Renaissance woman Pauline Ferrand-Prevot wins world cyclocross title in Czech Republic

She’s the French mountain bike, road race, time trial and cyclocross race champion, the world road race title holder and now Pauline Ferrand-Prevot is the world cyclocross champion after Saturday’s thrilling race in Tabor, Czech Republic. Ferrand-Prevot sprinted for the gold with World Cup winner Sanne Cant (Belgium). Seven time world champion Marianne Vos (The Netherlands) took the bronze while Canadian Mical Dyck was top North American in 12th. In the Junior men’s race, Dane Simon Andreassen, already the world mountain bike champ, took top honours.

Incredible fight from @FERRANDPREVOT in W’ Elite race congratulated by RaboLiv mate @marianne_vos 3d. #CXTabor pic.twitter.com/lIThQDxuCV

— UCI_Cyclocross (@UCI_CX) January 31, 2015

Seventy-one riders contested the Junior men’s title as conditions stood at 0 degrees, with snow wisping about and a surface described as “butter on glass”. Eli Iserbyt (Belgium), seventh last season, went out quickly, but found Andreassen attacking him on the second of five laps.

Soon the Dane’s lead was unassailable and the battle for the podium spots became the race focus. Iserbyt fell back when his pit crew had to scramble to locate some tires, but the Belgian fought back to take silver. Gage Hecht (USA) worked his way through field and was second for a while, but he dropped chain in the final corner and didn’t get to sprint with Max Gulickx (The Netherlands) for the bronze.

You could throw a lasso around the top two Canadians; Willem Boersma and Oliver Evans came in 42nd and 43rd respectively.

UCI Jr. men world championship
1) Simon Andreassen (Denmark) 42:24
2. Eli Iserbyt (Belgium) +0:40
3. Max Gulickx (the Netherlands) +0:41
42. Willem Boersma (Canada) +4:29
43. Oliver Evans (Canada) +4:32
52. Quinton Disera (Canada) +5:18
61) Liam Mulcahy (Canada) +6:01
70) Stefan Ritter (Canada) -1 lap

Forty-six elite women set out at the gun with Helen Wyman (Great Britain) taking hole shot. Italian Ace Eva Lechner crashed straight away and had to carry her bike to the pits. She did well to rally to 31st. Lucie Chainel-Lefevre (France) took over lead in the second half of lap one. Vos was in second, but Sanne Cant overtook Vos and Wyman on a slight rise. Chainel-Lefevre’s first lap was 9:37, 7-seconds quicker than Vos, Cant, Wyman and Ferrand-Prevot.

On the second lap Ferrand-Prevot led the chase, perhaps to slow it down. Then Ferrand-Prevot reached her French teammate and the Gallic duo carried on with a four second lead over Cant and Vos. Cant and then the other main chasers closed the distance. By the end of the second lap the six main riders–Nikki Harris (Great Britain), Vos, Cant, the two French women and local favourite Katerina Nash–came together. Dyck was 16th after two laps, 1:01 back.

The third lap saw Wyman in pursuit of the leading sextet. Ferrand-Prevot spurted away, while Chainel-Levevre fell back. Vos had to close gaps in the chase, as did Nash. Dyck moved up to 13th on lap three.

Nash led the pursuit on the penultimate lap but it was Canne who pitted right behind Ferrand-Prevot and then took the lead on a hill. The French multi-champion was two seconds back and Vos six seconds in arrears.

The final lap saw Ferrand-Prevot and Cant trade the lead with Vos, Nash and Harris battling for third. Vos was suffering but pitting seemed to reignite her. Nash crashed to put Vos in the bronze. The gold was decided in a proper sprint with Cant gesturing in frustration when she knew she was beaten.
After tears of joy and a brisk toweling, Ferrand-Prevot said, “I tried to take a clean line, get to the top of the ramp and then give it full gas.” Harris placed fourth after Nash fell again.

UCI Elite Women’s Cyclocross World Championship
1) Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (France) 49:10
2) Sanne Cant (Belgium) +0:01
3) Marianne Vos (The Netherlands) +0:15
12) Mical Dyck (Canada) +2:19