MTB World Cup XC #4: Dahle-Flesjaa and Absalon back on top

Women: Dahle-Flesjaa back on top at La Bresse World Cup

This article was originally published on Cyclingnews.com.

Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Multivan Merida) raced to victory at the fourth round of the 2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in La Bresse, France on Sunday. Dahle Flesjaa took over the race lead on the final descent, overtaking eventual runner-up Katerina Nash (Luna). Julie Bresset (BH-Suntour) rode in for third place. It was Dahle-Flesjaa’s first World Cup win since 2008 and her 27th career total.  It was also her first World Cup win since having a baby.

“I can’t really believe this,” said an incredulous Dahle-Flesjaa. “I was focusing on not going over my limit. You need so much power and concentration on this course. I had a very good race. I paced myself. The course is great. It was tough up and tough down.”

The women delivered a super exciting race on a technical course with regular lead changes as they took turns crashing at various points in the race.  They raced in front of huge crowds.

Nash spent much of the race at the front while the women with her shuffled. Bresset was with her for the first part of the race, and then Pendrel moved her way steadily up before taking over the lead.

About mid-way through the five-lap race, Pendrel crashed on the descent. Bresset was unable to avoid her and endo-ed. Nash got around both women and took over at the front, and the crash seemed to slow the momentum of both downed riders.  Pendrel struggled to get her chain on afterward while Bresset tried to get her seat back to a level position.

Meanwhile, Dahle-Flesjaa, one of the most experienced racers out there, bided her time and rode steadily toward the front. By the final lap, she was in second place behind Nash. The Czech star looked comfortable and likely to win, but two crashes on the final descent opened the door for a smooth riding Dahle-Flesjaa, who overtook her en route to the victory.

“Everyone is talking about the Olympics, but we have other big races, like today. If I want to fight for a gold in London, I have to be superb. I’m on the right path and we’ll see what happens in London,” said Dahle Flesjaa.

Race note: Former World Champion Irina Kalentieva (Topeak Ergon) skipped the race, instead choosing to do altitude training in preparation for the Olympic Games.

Men: Absalon wins La Bresse cross country in front of home crowd

This article was originally published on Cyclingnews.com

Julien Absalon (Orbea) won the elite men’s cross country World Cup in front of a home crowd in La Bresse, France. Absalon, who lives about 10km away, rode a smart race tactically and managed to escape the bad luck that affected some of the other favorites. Jaroslav Kulhavy (Specialized) steadily worked his way up throughout the race and made a late bid to overtake Absalon, but finished second. Ralph Naef (Multivan Merida) was third, putting in a strong performance in his quest to make the Swiss Olympic team.

“It is maybe one of my best races. It’s been in mind forever – first World Cup at home is a lot of pressure, and I’m happy,” said Absalon after winning on an “old school” course designed by his brother Remi.

It was a dramatic finish with Absalon crashing on the final technical descent. A surging Kulhavy nearly caught the Frenchman, who quickly got back up and into action.

“It was hard. When I saw Jaroslav in the last half lap, I was dead,” said Absalon. “I was thinking I needed to go slow and not crash on that last descent, but then I lost my concentration and I crashed.”

While the women’s race was influenced by crashes among the favorites, the elite men’s race was influenced more by mechanicals and flats. Burry Stander (Specialized) flatted just after the start, and Marco Fontana (Cannondale) flatted while leading the race, unfortunately immediately after passing the tech zone which meant he had a long way to go for help. Moritz Milatz (BMC) also had a mechanical just after the tech zone and Manuel Fumic (Cannondale) required a wheel change. World Cup leader Nino Schurter (Scott Swisspower) sat out the race due to “stomach problems”.

Naef, Florian Vogel and and Marco Fontana set the pace from the start until Fontana flatted and ended up pulling out. Behind them, Absalon, Milatz, Giger and Lukas Flueckiger chased together.

Absalon attacked and went to the front on the second of two laps as Milatz and Vogel chased him, a few seconds back. After Milatz’s mechanical, Giger, Vogel and Naef formed the primary chase group.

At the end of lap 4, Naef made an impressive bid for victory by attacking, then catching and passing Absalon. But Absalon wasn’t about to give up a win on home turf and he surged past Naef on the climb on lap 5. Kulhavy, who had been steadily working his way up through the field, overtook a fried Naef and went in pursuit of Absalon. He got close and almost caught Absalon on the final descent of the final lap, when the fatigued Frenchman crashed. Kulhavy finished just seven seconds back in second place, and Naef soloed in for third.

Results