Julie Bresset BH - Suntour

Bresset Takes Third Win at Windham

Last week at Mont-Stainte-Anne, Catharine Pendrel appeared to crack the code of women's World Cup leader Julie Bresset with her decisive victory, so the anticipation was for a classic battle at round five of the women's cross-country World Cup at Windham, New York. Bresset took the win over Pendrel on the final climb, with Georgia Gould making a late surge to take fifth.

Pendrel won the World Cup overall title with her victory here in Windham last year, and was clearly on form. Bresset had matched the Canadian pedal stroke for pedal stroke last week until her crash, and Windham started the same, with both riders dropping the rest of the field on the first climb.

Bresset & Pendral in the heat of the battle

Pendrel and Bresset attained a 40 second gap over the rest of the field by the end of the first of five laps and never looked back. The duo rode together for the rest of the race with victory coming down to the climb on the last lap. Bresset had the better attack and came over the top in the lead, while Pendrel had some mechanical problems on the descent. Bresset's winning time was 1:35:36, with Pendrel claiming second, 39 seconds back.

"I'm very happy with my win," commented Bresset. "Catharine was very fast today. I attacked at the right time and she couldn't follow me. Catharine was more comfortable on the downhills than I was, and she attacked me many times, but I still had enough strength left to launch the final attack."

Pendrel was philosophical. "Julie was attacking and I was trying to hang on. And then my spare tube fell off on the descent and got caught in my rear wheel. I was hoping to catch her before the line, but what can you do. It was a pretty good day."

Veteran racer Marie-Helene Premont looked a solid bet for third place, based on her strong ride through laps three and four. However, Annika Langvad bridged the gap to catch Premont on the final lap. They rode together to the finishing straight where Langvad carried more speed to claim third, five seconds in front of Premont. As Premont faded she was lucky to stay in front of a charging Georgia Gould, who Premont beat to the line by only one second.

Premont & Gould sprint for 4th place

"I was only a few seconds out of third, because I put in a big effort on the last lap," commented Gould. "Still, I'm happy to finally have a clean World Cup race and make it on the podium."

This was Bresset's third World Cup of the Series and she leads the points standings with 1110. Pendrel remains in second with 920. Bresset seems to have a lock on the Series title unless she has some disastrous finishes in the remaining two races in the Czech Republic and Italy. Premont is third in the series with 630 points.

Top team is the Luna Pro Team with three team members - Pendrel, Gould and Katerina Nash (7th) - all finishing in the top ten.

Jaroslav Kulhavy - Specialized Racing

Kulhavy Cruises To A Win in Windham

The men's cross-country at round five of the World Cup, in Windham, New York, was no contest - World Cup cross-country series leader Jaroslav Kulhavy led from start to finish. His race was one of true dominance, with the Czech rider able to open a lead on the first climb, stretching it to 11 seconds by the end of the first lap and increasing it every lap that followed. Todd Wells recovered from his crash last weekend, was the top North American in 11th place.

It was a truly dominating performance, affording Kulhavy the luxury of backing off on the final lap and still winning by a margin of 29 seconds over second place, as he took his third World Cup victory of the season.

"This course does not suit me as well as Mont Ste Anne last week," commented Kulhavy. "But I decided that I would try to take the lead on the first lap on the climb, and it worked."

Nino Schurter - Scott - Swisspower

With Kulhavy running away from the field, it became very serious business to claim that second place. By lap four there was a chase group of eight hoping to claim a podium spot. Marco Fontana, Nino Schurter and Florian Vogel had a small lead over Christoph Sauser and Maxime Marotte, with Burry Stander, Jose Hermida, and Manuel Fumic just a few seconds behind.

From this select group which includes current and past World Champions, a fight was going to be waged over the last two laps. Schurter and Stander were the first to gain a few seconds advantage, with Sauser in hot pursuit as Fontana began to fade.

Christoph Sauser - Specialized Racing

On the last lap it was Sauser who made the initial attack, with Schurter responding as Stander and Fontana were dropped. Shortly after this move, Stander left Fontana behind. Schurter and Sauser battled hard through the final descent, with Schurter claiming second place, only one second clear of Sauser. Stander soloed in alone for fourth, 18 seconds behind third place and Marotte hung on for fifth to complete the podium.

Sauser was very pleased with his third place. He has not had a top three finish since 2008. This is on top of his Marathon World Championship victory in Italy in June. "It has been two amazing weeks. It was great to be able to make the switch back to cross country. I had a good race. I just couldn’t shake Nino on that last climb."

Todd Wells - Specialized Racing

Top North American was Todd Wells in 11th place, 3:04 behind. Wells had been targeting Windham for a top-five result, so he was not completely satisfied. "Last week I had great form and was riding well, but just had a stupid crash. So I knew I was strong, but I just didn't put it together. So I'm happy to have a better race here. Here in Windham, I knew I was riding good, so i was hoping to do a top five. I made it up to ninth, and was dueling with Mathias and Lukas, but those guys are awesome, and they just got me at the end."

Geoff Kabush - Team Maxxis

Next North American and top Canadian finisher was Geoff Kabush in 18th place at 4:18. Kabush was looking to improve on his seventh place finish last week, but mechanical issues cost him many places in the last two laps. Due to some low finishes early in the season in Europe, Kabush was starting well back from the front (25th position) and had been steadily working his way up through the field through to lap four. Then the problems happened. "I was really charging. I got up to eighth or ninth and then I had problems with the rear wheel. I had to stop and change it. I lost a bunch of time and rhythm and had to try to chase. It was a bit frustrating."

With his third win of the season Kulhavy now has 1110 points to second placed Schurter's 870. In third place in the points race is Julien Absalon, who decided not to race in North America. Even with only three races to his credit this season Absalon has 650 points.

Elite Men

1 Jaroslav Kulhavy (Cze) Specialized Racing 1:35:34

2 Nino Schurter (Sui) Scott - Swisspower MTB - Racing at 0:29

3 Christoph Sauser (Sui) Specialized Racing 0:30

4 Burry Stander (RSA) Specialized Racing 0:48

5 Maxime Marotte (Fra) BH - Suntour - Peisey Vallandry 1:14

6 Marco Aurelio Fontana (Ita) Cannondale Factory Racing 1:24

7 José Antonio Hermida Ramos (Esp) Multivan Merida Biking Team 1:33

8 Stéphane Tempier (Fra) TX Active Bianchi 2:39

9 Lukas Flückiger (Sui) Trek World Racing 2:49

10 Mathias Flückiger (Sui) Trek World Racing 2:52

11 Todd Wells (USA) Specialized Racing 3:04

12 Florian Vogel (Sui) Scott - Swisspower MTB - Racing 3:24

13 Manuel Fumic (Ger) Cannondale Factory Racing 3:24

14 Thomas Litscher (Sui) Felt Oetztal X - Bionic Team 3:36

15 Rudi Van Houts (Ned) Multivan Merida Biking Team 3:45

16 Patrik Gallati (Sui) BMC Mountainbike Racing Team 3:47

17 Liam Killeen (GBr) Giant Factory Off-Road Team 4:01

18 Geoff Kabush (Can) Team Maxxis - Rocky Mountain 4:18

19 Adam Craig (USA) Rabobank - Giant Off-Road Team 4:26

20 Cédric Ravanel (Fra) GT Skoda Chamonix 4:30

21 Jan Skarnitzl (Cze) Rubena - Birell - Specialized Cycling Team 4:51

22 Sergio Mantecon Gutierrez (Esp) Wildwolf - Trek Racing 4:57

23 Jochen Kass (Ger) Multivan Merida Biking Team 5:04

24 Inaki Lejarreta Errasti (Esp) Orbea 5:10

25 Matous Ulman (Cze) S&H Superior MTB Team 5:14

26 Marc Colom (Fra) Team Newcycling 5:18

27 Fabian Giger (Sui) Rabobank - Giant Off-Road Team 5:21

28 Ralph Näf (Sui) Multivan Merida Biking Team 5:21

29 Jeremiah Bishop (USA) Cannondale USA 5:37

30 Martin Fanger (Sui) Giant Swiss SR - Suntour 5:51

31 Kohei Yamamoto (Jpn) Team Bridgestone Anchor 6:05

32 Ivan Alvarez Gutierrez (Esp) Giant Italia Team 6:41

33 Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (USA) Subaru - Trek 6:56

34 Derek Zandstra (Can) 3Rox Racing 7:04

35 Andras Parti (Hun) Euro One - Cube MTB Team 7:13

36 Marek Galinski (Pol) JBG - 2 Professional MTB Team 7:25

37 Pascal Meyer (Sui) Thoemus Racing Team 7:35

38 Martin Gujan (Sui) Cannondale Factory Racing 7:38

39 Severin Disch (Sui) Thoemus Racing Team 7:43

40 Wolfram Kurschat (Ger) Topeak Ergon Racing Team 7:54

41 Oliver Beckingsale (GBr) 8:08

42 Pierre-Geoffroy Plantet (Fra) Lapierre International 8:49

43 Moritz Milatz (Ger) Bmc Mountainbike Racing Team 9:05

44 Henk Jaap Moorlag (Ned) Rabobank - Giant Off-Road Team 9:16

45 Sam Schultz (USA) Subaru - Trek 9:24

46 Lukas Kaufmann (Sui) 9:29

47 Carlos Coloma Nicolas (Esp) Wildwolf - Trek Racing 9:42

48 Matthew Hadley (Can) XPREZO-BORSAO 9:46

49 Emil Lindgren (Swe) Rabobank - Giant Off-Road Team 10:02

50 Lachlan Norris (Aus) Giant Factory Off-Road Team 10:06

51 Rotem Ishai (Isr) 10:14

52 Adam Morka (Can) Trek Canada 10:20

53 Benjamin Wittrup Justesen (Den) 10:24

54 Michal Lami (Svk) 10:42

55 Sepp Freiburghaus (Sui) Thoemus Racing Team 10:43

56 Karl Markt (Aut) Felt Oetztal X - Bionic Team 10:51

57 Irjan Luttenberg (Ned) MPL Specialized MTB Team 11:04

58 Andrew Watson (Can) Norco Factory Team 11:29

59 Peter Glassford (Can) Trek Canada 11:56

60 Jiri Novak (Cze) S&H Superior MTB Team 12:28

61 Eric Batty (Can) Trek Canada 12:32

62 Spencer Paxson (USA) Kona 13:10

63 Niels Wubben (Ned) Rabobank - Giant Off-Road Team 14:00

64 Pierre Lebreton (Fra) BH - Suntour - Peisey Vallandry 14:19

65 Uwe Hochenwarter (Aut) Muskelkater Genesis Team -1 Lap

66 José Juan Escarcega (Mex) -1 Lap

67 Cristobal Silva Ibaceta (Chi) -1 Lap

68 Justin Lindine (USA) -1 Lap

69 Seiya Hirano (Jpn) Team Bridgestone Anchor -1 Lap

70 Troy Wells (USA) -1 Lap

71 Travis Woodruff (USA) -1 Lap

72 Michael Broderick (USA) Kenda/Seven/Notubes -1 Lap

73 Klaus Nielsen (Den) -1 Lap

74 Nicola Rohrbach (Sui) Elettroveneta - Corratec -1 Lap

75 Cameron Jette (Can) 3 Rox Racing -1 Lap

76 Ignacio Torres (Mex) Turbo Bike Team -2 Laps

77 Christian Bickel (Sui) -2 Laps

78 Marc-Andre Daigle (Can) -2 Laps

79 Leni Trudel (Can) -2 Laps

80 Emmanuel Valencia (Mex) Turbo Bike Team -2 Laps

81 Christopher Hamlin (USA) -2 Laps

82 Michael Mccalla (USA) -3 Laps

83 Alex Ryan (USA) -3 Laps

Elite Women

1 Julie Bresset (Fra) BH - Suntour - Peisey Vallandry 1:35:36

2 Catharine Pendrel (Can) Luna Pro Team 0:39

3 Annika Langvad (Den) Team Easton Rockets 1:24

4 Marie-Helene Premont (Can) Team Maxxis - Rocky Mountain 1:29

5 Georgia Gould (USA) Luna Pro Team 1:30

6 Irina Kalentieva (Rus) Topeak Ergon Racing Team 1:49

7 Katerina Nash (Cze) Luna Pro Team 2:02

8 Blaza Klemencic (Slo) Felt Oetztal X - Bionic Team 2:14

9 Elisabeth Osl (Aut) Ghost Factory Racing Team 2:15

10 Maja Wloszczowska (Pol) CCC Polkowice 2:33

11 Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Nor) Multivan Merida Biking Team 2:34

12 Tanja Zakelj (Slo) Orbea Geax 3:02

13 Katherine Compton (USA) Rabobank - Giant Off-Road Team 3:25

14 Adelheid Morath (Ger) Felt Oetztal X - Bionic Team 4:37

15 Lea Davison (USA) Specialized Racing 4:55

16 Cécile Ravanel (Fra) GT Skoda Chamonix 5:08

17 Esther Süss (Sui) Wheeler - iXS pro team 5:39

18 Emily Batty (Can) Subaru - Trek 5:55

19 Annie Last (GBr) British National Team 6:12

20 Alexandra Engen (Swe) Rothaus Poison-Bikes 6:14

21 Eva Lechner (Ita) Colnago Farbe Sudtirol 6:16

22 Lene Byberg (Nor) Specialized Racing 7:10

23 Elisabeth Brandau (Ger) Central Haibike Pro Team 7:33

24 Katrin Leumann (Sui) Ghost Factory Racing Team 7:44

25 Heather Irmiger (USA) Subaru - Trek 8:08

26 Tereza Hurikova (Cze) Central Haibike Pro Team 8:09

27 Laura Turpijn (Ned) Team Merida Combee 8:11

28 Anja Gradl (Ger) Ghost Factory Racing Team 8:12

29 Karen Hanlen (NZl) 8:52

30 Amanda Sin (Can) 3Rox Racing 9:03

31 Marielle Saner-Guinchard (Sui) Bikepark.ch Scott 9:06

32 Mary McConneloug (USA) Kend/Seven/Notubes 9:58

33 Sabrina Enaux (Fra) Felt Oetztal X - Bionic Team 10:37

34 Hanna Klein (Ger) Rothaus Poison-Bikes 11:21

35 Jean Ann Berkenpas (Can) 11:42

36 Catherine Vipond (Can) Norco Factory Team 11:43

37 Judy Freeman (USA) 12:12

38 Nina Homovec (Slo) Orbea Geax 13:17

39 Sandra Walter (Can) 13:44

40 Mical Dyck (Can) Trek Canada 14:27

41 Erin Huck (USA) 14:52

42 Katherine O'Shea (Aus) 15:04

43 Laura Lorenza Morfin Macouzet (Mex) 15:14

44 Krista Park (USA) 15:24

45 Ann Berglund (Swe) 16:46

46 Katherine Sherwin (USA) 17:04

47 Cindy Montambault (Can) 17:15

48 Daniela Campuzano (Mex) Turbo Bike Team 17:42

49 Sarah Kaufmann (USA) 18:00

50 Nathalie Schneitter (Sui) Colnago Farbe Sudtirol -1 Lap

51 Carolyn Popovic (USA) -1 Lap

52 Zephanie Blasi (USA) -1 Lap

53 Bryna Blanchard (USA) -1 Lap

54 Rowena Fry (Aus) -2 Laps

55 Meghan Korol (USA) -3 Laps

Photos and story by Rob "Back to Europe" Jones