August 10, 2013 (Mont-Ste-Anne, QC) — The sunny and windy conditions continue at Mont-Ste-Anne as 54 Elite Men are on the start line for Round #5 of the UCI MTB World Cup with Nino Schurter (Sui) Scott Swisspower and Julien Absalon (Fra) BMC continuing their battle for supremacy. Jaroslav Kulhavy (Cze) Specialized and Andrej Cink (Cze) Multivan Merida are here along with many other contenders. For Canada it’s veteran Geoff Kabush (Scott-3RoxRacing) and Max Plaxton (Sho-Air/Cannondale) leading the troupe with Canadian champ Derek Zandstra (Scott-3RoxRacing), Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain), Cameron Jette (Scott-3RoxRacing) and other Canucks vying for good results in front of a home crowd. The men will complete 7 laps (4.1km) for 28.7km…
Lap 1
Daniel McConnell (Aus) gets the holeshot – Schurter and Absalon are up there as well.
Kulhavy who’s been sick is now out front with Schurter in 2nd.
Absalon is in 3rd leading a group of 5 riders at 15s – Plaxton is in 17th.
Absalon will catch Kulhavy and Schurter
Lap 2
Kulhavy, Schurter and Absalon come thru in 12:43… Vogel is 4th, Cink is 5th and Fogel is 6th.
Plaxton is 16th and Kabush is 20th.
Up the climb Schurter takes over as Kulhavy drops into 3rd and Cink drives from behind to catch him.
Schurter and Absalon are now pulling away…
Marco Aurelio Fontana (Ita) Cannondale Factory Racing is in 5th, Florian Vogel (Sui) Scott-Swisspower MTB Racing Team is 6th and José Antonio Hermida Ramos (Esp) Multivan Merida Biking Team is 7th.
Lap 3
Absalon takes over the lead as they come thru at 25:24.
Kulhavy is 3rd at 10s with Cink and Fontana
Then it’s Hermida, Gujan, Vogel and Fumic… Plaxton is 14th at 40s.
Cink takes over 3rd place.
Absalon and Schurter are on their own out front.
Fontana is now in 3rd with Cink, Kulhavy and Hermida are just behind
Lap 4
Absalon motions Schurter to take the lead but he doesn’t… at 37:47
Hermida is 3rd with Cink, Fontana and Kulhavy at 50s.
Plaxton is in 13th in the next large group of chasers are at 1:03
Absalon attacks and has opened up a gap… Schurter flats just before the tech zone.
At the 1/2 way point it’s Absalon leading Schurter is at 57s then it’s Hermida, Cink and Fontana at 1:08..
Plaxton is now 10th at 1:29
Lap 5
It’s Absalon starting the fifth lap at 50:03…
Schurter is in second at 1:17 – then it’s Hermida in 3rd, Cink is 4th, Fontana is 5th, Tempier 6th, Giger is 7th and Plaxton is 8th.
Hermida and Schurter are second and third at 1:26 behind Absalon.
Absalon looks smooth and is extending his lead…
Lap 6
Absalon starts the penultimate lap at 1:02:03… Hermida and Schurter are at 1:32 in 2nd and 3rd.
Tempier, Fontana, Cink, Giger, Naef at at 1:50.
Plaxton is 9th with Fumic and McConnell at 2:12
If Schurter places 2nd today he’ll wrap up the WCup…
Naef has moved up to 4th…
Lap 7 FINAL
Absalon starts the bell lap in 1:15:18…
Hermida and Schurter are thru at 1:41 – Naef is not far back alone in 4th at 1:59
Tempier leads a group of 4 at 2:22 – Plaxton is 9th
Hermida drops Schurter…
It looks like Absalon will get his first WCup win this season.
Hermida is at 1:17 – Schurter is 3rd at 1:36 – Naef is 4th at 1:57 – McConnell has taken over 5th at 2:15.
McConnell is second overall in the standings and will earn his second podium.
Absalon takes it…
Results
1. Julien Absalon (Fra) BMC 1:28:17
2. José Antonio Hermida Ramos (Esp) Multivan Merida Biking Team 1:04
3. Nino Schurter (Sui) Scott Swisspower 1:40
4. Ralph Naef (Sui) Multivan Merida Biking Team 1:49
5. Daniel McConnell (Aus) Trek 1:59
9. Max Plaxton (Can) Sho-Air/Cannondale 2:28
15. Geoff Kabush (Can) Scott-3Rox Racing 3:57
26. Derek Zandstra (Can) Scott-3Rox Racing 6:00
30. Cameron Jette (Can) Scott-3Rox Racing 7:52
41. Raphael Gagne (Can) Rocky Mountain – 1 lap
42. Andrew Watson (Can) Norco – 1 lap
45. Jean-Philippe Thibault-Roberge (Can) – 2 laps
49. Mathieu Belanger Barrette (Can) – 3 laps
Full results here.
Standings
1. Nino Schurter (Sui) Scott Swisspower 980
2. Julien Absalon (Fra) BMC 760
3. Daniel McConnell (Aus) Trek 680
Full results here.
