Pendrel top Canadian at Albstadt World Cup
Catharine Pendrel finished fifth, the top Canadian in a busy weekend of racing at the Albstadt World Cup in Germany. The result was hard-won during a race in which Pendrel found herself the sole rider in a chase group working to reel in the leaders.
French racer Pauline Ferrand Prevot repeated her victory from the race at the Czech World Cup last week, leading in Germany from start to finish.
Pendrel was among a strong group in pursuit after the first lap, including Prevot’s teammate Jolanda Neff, as well as Maja Wloszczowska and Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesja. Pendrel led the pursuit for much of the remainder of the race, leaving her worn out near the finish, where she was overtaken by Dahle Flesja and Neff, who finished second and third respectively. Tanja Zakelj finished fourth.
“I had good legs and desire, but the course was relentless and I wasn’t able to escape the Liv/giant team sandwich,” said Pendrel. “It became a very tactical race. I played my cards well, but Jolanda and Tanja were able to overtake me on the last lap. I haven’t suffered that hard on a bike for a long time, but it was fun to be pushed to my limits.”
Wow that was a Battle of attrition and mental toughness! Great racing @jolandaneff @MajaLIVteam Adelheid morath @tanjazakelj for the podium!
— Catharine Pendrel (@cpendrel) June 1, 2014
Fellow Canadian Emily Batty finished 13th overall, more than seven minutes back. Mikaela Kofman finished one lap back.
In the men’s race, Julien Absalon became the first-ever cross country racer to win a 29th career World Cup victory. Absalon was dominating at the Albstadt World Cup in 2013 before mechanical problems dropped him out of contention. This year, the French rider announced the event was a priority. As one of three riders with the new electric Shimano XTR Di2, Absalon once again proved his talents.
The BMC racer opened his lead from the the first half, and pushed the pace when caught by Nino Schurter, Fabian Giger and Maxime Marotte. None of Absalon’s rivals could hold on.
Absalon won by nearly a minute and a half, followed by Schurter. Stephane Tempier finished third with Giger fourth and Moritz Milatz fifth.
For the second World Cup in a row, Raphael Gagne put in the best Canadian performance, finishing 25th. Derek Zandstra finished 38th with Geoff Kabush in 42nd.
Leandre Bouchard continued to build on his success from the Czech World Cup, finishing fourth in the Albstadt eliminator event, and sixth in the men’s under-23 cross country rankings.
