Round 4 of XC World Cup competition sees Canadian athletes power into the top 10
On the tough Swiss terrain, Emily Batty and Catharine Pendrel were at the front of the field
Though Sunday’s Round 4 of the cross-country World Cup in Lenzerheide, Switzerland didn’t see any Canadian riders claim podium spots, the country’s athletes nonetheless had a strong day at the races, with several high-profile names with top 10 rides.
Norco Factory Racing’s Peter Disera took such honours in the under-23 men’s competition, while Emily Batty of Trek and Catharine Pendrel of Clif Pro finished in the top 10 for the elite women.
Though Batty and Pendrel started the competition in characteristically powerhouse fashion—riding in fourth and sixth in the opening laps, respectively—the terrain’s grueling conditions proved to be tough obstacles to overcome. The Lenzerheide course, sloppy and soaked with rain, joined the effects of altitude in creating difficulties for the two elite athletes, with Batty dropping to eighth place by the middle of the race. Recovering in the final lap, Batty—who took fifth last week in Andorra—finished in seventh.
Pendrel, meanwhile, turned in an especially strong performance despite the challenges of the terrain and the tough field of competitors. The New Brunswick-born rider clocked the competition’s fastest time on the second lap, before dropping to 10th place in the competition’s finishing stretches.
Other Canadian results included Haley Smith of Norco who finished 23rd, Sandra Walter of the Canadian national team in 27th, and her squad mates Catherine Fleury and Cindy Montambault in 41st and 50th, respectively.
“I’m disappointed with today’s performance,” Batty remarked, looking back. “I was hoping to build on my successes in Andorra and I prepared well. The form is there and I delivered a great start, but I honestly needed more times splits or position feedback during the race to target a better result and find my rhythm on the course. I also made a few little mistakes which all adds up, especially when the level of racing is extremely tight on a track like Lenzerheide.
“I’m well within the winning position, I just need to find a way to close that gap,” she said.
With her ride, Pendrel’s take on the day’s competition was a positive one. “I’m super pleased with today and to feel like myself again out there riding aggressively,” she said. “It was disappointing to lose four spots in the last lap, but I think I just used too much gas coming through traffic on Laps 1 and 2 to be able to up the pace on the last lap.”
Overall, Batty moves up to eighth place in general classification, while Pendrel, who won the overall last year, remains in 17th.
For Norco’s Disera, the day’s terrain and tempo of competition also presented challenges, though he also started the race in a similarly strong manner. Kicking off in fourth place at the end of the under-23 competition’s first lap, the second half of the race saw him drop to 10th. It was enough to hold onto his fourth-place standing in overall classification. In the elite men’s competition, Léandre Bouchard of BH SR Suntour KMC and Andrew L’Esperance of Team Canada finished in the 37th and 60th spots.
Anne Julie Tremblay of Team Canada was the top Canadian in the under-23 women’s category, crossing the line 29th, while Soren Meeuwisse finished 38th and Amelie Simard 46th. Tremblay is 26th in the overall standings.
