Catharine Pendrel wins London Olympics mountain bike test race
Amanda Sin was fourteenth
Catharine Pendrel, who finished just off the medal podium in the Beijing 2008 Olympics, won the women’s test race at Hadleigh Farm in Essex, England, on Sunday. The London Olympic Committee staged invite-only test races for both men and women. Five thousand spectators watched the Team Luna Pro rider from Kamloops, B.C. attack mid-way through the race and hold off her Luna teammate American Georgia Gould to prevail at 1:32:04. French rider Julie Bresset, who currently leads the World Cup points competition, finished third.
The men’s competition called for seven laps of the course to the women’s six, and French reigning Olympic champion Julien Absalon won, beating Switzerland’s Christophe Sauser by 1:20. Canada’s riders Andrew Watson finished twelfth and Evan McNeely was two laps down at the finish.
The current women’s gold medal holder Sabine Spitz of Germany raced as well, as did Canada’s Amanda Sin, finishing 14th.
