August 11/12 7:20 am - 2012 Olympic Games: Women's XC UPDATES

Posted by Editoress on 08/11/12
 

Beautiful day in Hadleigh where the women are just about to start.  Since course is so wide open it is going to be hot and the  riders will bake.  Trail will be very dusty.

They begin with a 0.44m start loop then onto the first lap which cuts off to the opening technical climb (knocks off 100m), then five more laps, so basically a start loop and six laps full  for women (one extra lap for the men's race tomorrow).

Race time should be ~ 1.5 hrs

Rob spoke with John Rourke at Subaru-Trek, and Emily is going really well.

Both Canadians (Catharine Pendrel and Emily Batty) are in the first row, along with Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Norway), Julie Bresset (France), Annie Last (Great Britain), Irina Kalentieva (Russia), Sabine Spitz (Germany) and Esther Suss (Switzerland).  Georgia Gould (USA) in second row and Lea Davison (USA) in third. 

Start will be critical because this is going to be a blazing fast race - like Dan Proulx said in interview "expect this to be the fastest race you have ever ridden"

Start

Last got the holeshot with Spitz .

Heading out Last leading with Bresset, Katrin Leumann (Switzerland),

Pendrel sitting 10th and Batty 15th

Start Lap end - 7:40 am

Bresset leading with Last in 2nd, Kalentieva rd, Leumann 4th

Pendrel 10th at  sec

Batty 17th at 25 sec

Annie Last leading and is putting on a good show for the 'hometown".  Bresset on her wheel.  Pendrel now 3rd with

Basically a group of ~10 forming at front.

Lap 1 start - 7:52 am

Last is setting a blistering pace

Now a group of 4 forming, Last, Bresset, Pndrel and Spitz, but Spitz is stuggling on some of the more technical sections

Bresset now leading and upping the pace.

Gould 7th, Davison 13th

Batty well back in 24th at 1:44 back

7:57 am

Lead group of 4 had been starting to open the gap to the chasers: Nash, Kalentieva,Gould, but now that bunch is closing it

8:01 am

Spitz has now taken the lead with Pendrel in 2nd and Bresset 3rd.  They have opened the gap again on the chasers

8:03 am

Bresset, Pendrel, Spitz, Last with Kalentieva closing

Lap 2

Starting the 2nd lap

Bresset leading Spitz and Pendrel.

Gould now 4th at 5 sec, Last 5th at 10 sec, Kalentieva 6th, Nash 7th, Leumann 8th, Tanja Zakelj (Slovenia) 9th and Esther Suss (Switzerland) 10th at 34 sec

Batty 25th at 2:37

8:07 am

Bresset and Spitz have attacked.  Gould and Pendrel chasing

Gould has now joined the leaders and Pendrel is 4th but off the back

Lap 3

Starting the 3rd lap

Bresset and Spitz with Gould at 2 sec.  Kalentieva  and Pendrel 4th

Bresset attacks again.  Spitz chasing in 2nd and Gould 3rd.

8:18 am

Lap 4 start

Heading out Bresset leading Spitz by 4 sec.  Gould 3rd at 6 sec. Kalentieva 4th at 32 sec, Last 5th at , Suss, Pendrel 7th at 48 sec

Batty who is racing with a broken clavicle is 25th

8:21 am

Spitz crashes in rocks.  Gould has to stop

Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Norway) is out with a flat

8:25 am

Bresset is sill flying and opening a gap on Gould now 2nd and chasing alone at 20s. Spitz starting to flag and is at 23 s, Kalentieva 4th at 41 s, Last 5th at 56 s, Suss 6th at 1:04, Pendrel 7th at 1:17

Lap 5 start

Bresset, Spitz at 33s, Gould 3rd at 38s, Kalentieva 4th at 56 s, Last 5th at 1:22, Suss 6th at 1:25

Pendrel 8th at 1:49

1/2 way   8:39 am

Bresset, Spitz at 40 sec, Gould at 48 sec, Kalentieva 4th at 1:08, Suss 5th at 1:35, Last 6th at 1:45

Pendrel 8th at 2:06

Lap 6

Setting out on the final lap

Bresset leading with Spitz at 57s  Gould 3rd at 58 s. Kalentieva 4th at 1:23, Suss 5th at 1:53

9th Pendrel at 2:24

11 Davison 3:59

1/2 way

Bresset still going strong with Spitz 2nd at 57s, 3 Gould at 1min, 4 Kalentieva 1:29, 5 Suss 1:52,

9 Pendrel 2:54

Finish  UNOFFICIAL

1 Julie Bresset (France), 1:30:52

2 Sabine Spitz (Germany) at 1:02
3 Georgia Gould (USA) 1:08