May 18, 2019 (Albstadt, Germany) – The UCI Junior Series cross-country season opener saw Canada’s Carter Woods (Rocky Mountain Factory Team) on the podium finishing second in the Junior men’s 5-lap race while Emilly Johnston (Pendrel Racing) delivered a top-10 result placing 8th in the Junior women’s 4-lap competition.
Woods, the reigning Junior MTB and CX champ, led the charge in the 134-rider field and found himself in a 3-way battle with Britain’s Charlie Aldridge and Lukas Malezsewski from Belgium, who joined the Canuck. On the final lap Malezsewski was dropped as Woods and Aldridge delivered a dramatic finish as the duo were together on the final downhill heading to the grass meadow before the pump track.
They both wanted to be first at the last section before the finish line, and the ensuing sprint resulted in them touching bars and crashing hard. Aldridge was able to get back on the bike faster and took the win at 13 seconds ahead of Carter, who crossed the line with crooked handlebars but still 11 seconds clear of Malezsewski.
“The three of us were riding together and I put in a few attacks because I didn’t want it to come down to a sprint,” commented Woods. “Right before the final corners, we were sprinting side by side, and I got pushed into the metal barricades. When we hopped back on our bikes, his handlebars were straight and mine were twisted, so that was it. It’s pretty cool [to have this series], it’s motivating. I felt good during the race, it was just a little bit of bad luck.”
In the women’s race the fast start dominated by Jaqueline Schneebeli (Sui) Swiss Cycling saw Johnston fighting back as she gained positions thru the race pushing into the top 10.
Making her European debut Johnston moved up to sixth ending up 8th at the finish for a strong international start to her young career. Schneebeli was unstoppable taking a decisive solo victory with Germany’s Luisa Daubermann (Gessertshausen) in second and Ronja Blöchlinger (Switzerland) Fischer-BMC in third.
“Emilly and Carter both did a great job in their respective races. It’s always great when aspiring young riders are able to come to Europe and gain experience with bigger fields and fiercer competition. I know the lessons learned here will help them perform better in the future,” commented Dan Proulx, MTB Head Coach, Cycling Canada.
Results (brief)
Junior Women
1. Jacqueline Schneebeli (Sui) Swiss Cycling 0:53:58
2. Luisa Daubermann (Ger) VC lechhausen 0:48
3. Ronja Blöchlinger (Sui) Fischer-BMC 1:32
4. Pasquine Vandermouten (Fra) MASSI 1:40
5. Kata Blanka Vas (Hun) National Team Hungary 2:01
8. Emilly Johnston (Can) Pendrel Racing 2:40
Junior Men
1. Charlie Aldridge (Gbr) GB National Team 0:58:21
2. Carter Woods (Can) Rocky Mountain Factory Team 0:13
3. Lukas Malezsewski (Bel) BELGIAN CYCLING TEAM 0:22
4. Carlos Canal Blanco (Esp) ACADEMIA POSTAL -MACEDA 0:33
5. Luke Wiedmann (Sui) Swiss Cycling 0:36