Cross-Country WC round #4
Blow-by-blow by uci.ch
Races at high altitude often have a few surprises in store. And that was definitely the case today at 6500 feet. The women were the first to appear on the scene on a fairly wet circuit. That's when we were hit with the first surprise: Gunn-Rita Dahle (Nor; Multivan Merida Biking Team), Irina Kalentieva (Rus; Topeak Ergon) and Sabine Spitz (Ger; Central Ghost) did not come to Andorra! All three have pulled out of the World Cup to make final preparation for the World Champ's and Olympics.
So World Cup #4 was different from the onset. It was the Spaniard Margarita Fullana who made the most of the absence by the "big three". The former World Champion (1999 and 2000), who has already won thirteen World Cup events in her career so far, appeared in top form. Behind her the Canadian Marie-Helene Premont (Rocky Mountain) tried her best to narrow the gap. But the surprise came from Eva Lechner. The Italian Colnago Team rider, European Champion last year in the Under-23 category, clung to second place. Eventually, in a little less than two hours, the Iberian rider, Margarita Fullana, achieved her fourteenth World Cup victory while her young rival (Eva Lechner) climbed onto the podium for the first time. After a good come back, Premont finished third and holds onto her lead in the World Cup XC Series.
Among the men, riders put a price on Julien Absalon's head after his three straight victories this season. At the outset, the Olympic Champion fell. More lucid, Christoph Sauser took the lead. A group of seven men gathered behind him but before long, it was the amazing Burry Stander, the Under-23 winner in Madrid, who chased after the Swiss Specialized rider. Two laps from the end of the race, the South African made an incredible comeback to overtake Sauser, victim of a puncture. But Sauser, the current Marathon World Champion, still had it in him to come back. Stander fell and was overcome by cramps. This was enough for Sauser, who took over to take his twelfth World Cup victory. Stander finished second and Geoff Kabush, Canadian and Norba Champion, third.
CROSS-COUNTRY RESULTS
1. Christoph Sauser (Swi)...Specialized...2.02.16
2. Burry Stander (RSA)...GT...+0.09
3. Geoff Kabush (Can)...Maxxis...0.18
4. Lukas Flückiger (Swi)...Athleticum...1.09
5. Cedric Ravanel (Fra)...Lapierre...1.42
6. Todd Wells (USA)...GT...2.17
7. Tony Longo (Ita)...Full-Dynamix-It...2.28
8. Sergio Mantecon Gutierrez (Spa)...Cemelorca-Seguros10...2.52
9. Inaki Lejarreta Errasti (Spa)...Orbea...3.02
10. Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe)...Full-Dynamix-It...3.13
11. Julien Absalon (Fra)...Orbea...3.48
16. Adam Craig (USA)...Giant...4.37
31. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (USA)...Subaru-GF...7.53
40. Samuel Schultz (USA)...Subaru-Gary Fisher...10.10
41. Jeremiah Bishop (USA)...Trek-VW...10.31
58. Michael Broderick (USA)...Kenda-Seven...14.11
WOMEN
1. Margarita Fullana (Spa)...Massi...1.44.34
2. Eva Lechner (Ita)...Colnago Cap Arreghini...+1.43
3. Marie-Helene Premont (Can)...Rky Mtn...1.55
4. Catherine Pendrel (Can)...Luna Chix...2.19
5. Nathalie Schneitter (Swi)...Colnago Cap Arreghini...3.16
6. Katerina Nash (Cze)...Luna Chix...3.41
7. Tereza Hurikova (Cze)...Ceska Sporitelna...4.14
8. Petra Henzi (Swi)...Fischer-BMC...4.25
9. Laurence Leboucher (Fra)...4.40
10. Nina Homovec (Slo)...5.38
14. Mary McConneloug (USA)...Kenda-Seven...7.17
17. Georgia Gould (USA)...Luna Chix...8.30
20. Willow Koerber (USA) Subaru-Gary Fisher...10.01
24. Lea Davison (USA)...Trek-VW...11.32
27. Heather Irmiger (USA)...Subaru-Gary Fisher...12.03
40. Susan Haywood (USA)...Trek-VW...17.34