DESPITE INJURIES, PENDREL TAKES EIGHTH PLACE AT WORLD CUP IN MONT-SAINTE-ANNE
Rachel Pageau earns career first World Cup podium
(Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC – August 10, 2013) The cross-country races were held today at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne, near Québec City, an event that attracted the top mountain bike riders in the world including World Champions and World Cup leaders alike.
On a very windy day, Catharine Pendrel, the 2011 World Champion and winner of the 2012 World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne, made her comeback race to the World Cup today, after nursing a broken collarbone earlier this spring. The four-time Canadian Champion finished the race as the top Canadian of the action-packed race, in eighth place.
“I’m pleased that I got around the course and felt pretty normal. I never want to get eighth, I always want to finish on the podium. I thought that was a possibility here, but I didn’t know,” said Pendrel after the race. “I went into this race a little unsure of myself today and not my usual ‘I think I’m going to be on the podium’…. This race was a good opener for me [coming back from injury], and felt very efficient and consistent out there.”
The race for the top was a tight one, and intensified with less than two laps to go. Current World Champion and Olympic Champion Julie Bresset of France took the control of the race for the first four laps, but slowly the short gap was bridged by Maja Wloszczowska of Poland, Katerina Nash of Czech Republic and World Cup leader Tanja Zaklej of Slovenia.
In the last lap, Wloszczowska joined by Bresset as the race leaders, a lead she exchanged with Bresset. But midway into the last lap, the Top 4 riders merged together. On the last steep climb, Nash attacked out of the group and gained a significant lead, and eventually rode to her career first World Cup victory. Wloszczowska took the second rank, followed by Zaklej.
Emily Batty of Brooklin, ON (Trek Factory Racing), the top Canadian in the World Cup rankings entering the race, placed tenth, while Sandra Walter of Coquitlam, BC (Liv/Giant) rode to the 16thrank today, tying her career top result at a World Cup.
“It’s actually a little bit surprising,” commented Walter of her season, which saw her climb on the second step of the podium at the 2013 Canadian Championships. “I came off a really good season last year, so I was hoping to build off that. I was injured at a critical time early this season. I had a knee injury and missed a lot of training. I guess sometimes it’s a blessing in the sky, and needed the rest to come out very strong, winning all three Canada Cup races so far this season.
Today, both Pendrel and Walter confirmed their presences at the finals of the Canada Cup Series, in Whistler this upcoming week. Walter will be defending her title from 2012, and is currently leading the elite women category.
The 4-kilometer course was slightly modified compared to previous years at Mont-Sainte-Anne, due to the expansion at the resort. The race remains one of the most popular stop on the World Cup tour, and has been held since 1991.
TRUDEL TOP CANADIAN, AFTER A GRUELLING WEEK
In the women’s U23 race, Frédérique Trudel of Breakeyville, QC was the top Canadian in the race taking the seventh spot of the 5-lap race. Trudel, which is coming off a hot streak of domestic victories winning the Canada Games and the U23 Canadian Championships race, completed the course in 1:28:10, just before teammate Andréane Lanthier-Nadeau in ninth, who won on Wednesday the sprint race at the Canada Games.
“I really would have liked to finish in the Top 5 today,” admitted Trudel. “I’m still happy with the seventh. It’s been a demanding week with all the events at the Canada Games. My plan was to attack in the long climb, and then keep a good pace. Today the course was super dry, and the wind made it really difficult,” continued the athlete who was cheered on by all her family and friends.
“Today I was less fit than at the Canadian Championships and the Canada Games. At one point, all these races get to you, and you can’t really control the form. With the rest in the next few weeks, I’ll be ready for the World Championships.”
Australia’s Rebecca Henderson took the first place of the U23 race, finishing with a time of 1:21:09 ahead of Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds and Helen Grobert of Germany.
RACHEL PAGEAU EARNS CAREER FIRST PODIUM
Canadian junior champion Rachel Pageau of Chicoutimi, QC rode to the third place of the junior women race after four laps by posting a time of 1:01:05, securing her career first podium on the World Cup Tour.
American junior women champion Kate Courtney took the first place of the race by crossing the finish line with a time of 1:03:06, followed by Ukrainian Dina Gordiuk. Courtney started off with an attack in the first lap of the race, and never looked back, slowly increasing her lead throughout the race.
“It’s really exciting to get that first podium, especially since last year I had missed the podium by just one second,” said Pageau, the leader of the junior women Canada Cup Series heading into the series final at Whistler next week. “It really is a beautiful course in Mont-Saint-Anne, but I’m a little disappointed they removed the Beatrice section. Still, it is a beautiful course that I like.”
Pageau is having a season so far, having won the title at the Canadian Championships and leading the Canada Cup series with two wins in three races. “My season is going really well so far. I reached all my goals so far. It’s almost a perfect season, so I’m very happy.”
The Canadian National Team wore today the brand new kit designed by Louis Garneau Sports, the first time it is used in mountain bike.
Online, all the elite races for cross country and downhill at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup at Mont-Sainte-Anne, QC can be viewed live through www.redbull.tv.
Follow Cycling Canada on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cyclingcanada and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cyclingcanada.
RESULTS – CROSS-COUNTRY – UCI WORLD CUP – MONT-SAINTE-ANNE, QC
Elite Women
1. NASH, Katerina (CZE) LUNA PRO TEAM 1:30:27
2. WLOSZCZOWSKA, Maja (POL) GIANT PRO XC TEAM +17
3. ZAKELJ, Tanja (SLO) UNIOR TOOLS TEAM +24
4. BRESSET, Julie (FRA) BH – SR SUNTOUR – KMC +48
5. DAVISON, Lea (USA) SPECIALIZED RACING XC +1:21
=========
8. PENDREL, Catharine (CAN) LUNA PRO TEAM +3:33
10. BATTY, Emily (CAN) TREK FACTORY RACING +4:34
16. WALTER, Sandra (CAN) +7:32
19. PICHETTE, Andréanne (CAN) +9:35
21. SIN, Amanda (CAN) SCOTT-3ROXRACING +10:23
22. KOFMAN, Mikaela (CAN) SCOTT-3ROXRACING +11:12
27. MONTAMBAULT, Cindy (CAN) +14:44
31. DREYER, Mandy (CAN) -1LAP
33. BEAUMONT, Rebecca CAN) -2LAP
36. CHRETIEN, Annick (CAN) -3LAP
Espoirs (U23) Women
1. HENDERSON, Rebecca (AUS) TREK FACTORY RACING 1:21:09
2. RISSVEDS, Jenny (SWE) +30
3. GROBERT, Helen (GER) FOCUS XC TEAM +1:19
4. BELOMOYNA, Yana (UKR) SUPERIOR BRENTJENS MOUNTAINBIKE RACING TEAM +2:25
5. JACOBSEN, Ingrid Sofie (NOR) +4:18
==========
7. TRUDEL Frederique (CAN) +7:01
9. LANTHIER-NADEAU, Andréane (CAN) +9:55
10. FLEURY, Catherine (CAN) +10:14
12. BIETOLA, Laura (CAN) +11:48
13. MEUNIER, Valerie (CAN) +12:38
14. HARVEY, Laurence (CAN) +14:24
15. BROOKS, Cayley (CAN) +15:11
16. NIEUWOLD, Elyse (CAN) -1LAP
17. DUNDAS, Katlyn (CAN) -1LAP
18. SMITH, Haley (CAN) -1LAP
19. LAFORGE, Kristina (CAN) -1LAP
20. AUGER, Rosalie (CAN) -2LAP
21. LAROSE-GINGRAS, Frédérique (CAN) -2LAP
DNF. ROCHETTE, Maghalie (CAN)
DNF. GENDRON, Karlee (CAN)
Junior Women
1. COURTNEY Kate (USA) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1:10:49
2. GORDIUK Dina (UKR) UKRAINE +45
3. PAGEAU Rachel (CAN) CANADA +1:22
4. TREMBLAY Anne-Julie (CAN) CANADA +2:36
5. LEWIS Marine (CAN) CANADA +3:14
==========
7. APRIL, Gabrielle (CAN) CANADA +3:51
8. BERNIER, Alexandra (CAN) CANADA +8:33
9. TREMBLAY, Stéphanie (CAN) CANADA +9:07
10. DOSTIE-MENARD, Sarah-Claudie (CAN) CANADA +10:48
11. HAGUE, Gillian (CAN) CANADA +12:50
12. GOLDING, Haley (CAN) CANADA +13:33
13. MORIN-BLANCHETTE Kayla (CAN) CANADA -1LAP
DNF. KELLY, Siobhan (CAN) CANADA DNF1
