February 04, 2013 (Louisville, Kentucky) – Marianne Vos (Netherlands) rolled across the finish solo, more than 1.5 minutes ahead of second place, crowd favourite Katie Compton (USA). This was Vos’s fifth consecutive UCI CX World title and her career sixth victory.

Lucie Chainel-Lefevre (France) grabbed the bronze, winning a tight and dramatic battle with Katerina Nash (Czech Republic) after both riders overcame fumbles and mechanicals. The advantage swapped between them, but finally a mechanical issue forced Nash off her bike at the most critical time just before the finish as Chainel-Lefevre was able to pip her, while Nash crossed the line on foot.

Despite being called up second-last, Emily Batty worked her way through the melee to earn the top Canadian result with a 16th place. She has been living and training in Tucson, Arizona all winter, so the wintry conditions were a bit of a shock. Canadian Champ Mical Dyck finished 19th. Teammates Wendy Simms, Pepper Harleton, and Julie Lafreniere rolled through in 22nd, 24th, and 27th, respectively.

“I didn’t realize that I was 16th until the race had finished. I was called up second to last so I wasn’t expecting too much [there were 31 starters]… I was here for some serious training,” said Batty post-race.

The race began at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday in Louisville – the first time North America has hosted a UCI CX World Championship – with massive crowds lining the course, despite a last-minute rescheduling due to an imminent flood that was projected to hit the race course on Sunday. Weather conditions changed dramatically in the week leading up to the main event from dry and mild to cold and wet – and even frozen and snowy. The challenging conditions played into Vos’ hands.

“I had to get the feel of the course on the first lap and I didn’t feel controlled, but after that I took the lead and tried to make my own pace and keep concentrating until the end. Of course I saw my advantage grow and that keeps you motivated,” said Vos.

An early crash caught up many of the favourites and allowed Vos to escape from the front of the field early in the race. The critical moment came on the second lap when Vos threw down the decisive attack as Compton struggled with bike issues.

“I did everything I could and Marianne [Vos] obviously had a gap. The thought of not winning a medal here was heartbreaking, so there is no way in hell that was going to happen. I put everything out there and rode with a lot of heart and did everything I could,” said Compton.

Pedal caught up with the Canadian Champ, Dyck, after her race: “With the mud and the roots too, you couldn’t quite torque as much, but it just took a lot more out of you to stay on the ball all the time.” She was pleased with her effort, but admitted she lacked a bit of the top-end speed the discipline requires. “It’s a great honour to represent Canada here,” she added.