August 13/14 18:54 pm - More Windham Race Notes

Posted by Editor on 08/13/14
 

Our correspondent Emil van Dijk has put together a few more notes from the Windham mountain bike World Cup:

- Max Plaxton (Cannondale Factory Racing) did not take the start after battling a virus in the days leading up to the race.

- "Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip van Winkle" were two sections of the cross-country course named in honour of Washington Irving, American author of the short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip van Winkle", the latter being set in the Catskill Mountains, which encompasses the race's host town of Windham, New York.

- A big thank you to Ian Hughes, Cycling Canada's mountain bike development coach, for providing on-the-spot translation services.

- One of the last pros to switch from a 26"-wheeled bike to a 29er, Absalon has decided it is time to give full-suspension a whirl.  "I always ride with my hardtail but after Meribel I will build a fully suspended bike and I will ride it during the autumn.  For this track and also for Nove Mesto it's important to have the fully suspended option."  Having said that, he realizes his current riding style isn't suited to a full-suspension bike: "My way of pedaling is not good for fully suspended because I'm always standing up on the pedals."

- Having completed his bachelor's degree in physiology at McGill, Mitchell Bailey is commencing a master's degree in biotechnology at the University of San Francisco

- Lots of family and friends of Canadian riders made the trip south of the border to cheer on their loved ones.