XC Relay Results – Canada kicks off 2018 Worlds with top-10 performance
Team of five shows speed in first race of UCI Mountian Bike World Championships in Lenzerheide
Canada’s cross country team kicked off the 2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships with a strong result in Wednesday’s XC Team Relay.
A five rider team finished eighth in the opening event at Lenzerheide, Switzerland. In riding order, Canada’s team consisted of Sean Fincham, Carter Woods, Laurie Arseneault, Haley Smith and Peter Disera.
The event was won by the powerhouse Swiss team, looking to put on a performance for the supportive home crowd. Anchored by three reigning world champions – Sina Frei, Jolanda Neff, and Nino Schurter – the home team rode away on the final lap to win in a time of exactly one hour.
U23 national champion Sean Fincham led out the Canadian squad, ending his lap in sixth place. Fincham handed off to Junior Men’s national champion Carter Woods, who quickly went to work chasing the lead group. By the end of his time on course, Woods had moved Canada up to fourth. A huge part of the entertainment of the XC Relay is strategy, and Australia chose lap three to make their move. U23 Reece Tucknott moved to the front and kept going, establishing one minute 25 second advantage by the time he handed off to teammate Holly Harris. Laurie Arseneault, Canada’s U23 Women’s national champion was fighting hard to maintain position, as several nations had chosen this lap to field their strong riders.
Haley Smith was up next for Canada, and chased back one spot to put Canada back inside the top-10. Up front, it was Germany’s U23 rider Ronja Eibl who made a surprise catch on course, dragging her team back to Women’s Elite world champion Jolanda Neff of Switzerland, and into second with one lap remaining.
The new five rider format for 2018, up from four in previous years, meant there was one lap left to go. Smith handed off to her Norco Factory Team teammate, and Canadian Elite national champion Peter Disera for Canada’s anchor leg. The two-time Elite Men’s XCO national champion was able to pull back two places, to give the team an eighth place finish in Lenzerheide.
Out front, Nino Schurter had passed Germany’s Manuel Fumic and the final Australian to give the Swiss their first world championship title on home soil this week. Germany finished second and Denmark third in the XC Relay.
XC Relay : 2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships – Lenzerheide, Switzerland by Matthew Pioro on Scribd
