July 1/00 11:20 am - Dual Story

Posted by Editor on 07/1/00
 

Mont Ste Anne World Cup
It was an evening of firsts at the Mont Ste Anne Dual. First time Katrina Miller (Jamis) was back in competition after a separated shoulder before the first round in Les Get, France. First chance for Miller and Anne-Caroline Chausson (Volvo-Cannondale) to meet in a Dual. First win for Cedric Gracia (Volvo-Cannondale). First time the starting gate ever broken down... Gracia and Chausson were the victors in this event of firsts, but the story is more about the other activities that took place than the final races.

The course was both the most fair and the most difficult the riders have faced. The most fair because all the riders agreed that there was no preferred lane. "I had lane choice for the final, and I couldn't decide which one was better." said second place finisher Scott Beaumont (Kona). Third place Steve Peat (GT) agreed "Eric (Carter - GT) worked with the organizers for hours to put together this course. It was excellent."

The women were facing possibly the most difficult course they had ever raced on - too difficult said some. However, UCI Technical Delegate Martin Whitely countered "The women need to get pulled up another level if they are ever to progress. In the downhill they were having problems 2-3 years ago, and only Chausson could really do the courses. Now, look - there are 3 or 4 women who could win. The same will happen in Dual."

The women agreed, even Katrina Miller who stacked it up badly on the double jump three-quarters of the way down in her semi, breaking her bike in two. "There are options at every jump, so you can't say it is too hard. it's your own choice if you take the jumps."

In the men's event, the first big name to be knocked out was world champion Wade Bootes (Trek-Volkswagen), who crashed in a quarter final heat against Steve Peat. Then it was World Cup leader Brian Lopes (Volvo-Cannondale), crashing down the starting ramp after anticipating the start, and breaking the gate to boot.

After a long delay while organizers tried to fix the gate, it was decided to run the remaining heats with an official shouting Go! This may not have been the optimal solution, but it was the most fair. "It worked out better than I thought" said Scott Beaumont. "The outcome was fair because everyone was sportsmanlike and didn't jump the start."

Race Notes:

- Cheri Elliott (Maxxis) charged straight out of the gate in her semi with Chausson, ignoring the course to head for the double jump, where she dropped her bike and stood underneath Chausson while the world champion soared over her. Chausson: "Cheri told me she was going to do it while we were riding up (to the start), but I didn't really pay attention. Then, when she took off so fast I got worried that she was ahead!" Elliott's stunt and Chausson's skill were crowd pleasers.

- Tara Llanes (Subaru-Specialized) commented on the more difficult course: "For Anne-Caroline, Katrina and me, who come out of BMX, this is okay. But some girls looked at the course and didn't even start."

- Anne-Caroline Chausson: "I like to jump."


Men
1. Cedric Gracia FRA Volvo-Cannondale
2. Scott Baeumont GBR Team Kona
3. Steve Peat GBR Team GT
4. Mike King USA Haro-Lee Dungarees

Women
1. Anne-Caroline Chausson FRA Volvo-Cannondale
2. Tara Llanes USA Subaru-Specialized
3. Katrina Miller AUS Jamis
4. Cheri Elliott USA Maxxis