Yorkshire, Great Britain (April 25, 2010) – The 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup season got underway on Sunday with two Americans on the podium in the women’s cross country contest. Willow Koerber (Durango, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher) earned her best-ever finish in international competition finishing second, only 11 seconds behind reigning world champion Irina Kalentieva (RUS). After leading a chase group in pursuit of the leading pair, American compatriot Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna) joined Koerber on the podium in fourth.
Koerber rode out front with Kalentieva the majority of the contest
Photo courtesy: Rob Jones
Kalentieva and Koerber were able to establish a lead around the second of the five-lap, 36-kilometer affair. The Luna squad quickly formed a chase group to hunt down the reigning world and Pan-American champions with Gould, Katerina Nash (CZE/Luna) and Catherine Pendrel (CAN/Luna) leading the way. The group drew to within 14 seconds of the leaders before fading to finish nearly half a minute behind the winner.
Americans Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher) finished ninth and Mary McConneloug (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven-Notubes) was 14th to land four U.S. women inside the top 15 in the World Cup opener. Pua Sawicki (Yucaipa, Calif./Okolestuff.com) also finished 44th.
In the men’s 43-kilometer affair later in the day, Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized) was the top American finisher in 19th, while former USA Cycling National Development Program rider Sam Schultz (Missoula, Mont../Subaru-Gary Fisher) came in 30th. Reigning USA Cycling National Champion Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher) was 39th and Michael Broderick (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven-No Tubes) was 106th.
The second of the nine-round UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will continue in Houffalize, Belgium, May 1-2. For more information on the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, click here.
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #1
Yorkshire, Dalby Forest, GBR
April 25, 2010
Elite Women’s Cross Country
36-kilometers
1. Irina Kalentieva (RUS/Topeak Ergon) 1:54:57
2. Willow Koerber (Durango, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher) 0:11
3. Katerina Nash (CZE/Luna) 0:28
4. Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna) 0:29
9. Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher ) 1:46
14. Mary McConneloug (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven-Notubes) 3:18
44. Pua Sawicki (Yucaipa, Calif./Okolestuff.com) 11:19
Elite Men’s Cross Country
43-kilometers
1. Nino Schurter (SWI/Scott-Swisspower) 1:54:52
2. Julien Absalon (FRA/Orbea) 0:01
3. Burry Stander (RSA/Specialized) 0:14
19. Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized) 3:49
30. Sam Schultz (Missoula, Mont../Subaru-Gary Fisher) 5:43
39. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher) 7:25
106. Michael Broderick (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven-No Tubes) 14:59
About USA Cycling
Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX and cyclo-cross. As a membership-based organization, USA Cycling comprises 66,500+ licensees; 2,200 clubs and teams; and 34 local associations. The national governing body sanctions 2,650 competitive and non-competitive events throughout the U.S. each year and is responsible for the identification, development, and support of American cyclists. To learn more about USA Cycling, visit www.usacycling.org.
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source: Andrea Smith
www.usacycling.org
