Canadians jump up the queue in World Cup Short Track

In a race that seemed to start tactical and end in a three lap full-gas effort, Annika Langvad (Specialized) earned her fourth Short Track Cross County World Cup win on Friday in Mont-Sainte-Anne.

Langvad attacked with teammate Kate Courtney, splitting the race into a front group of nine with few laps remaining in the short but intense race, and dind’t let up until she crossed the finish line. The Dane’s impressive effort strung out the front group, and was too fast for XCO world champion Jolanda Neff (Kross Racing) to follow.

Emily Batty  (Trek Factory Racing) finished eighth, doing just as much as she had to to keep a front row start in Sunday’s XCO World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne. Behind Batty, Haley Smith (Norco Factory Team) finished 10th, moving her up to the second row for Sunday’s longer form race.

In her first race back after injury, Catharine Pendrel (Clif Pro Team) finished 15th at Mont-Sainte-Anne, inside the all important top-16, and securing a second row start in the XCO. Pendrel’s teammate Katerina Nash had an impressive return to World Cup mountain biking, finishing fourth on Friday to move from a last row start position to the front line of eight.

Canada’s Catharine Fleury narrowly missed making a similar leap up the field, finishing in 18th. Sandra Walter (Liv Cycling) was close behind in 21st.

The Canadian Men had their first crack at the new XCC format, with Lenadré Bouchard (KMC-Ekoi-SR Suntour), Peter Disera (Norco Facotry Team) and Andrew L’Esperance (Forward Racing) all starting Friday’s race.

Bouchard and Disera came close to hitting the top-16 standard that would have moved them up to the front two rows. Bouchard was 20th, and Disera 21st. L’Esperance finished further back in 35th. All three go on to start Sunday’s XCO event in Mont-Sainte Anne.

The Men’s XCC was won by Sam Gaze (Specialized), the New Zealand racer’s second win this season in the new format. World Cup leader Nino Schurter finished just behind the Canadians, landing in 22nd. Schurter (Scott SRAM) has yet to find his form in XCC racing, and is still win-less in the format. His 22nd place finish moves him to the third row on Sunday’s XCO start grid. It is the second time Schurter has missed out on the top-16, after a mechanical resulted in a DNF in Albstadt, Germany. Schurter went on to win the XCO in Albstadt the same weekend.

Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup #6 – Elite Women Short Track Cross Country

1.		LANGVAD Annika (SPECIALIZED RACING)	19:32
2.		NEFF Jolanda (KROSS RACING TEAM)	19:36 +4
3.		COURTNEY Kate (SPECIALIZED RACING)	19:37 +5
4.		NASH Katerina (CLIF PRO TEAM)	19:39 +7
5.		BENKO Barbara (GHOST FACTORY RACING)	19:40 +8
6.		HUCK Erin	19:42 +10
7.		KELLER Alessandra (THÖMUS – RN RACING TEAM)	19:48 +16
8.		BATTY Emily (TREK FACTORY RACING XC)	19:53 +21
9.		WLOSZCZOWSKA Maja (KROSS RACING TEAM)	20:00 +28
10.		SMITH Haley (NORCO FACTORY TEAM XC)	20:12 +40
11.		BELOMOINA Yana (CST SANDD AMERICAN EAGLE MTB RACING TEAM)	20:15 +43
12.		NOBLE Ellen (TREK FACTORY RACING XC)	20:18 +46
13.		DAVISON Lea (CLIF PRO TEAM)	20:18 +46
14.		ZAKELJ Tanja (UNIOR/DEVINCI FACTORY RACING)	20:20 +48
15.		PENDREL Catharine (CLIF PRO TEAM)	20:23 +51
16.		CRNOGORAC Jovana (BIKE WAY RACING TEAM)	20:27 +55
17.		INDERGAND Linda (FOCUS XC TEAM)	20:30 +58
18.		FLEURY Catherine	20:32 +1:00
19.		APAZA Agustina Maria	20:42 +1:10
20.		BRANDAU Elisabeth	20:43 +1:11
21.		WALTER Sandra	20:43 +1:11
22.		DONG Evelyn	20:43 +1:11
23.		KALENTYEVA Irina (MOEBEL MAERKI MTB PRO TEAM)	20:44 +1:12
24.		SKARDA Alexis	20:49 +1:17
25.		LAST Annie (KMC-EKOI-SRSUNTOUR)	21:00 +1:28
26.		CAMPUZANO CHAVEZ PEON Daniela	21:03 +1:31
27.		GOMEZ VILLAFANE Sofia (STAN’S-PIVOT PRO TEAM P/B MAXXIS)	21:06 +1:34
28.		BEAUMONT Rebecca	21:06 +1:34
29.		ARMSTRONG Kaysee	21:11 +1:39
30.		HARRIS Holly (TEAM MERIDA GUNN-RITA)	21:13 +1:41
31.		FINCHAMP Hannah (CLIF PRO TEAM)	21:14 +1:42
32.		JACKSON Jenn	21:15 +1:43
33.		OSL Elisabeth (JB BRUNEX FELT FACTORY TEAM)	21:16 +1:44
34.		MONTAMBAULT Cindy	21:36 +2:04
35.		SKARNITZLOVA Jitka (GAPP SYSTEM – CABTECH MTB RACING TEAM)	21:49 +2:17
36.		DOSTIE MENARD Sarah Claudie	15:27 +1:43
DNS		NIEUWOLD Elyse
DNS		GRAY Heather

Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup #6 – Elite Men Short Track Cross Country

1.		GAZE Samuel (SPECIALIZED RACING)	21:41
2.		AVANCINI Henrique (CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING XC)	21:42 +1
3.		FLUECKIGER Mathias (THÖMUS – RN RACING TEAM)	21:42 +1
4.		COOPER Anton (TREK FACTORY RACING XC)	21:43 +2
5.		FORSTER Lars (BMC MOUNTAINBIKE RACING TEAM)	21:43 +2
6.		CAROD Titouan (BMC MOUNTAINBIKE RACING TEAM)	21:44 +3
7.		FONTANA Marco Aurelio (BIANCHI COUNTERVAIL)	21:44 +3
8.		INDERGAND Reto (BMC MOUNTAINBIKE RACING TEAM)	21:44 +3
9.		COLLEDANI Nadir (BIANCHI COUNTERVAIL)	21:44 +3
10.		MAROTTE Maxime (CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING XC)	21:46 +5
11.		LOO Martin	21:46 +5
12.		SARROU Jordan (KMC-EKOI-SRSUNTOUR)	21:47 +6
13.		WAWAK Bartlomiej (KROSS RACING TEAM)	21:47 +6
14.		KORETZKY Victor (KMC-EKOI-SRSUNTOUR)	21:49 +8
15.		COLOMA NICOLAS Carlos (PRIMAFLOR MONDRAKER ROTOR)	21:51 +10
16.		MANTECON GUTIERREZ Sergio (TREK FACTORY RACING XC)	21:51 +10
17.		SKARNITZL Jan (MITAS TREK)	21:52 +11
18.		VALERO SERRANO David (MMR FACTORY RACING TEAM)	21:56 +15
19.		GIGER Fabian (KROSS RACING TEAM)	22:00 +19
20.		BOUCHARD Leandre (KMC-EKOI-SRSUNTOUR)	22:06 +25
21.		DISERA Peter (NORCO FACTORY TEAM XC)	22:10 +29
22.		SCHURTER Nino (SCOTT-SRAM MTB RACING)	22:18 +37
23.		CINK Ondrej (PRIMAFLOR MONDRAKER ROTOR)	22:22 +41
24.		RAGGL Gregor (MOEBEL MAERKI MTB PRO TEAM)	22:24 +43
25.		RODRIGUEZ GUEDE Pablo (MMR FACTORY RACING TEAM)	22:26 +45
26.		SWENSON Keegan (STAN’S-PIVOT PRO TEAM P/B MAXXIS)	22:29 +48
27.		MCCONNELL Daniel (PRIMAFLOR MONDRAKER ROTOR)	22:37 +56
28.		KERSCHBAUMER Gerhard (TORPADO GABOGAS)	22:48 +1:07
29.		BRAIDOT Daniele (CENTRO SPORTIVO CARABINIERI – CICLI OLYMPIA)	23:02 +1:21
30.		HAIMY Shlomi (BIKE WAY RACING TEAM)	23:05 +1:24
31.		BRAIDOT Luca (CENTRO SPORTIVO CARABINIERI – CICLI OLYMPIA)	23:08 +1:27
32.		MARKT Karl (MOEBEL MAERKI MTB PRO TEAM)	23:11 +1:30
33.		DRECHOU Hugo (MASSI)	23:31 +1:50
34.		SOTO Catriel (MMR FACTORY RACING TEAM)	23:33 +1:52
35.		L’ESPERANCE Andrew	23:37 +1:56
36.		FRISCHKNECHT Andri (SCOTT-SRAM MTB RACING)	23:38 +1:57
37.		KULHAVY Jaroslav (SPECIALIZED RACING)	20:42 +1:50
38.		LITSCHER Thomas (JB BRUNEX FELT FACTORY TEAM)	17:55 +1:33
39.		ROHRBACH Nicola	18:17 +1:55
DNS		TEMPIER Stephane (BIANCHI COUNTERVAIL)