40 am ET

Bresset extending her lead as they head out onto lap 3, Last still in 2nd at 41 sec.  Ferrand Prevot 3rd but losing ground, her gap is now 2:48

Pichette 22nd, Kofman 26th, Bietola lapped

Lap 4  11:58 am ET

Bresset still leading Anne Last and the gap is 47 sec as they head out onto the 2nd last lap. 

Ferrand Prevot 3rd but with no chance of catching the 2 ahead of her - gap now 3:44.  Anne Terpstra (Netherlands) has now moved into 4tyh spot at 4:55 back, Helen Grobert (Germany) 5th at 5:10

Pichette 22nd, Kofman lapped

Last lap

Heading out on the final lap, Bresset has 1:16 on Annie Last, Ferrand Prevot 3rd at 4:58 back.  Helen Grobert (Germany) 4th at 6:36, Terpstra 5th at 6:38

Pichette lapped

This is amazing.  All but the 15 of the 44 starters have been lapped by Bresset.

Final

UNOFFICIAL

1 Julie Bresset (France), 1:32:29

2 Annie Last (Great Britain) at 1:30

3 Pauline Ferrand Prevot (France), 5:47

Course Profile

Related Photo Galleries