May 20, 2011 (Dalby, UK) – After a month-long break, action resumes this weekend for the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano, in Dalby, UK. After all three disciplines of the Mountain Bike World Cup came together for the opening round in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, only the cross-country athletes will compete in their second event in Dalby.

Appearing for the second time on the World Cup calendar, Dalby was a favorite with the riders last year, offering a technical and physically demanding course. This year, the course has been shortened slightly, however, organizers have managed to retain all of the technical features that thrilled spectators.

In Pietermaritzburg, Chinese star Ren Chengyuan returned to competition after a two year absence to literally ride away from the rest of the field. The young French star Julie Bresset (BH-Suntour-Peisey Vallandry) made a strong move to the Elite ranks with a second place result, while Russia’s Irina Kalentieva (Topeak Ergon) just beat 2010 World Cup Champion Catharine Pendrel of Canada for third place. All of these riders will resume their fight for the World Cup title in Dalby.

The Elite men’s race saw a fierce battle between World Champion Nino Schurter (Scott-Swisspower) and Julien Absalon (Orbea) of France, with the Swiss rider taking the first round victory. This duo have been head-to-head for two seasons, and Schurter beat Absalon in a sprint at Dalby in 2010. Others to watch for include Jaroslav Kulhavy (Specialized) of the Czech Republic and former World Champion Jose Antonio Hermida Ramos (Multivan Merida).

Also returning to Dalby is the highly successful Eliminator street race through Dalby. This short urban mountain bike race took riders through back alleys and down staircases. Joining the cross-country riders in this event on Friday evening will be the Downhill World Champion and World Cup leader Tracy Moseley (Trek World Racing) for the women, and legendary four-cross rider Brian Lopes of the United States for the men.

Read more on Team Canada at Dalby here.