August 2/09 14:32 pm - Bromont World Cup: Men's XC UPDATES

Posted by Editoress on 08/2/09
 

The men have started and are on the first of 6 laps.

The rain is coming down in what can be described as torrential.  Riders were joking on the startline that this would be a swimming World Cup.

A South African photographer commented that he was very tired of this country's weather and wanted to go home!!

Lap 1

Ralph Näf (Multivan Merida Biking Team) got the holeshot and then took the lead.

As they finish the lap there are 5 riders within seconds of the leader Ralph Näf.  Absalon is at 2 seconds, Florian Vogel (Scott-Swisspower Mtb-Racing) is 3rd at 10 seconds, Nino Schurter (Scott-Swisspower Mtb-Racing) 4th at s.t and Geoff Kabush (Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain Bicycles) 5th at 15 seconds.

Sam Schultz (Subaru-Gary Fisher) 9th, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher) 21st, Todd Wells (Specialized Factory Racing) 22nd, Derk Zandstra (3Rox racing) 27th, Adam Craig (Giant)  29th, Raphael Gagne 32nd, Seamus McGrath 44th, Max Plaxton 45th

4 riders are already DNF

Lap 2

Absalon has caught and passed Näf on the climb

On the descent through the technical section. Absalon is extending his lead.  There are 3 riders together in 2nd:  Kabush, Näf, and Vogel or Schurter (hard to tell with all the mud on the jerseys and covering numbers.  The rain has backed off and had stopped, for about 10 minutes, and has again returned.

Lap 3

Starting the 3rd lap, Absalon, Kabush at 9 seconds.  Then Schurter, Vogle and Näf together at 15 seconds.  José  Hermida (Multivan Merida Biking Team) 6th. Burry Stander  (Specialized Factory Racing) 7th, Sam Schultz 8th, Ivan Alvarez Gutierrez (Giant Italia Team) 9th, Christoph Sauser (Specialized Factory Racing) 10th

Zandstra up to 27th, Gagne 33rd, McGrath 35th, Widmer 45th

Up the climb, Kabush has caught Absalon

The rain has cleared out all the real diehard fans, but those that have stayed to watch the race are on tehclimb and giving every rider a huge amout of encouragment

The men's 1st lap (18:13) in the heavy rain was still completed much quicker than the 1st lap (18:45) of the Junior Men this morning when it was dry.

After last weeks race at Mont Ste Anne, Geoff Kabush remarked that he felt comfortable riding at Absalon's pace

Lap 4

As they start lap 4, Geoff Kabush in the lead now.  Absalon has disappeared, no word on him.  Näf in 2nd at 27 seconds, Schurter 3rd at 30 seconds, and Vogel 4th at 3 seconds.  Sam Schultz 5th at 1:25, Stander 6th at 1:31, Hermida 7th at 1:50

Adam Craig 16th, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, 23rd, Zandstra 25th, McGrath  30th,

Absalon went through in 36th spot

Raph Gagne just went through in 38th with a flat tire, Widmer 42nd, Andrew Watson 44th, Matt Hadley 47th, Kris Sneddon, 51st, Eric Batty, 54th, Benoit Simard, 59th

Lap 5

Starting the 5th lap Kabush goes through with a 1:30 gap on Näf.  Vogel at 1:30, , Schurter at 2 min.  Schultz has flatted and been passed by Stander, Hermida and Alvarez .  Todd Wells 11th, Craig 12th, Sauser 13th

Last Lap

Kabush, Näf at 2:07, Hermida 3rd at 2:41, Vogel 4th at 2:56, Lukas Flückiger (Trek World Racing) 5th 3:00 back, Schurter 6th at 3:02, Stander 7th at 3 min,  Gutierrez 8th,   Wells 9th, Craig 10th

Zandstra 21st, Watson 26th, McGrath 27th,

Final

Geoff Kabush wins his first World Cup and the first win for a Canadian man since 2003 when Ryder Hesjedal won in Les Gets

1 Geoff Kabush (Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain Bicycles), 1:52:39

2 José Hermida  (Multivan Merida Biking Team) at 1:31

3 Ralph Näf (Multivan Merida Biking Team), 1:51

4 Florian Vogel (Scott-Swisspower Mtb-Racing), 2:10

5 Lukas Flückiger (Trek World Racing), 2:22