July 27, 2008 (Mont Ste-Anne, Que.) – Currently it’s cloudy and overcast at MSA as the Elite women’s XC World Cup race will soon be underway. There were thunderstorms last night making the course damp and muddy. The forecast is for more rain later in the afternoon. Including Canada’s top riders, Marie-Hélène Prémont (Can) Rocky Mountain and Catharine Pendrel (Can) Luna Women’s MTB Team, there are 19 Canadian women competing today. There are 39 starters who will complete 5 laps of the 5.7km course.

Lap 1
The women are off and Prémont and Pendrel have jumped to the front picking up where they left off at the MTB Nationals – Gunn-Rita Dahle (Nor) Multivan-Merida in 3rd with Katerina Nash (Cze) Luna Women’s MTB Team in 4th and Georgia Gould (USA) Luna Women’s MTB Team in 5th.

Lap 2
As they start lap 2 it’s Prémont at the front with 35 seconds on Pendrel. Dahle is 30 sec. behind with Nash very close at 5-10 seconds as Dahle had a mechanical and Gould is 5th. Wendy Simms (Can) Kona is in 9th with two other riders, Jean Ann McKirdy (Can) Rocky Mountain is in the mid 20s and Sandra Walter (Can) X.O-Felt Women’s MTB Team and Mical Dyck (Can) Terrascape/Trek are in the high 20s.

Halfway through the lap Lene Byberg (Nor) Specialized Factory Racing has moved up and is challenging Dahle for 4th. Amanda Sin (Can) 3 Rox Racing is about 15th.

Lap 3
Prémont has a 50-sec. lead followed by Pendrel in 2nd with Byberg taking over 3rd place now and Dahle is in 4th and Gould is 5th. Nash and Mary McConneloug (USA) Kenda-Seven are in 6th and 7th. Canada’s Simms is in 10th, Sin is now in 14th and McKirdy has advanced well into 16th. Emily Batty (Can) Trek Store Toronto is in 20th with Walter in 25th.

Lap 4
On the penultimate lap it’s Prémont all the way extending her lead to over a minute on Pendrel with Byberg in 3rd another 1:30 back. Then it’s Dahle trailing by 45 sec. with Gould in 5th close behind and looking good to catch her.

McConneloug is in 6th with Nash in 7th, Elisabeth Osl (Aut) Team Ghost International is 8th, Sabrina Enaux (Fra) Team Lapierre International is 9th and Simms is in 10th followed by Sin who has moved up to 11th. McKirdy has dropped back to 18th and Batty is in 20th with fellow U23 Canuck Marie-Claude Suprenant in 21st (we believe), with Walter in 26th.

Lap 5 Final
Pr̩mont looking very strong has come thru for the final lap with a 1:30 on Pendrel in 2nd and Byberg in 3rd another 2 min. behind. Gould has passed Dahle for 4th place and is trailing Byberg by 45 sec. Рcan she catch her?

McConneloug is in 6th another 2 min back with Nash 7th, Osl 8th, Enaux 9th and Canada’s Sin has taken over 10th as Simms has dropped back to 14th.

Prémont wins… Batty is 3rd in U23 category.

Full results pdf here.
Overall standings pdf here.

Results

1. Marie-Hélène Prémont (Can) Rocky Mountain 2:06:30
2. Catherine Pendrel (Can) Luna Women’s MTB Team 2:53
3. Lene Byberg (Nor) Specialized Factory Racing 4:28
4. Georgia Gould (USA) Luna Women’s MTB Team 5:06
5. Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Nor) Multivan Merida Biking Te 5:24
6. Mary McConneloug (USA) Kenda-Seven 6:27
7. Katerina Nash (Cze) Luna Women’s MTB Team 7:33
8. Elisabeth Osl (Aut) Team Ghost International 8:41
9. Sabrina Enaux (Fra) Team Lapierre Internation 11:33
10. Amanda Sin (Can) 3 Rocks Racing 12:14
11. Lea Davison (USA) Trek-VW 12:43
12. Katrin Leumann (Sui) 13:29
13. Wendy Simms (Can) Kona 13:52
14. Willow Koerber (USA) Subaru-Gary Fisher 15:24
15. Tereza* Hurikova (Cze) Ceska Sporitelna Mtb 16:42
16. Laura* Metzler (Fra) Bh-Sr. Suntour 17:43
17. Emily* Batty (Can) Trek Store Toronto 17:59
18. Laura Turpijn (Ned) 18:18
19. Laura Lorenza Morfin Macouzet (Mex) 19:45
20. Jean Ann McKirdy (Can) Rocky Mountain 20:14
21. Jaqueline Mourao (Bra) 22:32
22. Julie* Krasniak (Fra) Team Lapierre Internation 23:05
23. Sandra Walter (Can) X-O Felt 23:33
24. Karine Travaillaud (Can) 25:13
25. Cécile Rode Ravanel (Fra) Team Lapierre Internation 25:58
26. Marie-Claude* Surprenant (Can) 26:26

1 Lap Behind

27. Caroline Villeneuve (Can)
28. Helene Marcouyre (Fra) Bh-Sr. Suntour
29. Mical Dyck (Can)
30. Mikaela* Kofman (Can)
31. Heather Irmiger (USA) Subaru-Gary Fisher
32. Carla Salgado Gonzalez (Mex)
33. Joanna Harrington (Aus)
34. Rie Katayama (Jpn)
35. Marie Allaire (Can)
36. Véronique Fournier (Can)
37. Jamie* Dinkins (USA)
38. Kathleen Villeneuve (Can)

2 Laps Behind

39. Marie Kunst (Den)
40. Caitlyn Tuel (USA)
41. Lisa Morgan (Nzl)
42. Catherine Vipond (Can)
43. Julie Sanders (Can)
44. Kyia Anderson (USA)

3 Laps Behind

45. Kaitlin* Michener (Can)
DNF Kelli Emmett (USA) Giant Mountain Bike Team

*U23