Pendrel third at Copa Catalana Banyoles HC
Canadians looking strong at XC season opener in Spain
Cross-country racing racing kicked off for Canadians over the weekend with strong results at the Copa Catalana International in Banyoles, Spain. Canada’s strong women’s XC program showed they’re on track for and ready to go for this years early start to World Cup racing, taking three spots in the top 10. The Canadian men also started off the season strong at the HC level race, battling through a massive field of 200 starters to top-20 finishes.
Catharine Pendrel (Cliff Pro Team) placed third, sprinting for position on the podium against Helen Grobert (Cannondale Factory Racing), who edged out the Luna rider for second place. Haley Smith (Norco Factory Racing) finished close behind in sixth, while Emily Batty (Trek Factory Racing XC) finished ninth after spending the opening laps at the sharp end of the race. Pendrel led from the gun, creating a gap to Batty and Elisabeth Brandauer (RSC Schonaich), who would eventually bridge up to the fast-starting Canadian and take the win. As Batty drifted back, Grobert bridged up to the lead group of Pendrel and Brandauer. In the final lap, the German attacked for the win, while Grobert managed to edge out Pendrel in the spring for the line. Further Back, Sidney McGill finished 31st in the Elite field, good enough for 12th overall in her U-23 category.
Canada’s men faced an immense field in excess of 200 starters, including many of international XC racing’s elite. A KMC-Ekoi-Sr Suntour duo of Victor Koretzky and Jordan Sarrou worked together to attack the lead group on the final lap for a 1-2 finish, with Maxime Marotte (Cannondale Factory Racing) rounding out the podium. Peter Disera (Norco Factory Racing) and Andrew L’Esperance (Forward Racing-Norco) finished in 25th and 27th, respectively, on either side of French XC legend, Julien Absalon (Absolute Absalon Racing) in 26th. Right behind them, in 28th, was Léandre Bouchard, also of Team KMC-Ekoi-SR Suntour.
Quinton Disera (Norco Factory Racing) finished 41st, Felix Belhumer (Pivot Cycles-OTE) 53rd, and Raphael Auclair (Pivot Cycles-OTE) 63rd. The Canadian crew are in Spain racing and training ahead of the first World Cup XCO of 2018, which takes place on March 18 in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
If you’re wondering what a 200 racer start line look like, here’s a short video clip of the men’s race from Copa Catalan Internacional organizers
