Gagne, Pendrel triumph at muddy Mont Tremblant
Raphael Gagne and Catharine Pendrel won the men’s and women’s cross country race at the Mont Tremblant Canada Cup this weekend. Wet conditions defined the opening round of the 2014 Canada Cup. A large rainfall leading into race day combined with the remnants of a long winter to make the typically messy course into a mud bog.
Phew! Haven't raced mud like that for a long time! Great racing & atmosphere #CanadaCup2014 Thanks @Gagnoncx @MaghalieCX @SandraWalterMTB
— Catharine Pendrel (@cpendrel) May 17, 2014
Pendrel (LUNA Chix) showed a strong return to racing after breaking her collarbone in March. Immediately, she opened a lead over the field, and added to hear lead on each of the three laps.
Consistent and strong in second place was Sandra Walter (Liv/Giant), defending Canada Cup champion. Walter’s strength led to a second position at the end of the first lap. Like Pendrel, Walter maintained her position through the race, with third placed Andreanne Pichette (Opus OGC) losing a minute or more to Walter on each lap.
Proud to be on the podium with fellow top Canucks at #CanCupMTB #1 in #Tremblant yesterday! Congrats Catharine… http://t.co/0E2nVT4rQz
— Sandra Walter (@SandraWalterMTB) May 18, 2014
Unexpected 3rd place for me 2day so HAPPY!Merci @OpusBike @agenceBrad @OakleyCanada @PranaBio congrats all the riders pic.twitter.com/iiN2cO6KDZ
— Andréanne Pichette (@PAndreanne) May 17, 2014
Cindy Montambault and Haley Smith rounded out the women’s podium.
Nice race today @cpendrel! It's always exciting getting to race you. Good luck next weekend!
— Haley Smith (@hale_smith) May 18, 2014
Expected contenders Marie-Helene Premont and Emily Batty did not start the race.
In the four lap men’s race, Rocky Mountain’s Raphael Gagne kicked off his race with a strong start, taking a lead on the first lap, and adding to his margin by the halfway point of the race.
Happy to the the win at Canada cup #1 in #Tremblant today. Really good day for the @rockymountain team. #muddy pic.twitter.com/FkzDfLm1Sy
— Raphael Gagné (@raphaelgagne) May 18, 2014
Geoff Kabush of Scott-3Rox found a faster pace over the second half of the race, but was unable to reel in the young Quebec rider. Gagne won the race over Kabush by a margin of 19.1 seconds. Kabush retained a comfortable second place ahead of Leandre Bouchard (Cyclone d’Alma/Devinci).
2013 Canadian Champion Derek Zandstra rode with teammate Kabush through the first two laps, but was unable to match Kabush’s acceleration, finishing fourth.
Solid showing at Canada Cup w/ four @SCOTT3Rox men in top 10 but MVP to @MarcAntoineN in 7th who showed he's learning to play with big boys.
— Geoff Kabush (@GeoffKabush) May 18, 2014
Evan Guthrie of Norco Canada finished fifth overall.
The Canada Cup continues next weekend in Baie St. Paul, Quebec. Meanwhile, some of the top names in Canadian mountain biking head to Europe for the third round of the World Cup, in Nove Mesto na Morave.
