Pendrel takes win at MSA World Cup

Canadian rider Catharine Pendrel took the win on home soil Saturday, winning the latest round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup tour at Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec. Pendrel finished the 22.8 km race in a time of 1:38:23 to take her first title of the season. After a slower start, Pendrel, riding for Luna Pro Team, joined the lead group on the second lap and took control of the race. Helped by her teammates, Pendrel maintained the lead the rest of race. The 2010 World Cup champion now sits in second place of the 2011 UCI World Cup standings behind French rider Julie Bresset who came third Saturday. Another Canadian, Marie-Hélène Prémont, riding for Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain, finished fifth in front of her home town crowd. Emily Batty, meanwhile, finished seventh.

In the men’s race, Canada’s Goeff Kabush, representing Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain, finished seventh, posting his best result of the season. Jaroslav Kulhavy, of the Czech Republic, the current leader of the 2011 World Cup Tour took the win.