September 3/11 7:13 am - MTB World Championships: Elite Women XC Updates
Posted by Editoress on 09/3/11
The sun again greeted the riders, spectators and fans alike today. The temperature is also up considerably, now high 20's and will probably hit low 30's soon.
69 women on the start list, but we knew before that Lene Byberg (Norway) will not start after she crashed and cracked her fibula in training. Today's list of DNS' also includes 8 additional names: Anna Szafraniec (Poland), Anna Villar Argente (Spain), Hanna Klein (Germany), Pavlina Sulcova (Czech Republic), Carina Kirssi (Finland), Ann Berglund (Sweden), Andrea Kirsic (Croatia), Liliana Alejandra Uzcategui Vasquez (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela)
6 Canadians on the start list:Catharine Pendrel, Marie-Helene Premont, Emily Batty, Amanda Sin, Jean Ann Berkenpas and Catherine Vipond
Catherine Pendrel's comment today on her Facebook page "World Champs today in Champery, Switzerland. Legs feel good, skies are blue and clear...so far. I feel ready."
Catharine is one of the favourites, but defending champ Maja Wloszczowska (Poland) will be one to watch. As will Irina Kalentieva (Russian Federation), Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Norway),
Women will do a start loop of 3 km and 6 full laps of the 4.8 km course
Premont will be riding a new Rocky Mountain 29'er, a carbon Vortex. Hoefully it will be at the ExpoCycle trade show next weekend, which, BTW, is open to the public for the first time ever on Saturday September 10th
Start
Off to a fast start. Blaza Klemencic (Slovenia) and Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Norway) leading around the start loop
First time up the climb and Wloszczowska and Pendrel leading
Batty and Premont got caught in traffic at teh top of the climb
Lap 1
Heading out onto lap 1, Wloszczowska leading Pendrel by 3 sec. Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Norway) 3rd at 12 sec, Eva Lechner (Italy) 4th at 13 sec
Premont 9th at 43 sec, Batty 10th at s.t., Berkenpas 40th at 1:51, Vipond 43rd at 1:55, Sin 50th at 2:20
Katherine Compton (USA) has crashed and lost a lot of places.
7:43 am ET
Wloszczowska and Pendrel still leading, working together to extend their gap to the chasers. Eva Lechner (Italy) and Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Norway) are together with Irina Kalentieva (Russian Federation) a few seconds behind
Emily Batty sitting top 10
7:48 am
Through the feedzone and the gap from leaders to chasers Lechner and Dahle is 15 seconds now/ Kalentieva has joined them.
7:50 am
At the top of the climb through the hairpi the gap is 25 sec
Batty is now sitting 6th
Lap 2 (of 6)
Leaders heading out onto the 2nd lap with at 29 sec gap on Lechner, Kalentieva 4th at 39 sec, Dahle 5th at 41 sec, Batty 6th at 1:20, Sabine Spitz (Germany) 7th at 1:29, Alexandra Engen (Sweden) 8th at s.t., Marie-Helene Premont (Canada) 9th at 1:33
Wloszczowska and Pendrel still together with Lechner alone in 3rd with Kalentieva chasing and closing in 4th and Dahle 5th but starting to trail off.
Batty still sitting 6th, but Spitz, Engen, Joseph and Premont are starting to close on her
Lots of crashes in the wet slippery roots: Georgia Gould (USA), Katie Compton (USA), Katerina Nash (Czech Republic) have all crashed
Lots of 29'ers starting to show up these days.
8:07 am
Wloszczowska has had a flat and is running to the Tech zone
Lap 3
Pendrel heads out onto lap 3 with a time of 39:19. Lechner 2nd at 51 sec, Kalentieva 3rd at 52 sec and Wloszczowska 4th at 53 sec, Dahle 5th at 1:07, Batty 6th at 2:30, Spitz 7th at 2:31, Jospeh 8th at 2:32, Alexandra Engen (Sweden) 9th at 2:32, Nathalie Schneitter (Switzerland) 10th at 2:32
Premont 12th
Lea Davison (USA) 13th
Berkenpas 37th
Vipond 31st
Sin 35th
Kalentieva has had a mechanical
8:17 am ET
Pendrel, Lechner at 48 sec, Dahle at 1:07
Wloszczowska and Kalentieva are starting to close the gap at 1:16 and 1:20 back
8:22 am ET
Dahle, Wloszczowska, Kalentieva all together now
8:24 am ET
Up the big climb and around the hairpin Wloszczowska back into 3rd spot and the gap to the leader, Pendrel is 1:16
Lap 4 8:26 am
Pendrel heads out onto the 4th lap. Lechner 2nd at 1:05, Wloszczowska chasing in 3rd at 1:15, Kalentieva 4th at 1:23, Dahle 5th at 1:35
Nathalie Schneitter (Switzerland) 6th at 2:49, Batty 7th at 3:09, Rosara Joseph (New Zealand) 8th at 3:10, Premont 9th at 3:37, Blaza Klemencic (Slovenia) 10th at 3:49
Davison 12th at 4:12, Heather Irmiger (USA) 14th
8:31 am ET
Wloszczowska is closing the gap to Lechner. Kalentieva 4th but goes down in the roots
8:33 am - 1/2 way around lap 4
Lechner and Wloszczowska together at 1:01 back
Kalentieva 4th at 1:16
Dahle at 1:39
Schneitter at 2:45
8:35 am ET
Wloszczowska has now dropped Lechner
8:38 am ET
Lechner has gotten herself back onto the wheel of Wloszczowska
8:40 am ET
At the top of the last climb on teh lap, Lechner and Wloszczowska are still at ~ 1 mi behind Pendrel
Lap 5 (2 to go) 8:43 am ET
Heading out onto the 5th lap PEndrel goes through with a lead of 1:02 on Lechner and Wloszczowska. Kalentieva 4th at 1:22
Dahle still 5th, but she has a crash in the roots just before the finish and her gap is 2:24. Schneitter 6th at 2:57. Batty and Joseph together at 3:23 and 3:24
Premont 9th at 3:37
Davison (USA) 12th 4:50
Irmiger (USA) 13th 4:59
Berkenpas 28th at 8:05 back
Vipond 30th
Both Wloszczowska and Kalentieva are are starting to get tired and beginning to struggle in the wet roots.
8:50 am ET
1/2 way around the 5th lap. Lechner 2nd at 1 min, Wloszczowska 3rd at 1:02
8:56 am ET
Up the climb before the end of the lap, Wloszczowska has attacked and dropped Lechner
Lap 6 (Last lap) 8:59 am
Pendrel goes through with a gap of 36 sec on Wloszczowska. Lechner 3rd at 1 min. Kalentieva 4th at 1:10
Dahle 5th at 3:03, Schneitter 6th at 3:07, Joseph 7th at 3:39, batty 8th at 3:54, Premont 9th at 4:21
Irmiger 10th at 5:28
Berkenpas 29th
Vipond 31st
Sin 35th
9:07 am ET
1/2 way around the final lap - Pendrel leading with Wloszczowska at 34 seconds back. Lechner 3rd at 1:15, Kalentieva 4th
Schneitter has passed Dahle to move into 5th
9:14 am ET
Up the climb for the last time - Gap between Pendrel and Wloszczowska still 30 sec. Lechner 3rd at 1:30
Final
Unofficial
1 Catharine Pendrel (Canada) 1:46:14
2 Maja Wloszczowska (Poland), at 0:28
3 Eva Lechner (Italy), 1:36
4 Irina Kalentieva (Russian Federation), 2:05
5 Nathalie Schneitter (Switzerland), 3:27
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