August 31, 2009 (Canberra, Australia) – Australia’s capital Canberra is preparing to host the world’s best mountain bikers for the 2009 UCI MTB & Trails World Championships, to be held September 1-6. The CCA (Canadian Cycling Association) announced Canada’s 8-member elite squad, 3-member U23, and 7-member Junior team including 2009 Mont Ste-Anne World Cup winner and 2009 National MTB Champ, Catharine Pendrel. Also leading the charge is 2009 Bromont MTB World Cup winner and 2009 National MTB Champ, Geoff Kabush.

The cross country action kicks off Tuesday when riders take to Stromlo Forest Park just outside of Canberra. These Championships mark the second time the Worlds have come Down Under. Australia first hosted the world’s best mountain bikers in Cairns back in 1996.

XC Preview Part I


The team relay is up first – see countries competing below – with Canada fielding a team consisting of Kabush, Pendrel, Raphael Gagne and Evan Guthrie who will compete for the first title of these championships. According to a CCA release, “Canada’s relay team will be looking for the top step on the podium” – however they will be in tough against perennial powers from Switzerland and France.

One of the most hotly anticipated races, and an event that promises a great deal of excitement, is the men’s cross-country race, with France’s Julien Absalon, the favourite once again facing stiff competition from last year’s defending champ Christoph Sauser (Switzerland), José Antonio Hermida (Spain), Canada’s Geoff Kabush and Swiss riders Ralph Naef and Nino Schurter.

XC Preview Part II


The women’s race is much more open with no one dominating this season. Favorites include defending champion Margarita Fullana from Spain, Canada’s Pendrel, Russia’s Irina Kalientieva, current UCI-points leader Elizabeth Osl of Austria, and Sabine Spitz (Germany) among a number of top riders who could take home the title.

On the U23 side Canada is led by National Champions Emily Batty and Raphaël Gagne. Batty has shown great poise in 2009 as the top U23 finisher on World Cup stops this year and took home the Canada MTB Cup title. European U23 Champion Aleksandra Dawidowicz (Poland) and Tereza Hurikova (Czech Republic) look to pose the greatest challenge to Batty’s shot at a spot on the podium. Meanwhile Gagne will be in tough against 2008 MTB Worlds silver medalist Burry Stander (South Africa) and fourth place finisher Fabian Ginger (Switzerland) who will be looking to move up in 2009.

On the Junior men’s side BC’s Evan Guthrie has shown great form over the last month taking two golds in World Cup action in Mont Ste-Anne and Bromont and recently taking home a silver from the Canada Summer Games.

You can follow the 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships at pedalmag.com and live webcasts on www.uci.ch or Freecaster.tv. More information regarding the championships is also available here and check out these YT videos of the xc course.

2009 MTB World Championship Schedule

Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Team Relay – 2:30 pm (local time) – 12:30 am EST

Wednesday September 2, 2009
XCO Junior Women – 10:30am (local time) – 8:30pm EST (Sept. 1)
XCO U23 Women – 2:30pm (local time) – 12:30am EST

Thursday September 3, 2009
XCO Junior Men – 10:30am (local time) – 8:30pm EST (Sept. 2)
4X Qualifications – 4:00pm (local time) – 2am EST

Friday September 4, 2009
XCO U23 Men – 2:00pm (local time) – 12:00am EST (Sept. 3)
4X Women/Men – 6:30pm (local time) – 4:30am EST

Saturday September 5, 2009
XCO Elite Women – 10:00am (local time) – 8:00pm (Sept. 4)
XCO Elite Men – 2:00pm (local time) – 12:00am EST (Sept. 4)

Sunday September 6, 2009
Junior Women/Men DHI – 10:30am (local time) – 8:30pm EST (Sept. 5)
Elite Women DHI – 1:00pm (local time) – 11pm EST (Sept. 5)
Elite Men DHI – 2:00pm (local time) – 12:00am EST (Sept. 5)


Cross-Country Team Relay Start List

France
1A Alexis Vuillermoz (MU)
1B Cédric Ravanel (ME)
1C Hugo Drechou (MJ)
1D Cécile Rode Ravanel (WE)

Switzerland
2A Florian Vogel (ME)
2B Matthias Stirnemann (MJ)
2C Nathalie Schneitter (WE)
2D Fabian Giger (MU)

Italy
3A Marco Aurelio Fontana (ME)
3B Gerhard Kerschbaumer (MJ)
3C Eva Lechner (WE)
3D Cristian Cominelli (MU)

Poland
4A Marcin Karczynski (ME)
4B Marek Konwa (MU)
4C Maja Wloszczowska (WE)
4D Maciej Adamczyk (MJ)

Czech Republic
5A Jaroslav Kulhavy (ME)
5B Jan Nesvadba (MJ)
5C Pavla Havlikova (WE)
5D Lukas Sablik (MU)

Canada
6A Raphael Gagne (MU)
6B Geoff Kabush (ME)
6C Evan Guthrie (MJ)
6D Catharine Pendrel (WE)

Netherlands
7A Irjan Luttenberg (MU)
7B Michiel Van Der Heijden (MJ)
7C Laura Turpijn (WE)
7D Jelmer Pietersma (ME)

United States Of America
8A Heather Irmiger (WE)
8B Russell Finsterwald (MJ)
8C Colin Cares (MU)
8D Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (ME)

Sweden
9A Emil Lindgren (ME)
9B Tobias Ludvigsson (MJ)
9C Alexandra Engen (WU)
9D Mattias Wengelin (MU)

Slovakia
10A Peter Sagan (MU)
10B Daniel Hula (MJ)
10C Janka Stevkova (WE)
10D Michal Lami (ME)

Australia
11A Chris Jongewaard (ME)
11B Lachlan Norris (MU)
11C Michael Baker (MJ)
11D Rowena Fry (WE)

Germany
12A Moritz Milatz (ME)
12B Martin Gluth (MJ)
12C Markus Bauer (MU)
12D Sabine Spitz (WE)

Great Britain
13A Liam Killeen (ME)
13B Kenta Gallagher (MJ)
13C Annie Last (WU)
13D David Fletcher (MU)

Slovenia
14A Luka Mezgec (MU)
14B Urban Ferencak (MJ)
14C Blaza Klemencic (WE)
14D Vid Tancer (MJ)

Japan
15A Kohei Yamamoto (ME)
15B Seiya Hirano (MU)
15C Rie Katayama (WE)
15D Idomu Yamamoto (MJ)

New-Zealand
16A Michael Northcott (ME)
16B Nicola Leary (WE)
16C Brad Hudson (MJ)
16D Ashley Hough (MU)

Austria
17A Hannes Metzler (ME)
17B Simon Scheiber (MU)
17C Maria Osl (WE)
17D Gregor Raggl (MJ)

Belgium
18A Sven Nys (ME)
18B Tom Meeusen (MU)
18C Ruben Scheire (MJ)
18D Sanne Cant (WU)

Russian Federation
19A Maxim Gogolev (ME)
19B Evgeniy Nikolaev (MU)
19C Irina Kalentieva (WE)
19D Ivan Smirnov (MJ)