September 12, 2004 (Les Gets, France) – Canada’s mountain biking legend,
Alison Sydor, captured the bronze medal in the Elite Women’s cross country,
her ninth cross country world championship medal in 14 appearances. And if
not for bad luck and mechanical trouble Marie-Hélène Prémont may have
finished in the medals too.

Gunn-Rita Dahle of Norway won the second cross-country gold medal of her
rollercoaster career, and Poland’s rising star, Maja Wloszczowska, held off
a late-race challenge from Sydor to win the silver.

Rainstorms overnight left the 4-mile course heavy and wet, with
treacherously slick descents. Hardly ideal conditions for a rider like
Sydor, who entered mountain bike racing in 1991 after proving herself a
success as a “wheel-suckin’ road sprinter.”

However, mental toughness and great bike-handling skills were at a premium
in these arduous conditions, and there Sydor was in her element.

While Dahle and Wloszczowska rode away from the competitive tangle of the
main pack on lap one, Sydor – who is one of the best in the business when
the going gets slippery – found some space for herself in third position on
the long descent and settled into her rhythm.

As the race wore on, Wloszczowska, who was flying up the climbs, but
struggling with the slippery-slide descents, gradually lost ground to the
all-powerful Dahle and at the end finished 1:06 adrift.

With one to go, Sydor caught the 20-years-old Pole and challenged for the
silver medal spot. However, when it came to the long climb, Wloszczowska
had the legs and Sydor had to be content with the bronze, crossing the line
1:46 after Dahle.

Premont had a frustrating day, losing ground with an undetermind mechanical
issue on lap one and then having to work her way up through the field in
conditions that made passing unusually difficult. She ended up triumphing
in a long battle with the German ace, Sabine Spitz, and claiming fourth
place, at 4:21.

Results: Top Ten, plus Canadian
1 Gunn-Rita Dahle (Norway) 2.02.12
2 Maja Wloszczowska (Poland) 1.06
3 Alison Sydor (Canada) 1.45
4 Marie-Helene Premont (Canada) 4.21
5 Sabine Spitz (Germany) 4.33
6 Irina Kalentieva (Russia) 5.07
7 Alison Dunlap (USA) 6.44
8 Nina Gohl (Germany) 8.29
9 Ivonne Kraft (Germany) 8.59
10 Barbara Blatter (Switzerland) 9.05

14 Kiara Bisaro (Canada) 10.39
25 Chrissy Redden (Canada) 18.09
42 Trish Sinclair (Canada) -1 lap
46 Catherine Pendrel (Canada) -1 lap
56 Karen De Wolfe (Canada) -1 lap

71 starters