Kalentieva, Kulhavey win in Norway
Irina Kalentieva and Jaroslav Kulhavy won the final women’s and men’s cross country mountain bike World Cup races, held in Hafjell, Norway, on Saturday.
Kalentieva started with the goal of being among the front runners, to have a shot at victory. The Russian was one of four riders to pull away from the field. Julie Bresset, Lea Davison and Eva Lechner all raced with Kalentieva in a battle for the lead.
Davison was the first to be dropped. Bresset then had a flat while leading, dropping back down the order. Lechner broke away but was then caught and passed by Kalentieva in the final lap.
Norwegian Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesjaa rode alone for much of the race, finishing fifth.
The World Cup title went to Tanja Zakelj, who finished sixth.
Canadian Catharine Pendrel finished seventh overall while fellow Canuck Mikaela Kofman finished 18th. Pendrel returned to racing late in the summer following a broken collarbone suffered during training. Despite the setback, the former World Champion and World Cup champion has focused on recovering and building back to top form.
A day of 7's. 7th in Norway at World cup finals and 7th overall in the series. Luna #1 Team @LUNAProTeam. Ending 2013 on a good race:-)
— Catharine Pendrel (@cpendrel) September 14, 2013
Thanks @ShimanoMTB for the support this weekend at world cup final…my @bikeonscott contessa 29er was dialed…first world cup top 20!
— MikaelaKofman (@mikaelafudge) September 14, 2013
Canadian Emily Batty was absent from the race. Batty has been fighting off a chest infection that hampered her late season efforts.
The men’s race saw a familiar face at the top.
Jaroslav Kulhavy returned to form after a challenging season, and fought off World Cup title winner Nino Schurter to claim victory at the world cup finale.
Manuel Fumic claimed third place, followed by Matthias Flueckiger. Marco Fontana finished fifth.
Kulhavy lit up the mountain bike world in 2011, winning both the World Cup and World Championships. Since that dream season, he has been winless on the World Cup, until now.
Kulhavy and Schurter battled through the race, distancing themselves from the rest of the field. Although the pair traded attacks, Kulhavy made a decisive move on the final climb of the race, and the Swiss rider was left with no way to respond.
None of the Canadian men raced at the Norwegian World Cup.
