May 6, 2008 (Madrid, Spain) – Round three of the Nissan UCI MTB XC Series completed on Sunday afternoon in Madrid with Gunn-Rita Dahle (Nor) Multivan-Merida reasserting herself on the world stage and Julien Absalon (Fra) Orbea distancing himself even more from his competitors.

Dahle won her first World Cup after being held down by illness for nearly the entire 2007 season. Canada’s Marie-Hélène Prémont (Can) Rocky Mountain missed the win in a sprint finish with the Norwegian and had to settle for second place. It was enough to put her into the World Cup Series lead, which means the consistent star Québecoise rider will be wearing the leader’s jersey for round four on May 31 in Vallnord, Andorra (where there is reportedly still 60cm of snow on the ground, as the venue lies at an altitude of 1600m).

Spain’s Marga Fullana (Spa) Massi took the third podium spot in front of an enthusiastic Spanish crowd. Catharine Pendrel (Can) Luna Women’s MTB Team was the second Canuck when she bagged another top-10 with ninth place after five laps of a very fast, dusty course. Mical Dyck (Can) Trek-VW was pleased with her 27th place as she wound up her first foray into the European World Cups. Alison Sydor (Can) Rocky Mountain finished 32nd, Wendy Simms (Can) Kona was 40th, Sandra Walter (Can) X.O-Felt Women’s MTB was 46th, Amanda Simms (Can) Scott-3 Rox Racing took 49th and Emily Batty (Can) Trek Store Toronto was 53rd. Kiara Bisaro (Can) Opus was forced to pull out of the race due to health concerns, and she intends to take the next few weeks off before World Cup #4 to get healthy, as she is still in the running for Olympic qualification.

Absalon in Charge

Absalon took his third victory in as many World Cup races on Sunday on a course that has been compared to the Olympic course in Beijing. The Frenchman proved that, no matter what the terrain or the weather, he can win. He is also showing that he is a safe bet for Olympic gold this August. José Antonio Hermida (Spa) Multivan-Merida put up a fierce fight in the race, allowing his hordes of fans on the side of the course to hang on to the hope of a Spanish victory until the very end. Absalon put 12 seconds into Hermida, however, and the Spaniard took second spot in an Orbea sandwich, as Absalon’s team mate and countryman, Jean-Christophe Peraud (Fra) Orbea, took third.

Canada’s Geoff Kabush (Can) Maxxis and Seamus McGrath (Can) Fuji had solid results, finishing 21st and 27th, respectively. Kabush commented that he did the best he could with not-so-great legs. He and McGrath have set themselves apart from the rest of the Canadian men, and if the trend continues, they will likely be wearing the maple leaf in Beijing. Derek Zandstra (Can) Scott-3 Rox was 61st, followed by Mathieu Toulouse (Can) Maxxis in 62nd, Kris Sneddon (Can) Kona in 98th and Ricky Federau (Can) Team Ricky in 112th. Max Plaxton (Can) Rocky Mountain did not finish.

World Cup Individual Standings after Round #3

Women

1. Marie-Hélène Prémont (Can) Rocky Mountain 560 points
2. Ren Chengyuan (Chn) 480
3. Margarita Fullana (Esp) Massi 460
4. Irina Kalentieva (Rus) Topeak Ergon 450
5. Gunn-Rita Dahle (Nor) Multivan-Merida 380
6. Sabine Spitz (Ger) Ghost International 375
7. Georgia Gould (USA) Luna Women’s MTB Team 360
8. Ying Liu (Chn) 340
9. Lene Byberg (Nor) Specialized 320
10. Petra Henzi (Sui) Fischer-BMC 312

12. Catherine Pendrel (Can) Luna Womens MTB Team 288
25. Kiara Bisaro (Can) Opus 146
26. Wendy Simms (Can) Kona 142
31. Sandra Walter (Can) X.0-Felt Womens MTB Team 128
37. Mical Dyck (Can) 111
42. Alison Sydor (Can) Rocky Mountain 69
45. Amanda Sin (Can) Scott-3 Rox Racing 66
56. Emily Batty (Can) Toronto Trek Store 47

Men

1. Julien Absalon (Fra) Orbea 750 points
2. Christoph Sauser (Sui) Specialized 445
3. Jean-Christophe Peraud (Fra) Orbea 430
4. Jose Antonio Hermida (Esp) Multivan-Merida 378
5. Nino Schurter (Sui) Swisspower MTB Team 350
6. Marco Aurelio Fontana (Ita) Hardrock FRW 315
7. Kashi Leuchs (NZl) Cannondale-Vredestein 308
8. Cedric Ravanel (Fra) Lapierre International 299
9. Martin Gujan (Sui) Athleticum 279
10. Ruben Ruzafa Cueto (Spa) Orbea 276

17. Geoff Kabush (Can) Team Maxxis 217
18. Seamus McGrath (Can) Fuji 212
62. Ricky Federau (Can) Team Ricky 31
71. Derek Zandstra (Can) Scott-3 Rox Racing 20