MTB World Cup: Beerten rides smoothly to win in women’s 4X
Anneke Beerten (MS Intense) takes the win (Dave McElwaine/www.trailwatch.net)
Dutch rider Anneke Beerten (MS Intense Factory Racing) rode away from her competition in the rainy big final of the elite women's race. On her way to a comfortable win, she defeated Anita Molcik (4 Elements Yeti) and Mio Suemasa (MS Intense Factory Racing). 17 year-old Caroline Buchanan finished fourth in her first-ever big-final appearance at a World Cup.
"The last race was hard for me and this one I just wanted to keep it together," said an elated Beerten after her win. She crashed in the big finals at last week's World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Anne.
"I took all the inside lines and just kept it going. I'm pretty stoked with winning tonight. It was such a hard course, but it was fun for sure." Beerten won both her semi-final heat and the Big Final.
The Austrian Molcik liked the challenging course, which was new for this World Cup and will become in the future a part of a new Canadian national training centre going forward. The course featured rocky sections, logs, a bridge, jumps and even a corkscrew. Many of the sections offered a variety of lines from which to pick.
"The section with the stones was good for me. I made passes in both of my runs at that section," said Molcik, who finished second in the semi-finals, too. Both the semi-finals and the finals were conducted in a steady rain as it was getting dark.
After Suemasa in third, Buchanan finished fourth in what was her second-ever World Cup. Her first was last weekend at Mont-Sainte-Anne, and unfortunately, there she suffered two flats.
"The course was very different than what I've ever ridden," said the young Buchanan. "They put a lot of effort into the course and it held up well in the rain."
"To make the [Big] Final, I'm over the moon," Buchanan said, elated with her performance.
World Champion and last weekend's 4X winner Melissa Buhl (KHS) was absent from competition for the weekend. She returned home early after Mont-Sainte-Anne to deal with family affairs.
For full results, report and photos, visit Cyclingnews.com
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