September 06, 2012 (Saalfelden, AUT) – The 2012 UCI XC MTB World Championships got underway in Saalfelden, Austria on Friday with the Team Relay, as each team fielded four riders – an Elite man, an Elite woman, a U23 man, and a Junior man – that completed one lap of the 4.5km course. Italy took the first rainbow stripes of the cross-country championships with France second and Germany in third.

The Canadian team of Geoff Kabush (EM), Mitchell Bailey (U23M), Catharine Pendrel (EM) and Marc-Antoine Nadon (JM) ended up fifth as they battled with Switzerland who claimed fourth overall. Here are some race photos and an interview with Canada’s anchor, Nadon – full results HERE – report to follow.