May 4, 2008 (Madrid, Spain) – The Elite’s men’s xc race has just started with 163 riders on the start line under clear and sunny skies. Canada has seven (7) riders on the start line Geoff Kabush (Maxxis), Seamus McGrath (Fuji), Max Plaxton (Rocky Mountain), Derek Zandstra (Scott-3 Rox Racing), Mat Toulouse (Maxxis), Kris Sneddon (Kona), and Ricky Federau (Team Ricky). The men will cover seven (7) full laps of the 7.8km course.

Lap 1
The riders are off and it’s Martin Gujan (Sui) Athleticum MTB Team jumping into the lead with a group of 6 including Julien Absalon (Fra) Orbea and Florian Vogel (Sui) Swisspower as they head up the first climb. The chase group is not far back with Canada’s Kabush with McGrath further back.

Lap 2
Coming thru on lap 2 the lead group of 8-10 riders including Absalon and José Hermida (Merida) is followed closely by a second wave of 15 riders with the main pack at around 20 seconds with Christof Sauser (Sui) Specialized.

Lap 3
Yader Zoli (Ita) Giant Italia Team is at the front of lead group with Hermida, Absalon, Gujan, Nino Schurter (Swisspower), Kashi Leuchs (Cannondale-Vredestein) – the chasers are close behind.

Lap 4
The leaders have about a 15-sec lead on the chase group that includes Kabush and McGrath – other Canucks Zandstra, Plaxton, Toulouse and Federau are well back in the 50s and 60s. Zoli’s team mate Ivan Alvarez Gutierrez is in the lead group along with Marco Aurelio Fontana (Ita).

Lap 5
It’s Absalon and Hermida at the front now with a 15-second lead on the chase group of 6 riders – the riders are strung out behind with Kabush in about 27th and McGrath.

Lap 6
Absalon is leading with Hermida close behind as they increase their lead over the chasers at 30 seconds who are exchanging the lead in the race for third with Gutierrez, Christoph Soukup, Fontana, Gujan, Spain’s Ruben Ruzafa, and Peraud – then a second group at about 20 seconds with Flückiger, Sauser, McGrath, Kabush, Jongewaard…

Lap 7 Final
It’s Absalon and Hermida well in the lead with Gutierrez looking good for third with the chasers just behind – Canada’s McGrath and Kabush are around 20th.

Results

1. Julien Absalon (Fra) Orbea 2:12:30
2. José Antonio Hermida Ramos (Esp) Multivan Merida Biking Team 0:12
3. Jean-Christophe Peraud (Fra) Orbea 0:52
4. Ruben Ruzafa Cueto (Esp) Orbea 0:56
5. Marco Aurelio Fontana (Ita) 1:02
6. Kashi Leuchs (NZl) Cannondale-Vredestein 1:12
7. Christoph Soukup (Aut) 1:17
8. Martin Gujan (Sui) Athleticum 1:31
9. Lukas Flückiger (Sui) Athleticum 1:38
10. Jürg Graf (Sui) Swisspower MTB Team 1:40
11. Manuel Fumic (Ger) Fumic.Brothers.International 1:51
12. Christoph Sauser (Sui) Specialized Factory Racing 2:06
13. Burry Stander* (RSA) GT Mongoose 2:26
14. Jaroslav Kulhavy (Cze) 2:29
15. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (USA) Subaru-Gary Fisher 2:32
16. Cédric Ravanel (Fra) Team Lapierre International 2:39
17. Sergio Mantecon Gutierrez (Esp) Cemelorca-Seguros10.Com 2:45
18. Todd Wells (USA) GT Mongoose 2:49
19. Oliver Beckingsale (Gbr) Giant Mountain Bike Team 2:57
20. Ralph Naef (Sui) Multivan Merida Biking 3:15
21. Geoff Kabush (Can) Team Maxxis 3:22
22. Chris Jongewaard (Aus) Dolphin-Trek Mountainbike 3:23
23. Inaki Lejarreta Errasti (Esp) Orbea 3:34
24. Hannes Metzler (Aut) Giant Mountain Bike Team 3:41
25. Thomas Frischknecht (Sui) Swisspower MTB Team 3:46
26. Yader Zoli (Ita) Giant Italia Team 3:50
27. Seamus McGrath (Can) Fuji 3:56
28. Tony Longo (Ita) Full-Dynamix-It 4:22
29. Bart Brentjens (Ned) Dolphin-Trek Mountainbike 4:53
30. Stéphane Tempier* (Fra) Gewiss Bianchi 4:53
31. Adam Craig (USA) Giant Mountain Bike Team 4:56
32. Karl Markt (Aut) 4:57
33. Rudi Van Houts (Ned) Dolphin-Trek Mountainbike 5:12
34. Wolfram Kurschat (Ger) Topeak Ergon Racing Team 5:24
35. Liam Killeen (Gbr) Specialized Factory Racing 5:32
36. Ivan Alvarez Gutierrez (Esp) Giant Italia Team 5:57
37. Israel Nunez Baticon (Esp) Massi 6:12
38. Milan Spesny (Cze) Merida Biking Team 6:15
39. Marc Colom* (Fra) 6:27
40. Florian Vogel (Sui) Swisspower MTB Team 6:34
41. Christof Bischof (Sui) 6:52
42. Jan Skarnitzl* (Cze) 7:02
43. Martino Fruet (Ita) 7:05
44. Giuseppe Lamastra (Ita) 7:15
45. Karl Platt (Ger) Team Bulls 7:23
46. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Cannondale-Vredestein 7:27
47. Michael Weiss (Aut) 7:33
48. Peter Riis Andersen (Den) Team ALB-Gold Mountainbike 7:35
49. Jelmer Pietersma (Ned) Beone Chainreaction Mount 7:36
50. Nicolas Bazin (Fra) BH-SR. Suntour 7:39
51. Till Marx (Sui) Swisspower MTB Team 7:43
52. Marti Gispert Labarta (Esp) Ecp-Tau Ceramica 7:47
53. David Lozano Riba* (Esp) MSC Bikes 8:02
54. Anders Hovdenes* (Nor) Team Etto Hoydahl 8:19
55. Alejandro Diaz De La Pena Lopez (Esp) 8:20
56. Lado Fumic (Ger) Fumic.Brothers.International 8:28
57. Moritz Milatz (Ger) Multivan Merida Biking 8:32
58. Klaus Nielsen (Den) Team Alb-Gold Mountainbike 8:43
59. Bas Peters (Ned) 8:49
60. Lachlan Norris* (Aus) 8:51
61. Derek Zandstra (Can) 3 Rox Racing 8:55
62. Mathieu Toulouse (Can) Team Maxxis 9:20
63. Dariusz Batek* (Pol) Halls Professional MTB 9:38
64. Filip Meirhaeghe (Bel) Versluys-Landbouwkrediet 9:50
65. Kohei Yamamoto (Jpn) 9:52
66. Ji Jianhua (Chn) 10:11
67. Matthias Flückiger* (Sui) Athleticum 10:17
68. Bjorn Brems* (Bel) 10:17
69. Stefan Sahm (Ger) Team Bulls 10:30
70. Dario Alejandro Gasco* (Arg) Massi 10:32
71. Pierre Lebreton (Fra) BH-SR. Suntour 10:42
72. Frank Schotman (Ned) 11:07
73. Pierre Geoffroy Plantet (Fra) Team Lapierre International 11:25
74. Severin Disch* (Sui) 11:32
75. Denis Vorontsov* (Rus) 11:41
76. Maxime Marotte* (Fra) BH-SR. Suntour 11:50
77. Martin Fanger* (Sui) 12:04
78. Balz Weber (Sui) Bikepark.Ch Bmc 12:13
79. Cristian Cominelli* (Ita) Gewiss Bianchi 12:17
80. Jeremiah Bishop (USA) Trek-VW 12:24
81. Patrik Gallati* (Sui) Swisspower MTB Team 12:56
82. Cristobal Silva (Chi) 13:11
83. Olivier Maignan (Fra) 13:22
84. Lukas Kaufmann* (Sui) 13:37
85. Chun Hing Chan (Hkg) 13:40
86. Sebastien Carabin* (Bel) 13:45
87. Luis Leao Pinto (Por) 14:02
88. Javier Puschel (Chi) 14:15
89. Dmitry Medvedev* (Rus) 14:27
90. Michael Broderick (USA) Kenda Seven 14:33
91. Vivien Legastelois* (Fra) Team Lapierre International 14:41
92. Kristian Hynek (Cze) 15:04
93. Emil Lindgren (Swe) Full-Dynamix-It 15:33
94. Juan Pedro Trujillo Hernandez (Esp) Cemelorca-Seguros10.Com 15:46
95. Alban Lakata (Aut) Dolphin-Trek Mountainbike 15:58
96. Daniel Mcconnell (Aus) 16:34
97. Patxi Cia Apezteguia (Esp) 16:41
98. Kris Sneddon (Can) Kona 16:47
99. Ruud Rentmeester (Ned) 16:57
100. Ludovic Mottet (Bel) Windose Houffalize 17:25
101. Diego Rosa* (Ita) Giant Italia Team 17:29
102. Ian Field* (Gbr) 17:53
103. Jose Antonio De Segovia Botella (Esp) 18:15
104. Sergio Pulido Rodriguez* (Esp) Cemelorca-Seguros10.Com 18:45
105. Nathan Haas* (Aus) 19:11
106. Umberto Corti* (Ita) Team CBE Tecnoimpianti A. 19:40
107. Laurent Mineur* (Bel) 19:40

1 Lap

108. Alexis Vuillermoz* (Fra) Scott Valloire Galibier
109. Josef Kamler* (Cze) Ceska Sporitelna MTB
110. David Rosa* (Por)
111. David Escolar Ballesteros (Esp) Sunshine Racers Asv Nals
112. Ricky Federau (Can) Team Ricky
113. Vladislavs Neroznaks (Lat)
114. Samuel Schultz (USA) Subaru-Gary Fisher

2 Laps

115. Jo Thorson Nordskar* (Nor) Team Etto Hoydahl
116. Freddy Betremiaux* (Fra) BH-SR. Suntour
117. Gion Manetsch (Sui) Athleticum
118. Milton Javier Ramos Gamez (Hon)

3 Laps

119. Nicolas Jeantet* (Ita) Team CBE Tecnoimpianti A.
120. Samuele Porro* (Ita) Team CBE Tecnoimpianti A.
121. Dror Pekatch (Isr) Subaru-Gary Fisher

4 Laps

122. Dries Govaerts* (Bel) Lingier-Versluys Team
123. Joel Martinez Fernandez* (And)
124. Frank Beemer* (Ned)
DNF Nino Schurter* (Sui) Swisspower MTB Team
DNF Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe) Full-Dynamix-It
DNF Roel Paulissen (Bel) Cannondale-Vredestein
DNF Carlos Coloma Nicolas (Esp) Ecp-Tau Ceramica
DNF Tim Bohme (Ger) Team Alb-Gold Mountainbike
DNF Jochen Kass (Ger) Team Alb-Gold Mountainbike
DNF Marc Trayter Alemany (Esp) Ecp-Tau Ceramica
DNF Max Plaxton (Can) Rocky Mountain
DNF Jiri Friedl (Cze) Merida Biking Team
DNF Magnus Darvell (Swe)
DNF Mirko Pirazzoli (Ita)
DNF Matous Ulman (Cze)
DNF Barry Wicks (USA) Kona
DNF Andrea Tiberi (Ita) Giant Italia Team
DNF Tim Wijnants* (Bel) Dolphin-Trek Mountainbike
DNF Pascal Meyer* (Sui)
DNF Gareth Montgomerie (Gbr)
DNF Mitchell Peterson* (USA)
DNF Davide Marques (Por)
DNF Tobias Ullmann (Ger) Team XLC Haibike
DNF Nick Daems* (Bel)
DNS Yury Trofimov (Rus)
DNS Andreas Kugler (Sui Fischer-BMC

*U23