May 31, 2011 (Offenburg, Germany) – Following the UCI MTB World Cup #3 in Offenburg, Germany this past weekend we caught up with some of the Canucks who raced there including Catharine Pendrel (Can) Luna Pro Team, who placed 2nd earning her first WCup podium this season. Julie Bresset (Fra) BH-Suntour-Peisey Vallandry scored her second consecutive WCup win and we asked Pendrel if Bresset is beatable. We also heard from Geoff Kabush (Can) Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain about Offenburg and he added some comments on the London 2012 MTB course which he previewed after the WCup in Dalby on the previous weekend. Amanda Sin (Can) Team Canada and Andrew Watson (Can) Team Canada gave us their take on the Offenburg course, their race and what lies ahead… and we have a brief update on U23 rider Antoine Caron who broke his collarbone while training in Offenburg. Derek Zandstra (Team Canada) is a latecomer to the party as he had difficulty finding internet access.

Catharine Pendrel (Luna Pro Team)
I felt good today and very comfortable with the pace. When I couldn’t separate from Julie [Bresset] early in the race I decided to try patience. On lap four [of 5] I tried to overtake her, but she has really good acceleration and was able to gap me instead, pulling away from me with just over one lap to go. The conditions were perfect and yes Bresset is beat-able, but you have to have the legs, the heart, and the smarts all at the right time to do it. It is still early in the season and I’m sure there will be many more exciting match ups ahead.

Geoff Kabush (Team Maxxis – Rocky Mountain)
Today was a frustrating finish to this European trip. My team, Maxxis-Rocky Mountain, and myself put a lot of effort and time in Europe and it’s difficult to be heading home with little to show for it. I have tried to fight through as best I could but after feeling great a couple weeks ago I got sick and obviously today I was still not 100%. I tried to push but the body did not respond so now I am looking forward to heading home to get healthy and reboot my system.

The London 2012 Olympic course made a much better impression in person than it did on the videos I saw previously. They did as best they could under the circumstances, building a course in a field, but obviously I would prefer a much more natural and technically demanding course. The course still has its challenges and I am confident that if I arrive in London next year with good legs I can excel there. A bit of rain on it would put a smile on my face.

Amanda Sin (Team Canada)
The Offenburg course is one of my favourites. It has several technical features which are fun to ride and great for spectators. I like it more than Dalby where we raced last weekend, but I hesitate to say it’s better, just different. They are both really great courses. As far as the racing goes I feel that the field is going faster and there is more racing in groups. With the increased speed there are also more tactics involved. In Offenburg I started in 35th position and wanted to maintain my spot or move into the top 30. I didn’t quite get there, and was somewhere in the 40s or 50s going out on the 1st lap. From there I started to work my way up as best as I could and finished 44th. I think may race was good, but there are things that I can do better and improve on next round in MSA. Until then I’m looking forward to racing at the Hardwood Ski and Bike Canada Cup this coming weekend.

Andrew Watson (Team Canada)
Super solid day out there today – the conditions were perfect for me sunny and hot. The start was the usual chaos… I really tried to be patient this week and worked my way into a really good group of three other riders for the majority of the race. We all seemed to be on the same page out there and we worked to reel in individual riders for about four laps. But with two laps to go our group disintegrated and I had to get into solo TT mode. I managed to gain a few more positions and finished pretty strong. Definitely my best World Cup this year and hopefully a good launch point for the rest of the season.

Antoine Caron (Team Canada)
The latest news on Antoine Caron who crashed while training in Offenburg and broke his collarbone comes from Canadian Coach Dan Proulx who writes, “Antoine did break his collarbone but he’s already doing some light spinning on the trainer.”

Derek Zanstra (Team Canada)
I like the Offenburg and Dalby courses because they both have their moments. Both courses are fast, but Offenburg has a couple of additional technical sections which add to the dynamics especially if it rains. Some riders struggle with that, but most Canadians love it. When you look at the results, the gaps are very small between riders – you don’t race like it’s an ITT. You need to use the riders around you to keep the pace up without killing yourself. Drafting is a big thing and that’s why the starts are so crucial. I had a pretty descent start in Offenburg not eating too much dust. But I was unfortunate on the 1st lap with a rear flat that I rode into the tech zone and lost some positions. After that I moved up slowly and got into a groove with two other strong riders and we worked together till the end and I had a decent finish. The World Cup racing circuit is always super competitive and even with more riders in the field the results are very similar to other years. Following Offenburg is the Hardwood Ski and Bike Canada MTB Cup coming up this weekend – then some time at home which I look forward too. It’s the right time for me to get in another building block and prepare to improve at the next World Cups.

Women’s full results here.
Men’s full results here.