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Catharine Pendrel highlights Canadian performances at Mont Sainte Anne World Cup

women's elite podium at the 2015 Mont Sainte Anne World Cup. (Photo: Mathieu Bélanger)
women’s elite podium at the 2015 Mont Sainte Anne World Cup. (Photo: Mathieu Bélanger)

The final day of racing at the Mont Sainte Anne World Cup was dedicated to cross-country athletes. The program included Elite and U23 races for both men and women. The forecasted thunderstorms never materialized though overnight rains had left some sections of the course wet.

Reigning World Champion Catharine Pendrel was the Canadian highlight during the second day of racing at the Mont Sainte Anne Mountain Bike World Cup. Pendrel overcame a slow start to work up to a strong second place finish in the women’s elite olympic cross-country race.

“I think it’s one of my strongest World Cups of the season, and I raced the whole time for the lead,” said Pendrel. “Even though Jolanda had a gap that was probably unreachable, I still tried to focus forward on my best race.”

Catharine Pendrel celebrates her second place finish at the 2015 Mont Sainte Anne World Cup. (Photo: Mathieu Belanger)
Catharine Pendrel celebrates her second place finish at the 2015 Mont Sainte Anne World Cup. (Photo: Mathieu Belanger)

Pendrel briefly fell out of the top ten on the start but recovered to work her way through the field, eventually pulling away from Pauline Ferrand Prevot who finished third.

Nearly the entire race was led by current World Cup leader Jolanda Neff. The Swiss rider was on fire, pulling out a lead of more than 1:15.

“I had a small gap from the beginning and tried to keep that to the finish,” said Neff. “For me it’s the best to ride on my own because then I can ride my own speed as I am riding.”

However, Neff struggled in some of the technical sections of the course. On the final lap, she stumbled twice on the entry to the Beatrice, and saw her lead cut down to just 34 seconds at the finish line.

“Mont Sainte Anne has a reputation for being technically demanding and I think some of the new elements of the course really help to maintain that standard,” said Pendrel.

Trek Factory Racing rider Emily Batty finished in fourth place after overhauling Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa who finished fifth. Batty had designs on trying to catch Prevot but couldn’t bridge the gap.

Emily Batty descends through the Beatrice at the 2015 Mont Sainte Anne World Cup (Photo: Dean Campbell)
Emily Batty descends through the Beatrice at the 2015 Mont Sainte Anne World Cup (Photo: Dean Campbell)

“I had a pretty decent start and was feeling good from the get go,” said Batty. “I was in the lead pack from the mid-point on. I was chasing Pauline and the rainbow stripes ahead of my a few switchbacks up. Gunn-Rita never makes it easy though.”

Scott-3Rox racer Erin Huck finished 22nd overall, followed by Sandra Walter in 38th 26th.

The elite men’s race turned into a duel between Nino Schurter and Julien Absalon. The pair traded the lead through the race while distancing themselves from the rest of the field. On the final lap, Schurter attacked on a climb and opened up a gap over his French rival. By the time the Swiss racer reached the finish line, he won by a margin of 14 seconds.

The men's elite podium at the 2015 Mont Sainte Anne World Cup (Photo: Mathieu Bélanger)
The men’s elite podium at the 2015 Mont Sainte Anne World Cup (Photo: Mathieu Bélanger)

“It was amazing for me,” said Schurter. “It was a hard last lap, but I am really happy for the win. Normally I am a bit better in the technical sections, but today was different. I was struggling in the slippery sections, and I knew if I wanted to win I would have to do it on the uphills. I had super good legs today.”

Florian Vogel claimed the bronze medal, 1:35 back from the winner. Ralph Naef finished fourth, ahead of Stephane Tempier in fifth.

Raphaël Gagné was the top Canadian in the men’s elite race, continuing a trend of strong performances all year long. The Quebec local finished 14th, just behind Jaroslav Kulhavy.

Raphaël Gagné through a technical section at the 2015 Mont Sainte Anne World Cup (Photo: Dean Campbell)
Raphaël Gagné through a technical section at the 2015 Mont Sainte Anne World Cup (Photo: Dean Campbell)

“It feels really good,” said Gagné. “This season proves I have been really consistent at the beginning and middle of the season. I’ve been doing a little less high intensity workout in the first part of the year, so I am able to train more now and keep myself fresh and carry some good fitness.”

Geoff Kabush finished in 33rd. The Canadian would have liked better, but has struggled for most of this season and the result at Mont Sainte Anne was at least a step in the right direction.

Geoff Kabush of Scott-3Rox racing climbs la Marmotte at the 2015 Mont Sainte Anne World Cup (Photo: Dean Campbell)
Geoff Kabush of Scott-3Rox racing climbs la Marmotte at the 2015 Mont Sainte Anne World Cup (Photo: Dean Campbell)

“It was nothing spectacular, but this year has been a real rollercoaster,” said Kabush. “It was nice to have an alright ride here. I didn’t feel super sharp, but I was able to fight, which is more than I was able to do at a bunch of races this year. Hopefully this is something I can build on moving forward.”

Leandre Bouchard finished just ten seconds back from Kabush, having fallen off a faster pace earlier in the event.

Derek Zandstra clocked in a 41st place, while teammate Cameron Jette finished 44th. Norco’s Evan Guthrie claimed 45th. Andrew Watson finished 60th.

The elite races were bookended by the U23 competitions. The men were first on the course today, starting at 9 a.m. Frenchman Titouan Carod handily won the race by a margin of 26 seconds over Howard Grotts of the USA. Victor Koretzky finished third.

Canadian U23 champion Alexandre Vialle was on fine form, earning the best result of a Canadian in the race at 13th overall.

“It went really well for me today,” said Vialle. “It was a real honour to ride in the national champion’s jersey for the first time in my life. When I am climbing in the red zone and people are screaming and cheering my name, it’s a really good feeling.”

Scott-3Rox racer Marc-Antoine Nadon finished 23rd. Norco’s Peter Disera struggled a little today, and finished 27th. Felix Burke finished 30th.

Following the elite races, the women’s U23 athletes closed out the day.

Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds led much of the race, dropping back briefly before recovering and retaking the lead. Despite falling back to third, Rissveds ultimately finished 1:00 over second place Alessandra Keller of Switzerland. Briton Alice Barnes finished third a further 17 seconds back.

Catherine Fleury narrowly edged out fellow Canadian Frederique Trudel on the final lap with the pair finishing 9th and 10th respectively.

“I knew I had to start fast because there’s a turn to the left and I crashed there last year. I started really fast and was first and was pretty surprised,” said Fleury, who earned a career best with the top ten finish. “The two first laps were really hard and I wasn’t able to breathe normally, but I found a second wind and was able to catch some girls.”

Canadian champion Haley Smith finished 13th just ahead of Maghalie Rochette. Rachel Pageau finished 16th while Anne-Julie Tremblay finished 18th.

The World Cup tour continues next weekend in Windham, New York.

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