Canadian elite XC racers ready for Saturday

Catharine Pendrel knows there’s a world of pressure on her to do well in Saturday’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championship race. The 2010 World Cup cross country champion will have a big target on her back after winning the final WC race of the season last weekend at Windham, New York.

“I know that I’m riding well and that I’ve had a good season. But I also know the Olympic medalists from 2008 weren’t (at the final World Cup race), so I can’t get overly confident because they’ll be strong. I should race to win, but I also have to race my hardest to try and get a medal.”

Pendrel and the rest of the elite women will leave the starting line at 11 a.m. Saturday for their World Championship race, while Kabush and the elite men start at 2 p.m. Both races will be shown live online at cbc.ca/sports while the television network will carry the events from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Kabush said he knows the crowd is going to be a big motivator during the race. “I’m sure it’s going to be pretty exciting once we get under way. With all of the Canadian fans it’s going to be pretty electric, especially during the girls race if the Canadians are right up there. Hopefully I can do the same in the men’s race,” he said.

The wildcard in the races Saturday could be the weather. As of late Friday night, the Weather Network was calling for 100 per cent chance of showers for Saturday with between 25 and 35 mm of rain.

Ontario champion Derek Zanstra said that could help him and his countrymen.

“The course is very challenging. I think it’s going to be pretty muddy, but I think that will suit the Canadians. I’m looking forward to it. I think I’d rather have mud than the dust right now. I think we’ll do better,” he said.