Woods holds on for 2nd after crash in Albstadt Junior race sprint
Fincham and Arseneault master mud in under-23 races
Carter Woods was tangled up in high speed crash in the finishing sprint in the junior men’s race in Albstadt over the weekend, making for an exciting debut to his international racing campaign.
The Cumberland racer held on to finish second in the race, a UCI junior series HC race run on the World Cup course, after picking himself up off the ground.
“The three of us were riding together and I put in a few attacks because I didn’t want it to come down to a sprint,” explained Woods. “Right before the final corners, we were sprinting side by side, and I got pushed into the metal barricades. When we hopped back on our bikes, his handlebars were straight and mine were twisted, so that was it. It’s pretty cool [to have this series], it’s motivating. I felt good during the race, it was just a little bit of bad luck.”
Emilly Johnston finished eighth in junior women’s race, her international mountain bike debut.
Fincham and Arseneault shine through the Albstad mud in under-23 World Cup
In the under-23 races, Sean Fincham used an improved starting position, built up over the last two years of racing in the category, to earn his best World Cup finish in tenth.
“It was my first time starting at the front, on the second row, which was pretty exciting,” said Fincham. “I was able to sit in the top ten and hang out for most of the race. Attacks started to go with three laps to go, and I couldn’t quite hold on.”
Laurie Arseneault placed 12th in the women’s under-23 race. It was the best World Cup finish to date for the Canadian under-23 national champion.
