September 4/09 19:38 pm - MTB World Championships: Women's XC UPDATES

Posted by Editoress on 09/4/09
 

Welcome to our coverage of the 2nd last XC event at the 2009 MTB World Championships in Canberra Australia.

The 5 lap women's race will start shortly under sunny clear skies but since it is spring down unnder it is somewhat chilly with a bit of a breeze adding a bite.

All but one of the top ranked riders are in attendance - Elisabeth Osl (Austria) injured her knee in Mont Ste Anne. There are 50 riders listed to start, but a s always there will be some last minute DNS'.  One such DNS we already know about is one of the favoured rider Olympic silver medalist Maja Wloszczowska (Poland), who crashed on the Hammerhead and is reported to have broken her jaw.

Canada has 4 starters:  Catharine Pendrel, Marie-Helene Premont , Amanda Sin and Mical Dyck

Favourites for the win today will be: Irina Kalentieva (Russian Federation), Sabine Spitz (Germany), Lene Byberg (Norway), Catharine Pendrel (Canada)

The defending Champion is Margarita Fullana (Spain) and the long climb favours her talents, but the technical sections may give her a lot of difficulty.

Lap 1

Petra Henzi (Switzerland) and Eva Lechner (Italy) lead from the start.  Pendrel sitting 5th

Into the technical section and Lechner crashes and Cécile Rode Ravanel (France) takes the lead, followed by Irina Kalentieva (Russian Federation) Eva Lechner (Italy)

As predicted, Fullana is having a lot of difficulty on this course and is well back

At the 1st feedzone. Lechner and Rhode have dropped Kalentieva .  Pendrel sitting 5th now at 20 seconds back.  A chase group with Sabine Spitz (Germany), Lene Byberg (Norway) and 4 others is another few seconds back.  Marie-Helene Premont (Canada) is sitting ~ 1 min back .  Amanda Sin (Canada) at 1:50

Heading to the end of the lap and there is now a group of 7 at the front as they head out for lap 2

Lap 2

Crossing the line there are 6 all with the same time of 20:58 : Lene Byberg (Norway), Cécile Rode Ravanel (France), Eva Lechner (Italy), Catharine Pendrel (Canada), Sabine Spitz (Germany), Willow Koerber (United States Of America), 

7th is Anna Szafraniec (Poland) 

Premont 10th at 43 seconds. Dyck 12th, Sin 30th, 

Up the climb, Spitz leading Byberg, the Pendrel, Rode Ravanel, Koerber

Into the Tech zone Spitz has the lead, followed by Byberg and they have small 15 sec gap on 2 chasers, Rode Ravenel  and Koerber.  Pendrel has been having some problems getting the rhythm of the course and is now back by in 5th at 28 seconds. 

Heading to the end of the lap, Byberg leading with ~ 8 sec on Spitz. 

Lap 3

Across the line:  Byberb, Spitz at 5 sec, Koerber at 14 sec, Rode Ravanel at 17 sec, Pendrel and Anna Szafraniec (Poland) both at 42 sec..  

Katie Compton (USA) 8th, Heather Irmiger (USA) 11th,  Fullana 13th, Georgia Gould (USA) 15th, Premont 16th,  Dyck 20th , Sin 29th

Going through the Cardiac and Cadavar,  Pendrel in 5th and looks to be more comfortable

Through the feedzone, Byberg 18 sec on Spitz and Koerber , Rode Ravanel 4th,   Pendrel 5th at 45 sec. 

Compton 9th at 1:40, Premont and Gould together in 15th at 2:55. Dyck 19th at 3:40, Sin at 5:48

Lap 4

Heading out on the 4th lap, it is Byberg, Koerber 2nd at 20 sec. Spitz 3rd at 21 sec, Rode Ravanel at 43sec, Kalentieva 5th at 50 sec, Pendrel 6th at 54 sec,  Szafraniec 7th at 1:10, Compton 8th , Lechner 9th, Irmiger 10th

Premont 14th, Gould 15th, Fullana 16th, Dyck 19th, Sin 29th

Marie-Helene has announced that she will continue to race in 2010

At the top of Cardiac:  Byberg, then Spitz and Koerber at 14 sec.  Kalentieva and  Pendrel together at 35 sec. 

Through the feedzone: Byberg then Spitz and Koerber at 23 sec. Kalentieva at 33 sec and really on a charge. Pendrel and Szafraniec at  1 min. Rode Ravanel at 1:20.  Premont is 3:36 back. 

As they head to the end of the 4th lap, Byberg still leading, but now there are 3 chasers:  Spitz, Koerber and Kalentieva

Lap 5 - Final lap

Byberg crosses to start the last lap with a gap of 19 sec on Koerber.  Kalentieva now 3rd at 29 sec. Spitz 4th at 34 sec, Szafraniec 5th  , Pendrel 6th, Rode Ravanel 7th, Esther Süss (Switzerland) 8th, Lechner 9th, Compton 10th

Premont  13th

At Cardiac, Byberg still leading bu looking tired, but Kalentieva is now in 2nd and still moving up.  Koerber 3rd

Kalentieva- who was having chain suck problems in the early part of lap 1 and was 21st crossing the line, has just caught Byberg with just over 1/2 a lap to go

Koerber is still 3rd but tiring. Spitz 4th, Szafraniec 5th, Pendrel 6th

Into the singletrack section after the 1st feedzone and Kalentieva has gone to the front and gapped Byberg.  2.5 km to go

Korber 2nd at 30 sec, Spitz 4th at 1 min, Szafraniec 5th at 1:21, Pendrel 6th at 1:32, Rode Ravanel 7th at 2:38, Lechner and Süss 8th at 3:23

Premont 11th?

Final

1 Irina Kalentieva (Russian Federation) 1:43:20

2 Lene Byberg (Norway) at 0:13

3 Willow Koerber (United States Of America) 0:52

4 Sabine Spitz (Germany) 1:30

5 Anna Szafraniec (Poland) 1:37

6 Catharine Pendrel (Canada) 2:36

Mical Dyck crashed on the last lap and it is suspected she has a broken wrist and maybe a concussion

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