U23 winner Nino Schurter added to the Swiss dominance
Photo courtesy of UCI
Christoph Sauser climbed to the top of the Men's Elite XC podium Sunday, wearing the rainbow jersey and standing between his two closest competitors. All three had a reason to celebrate his win, however.
Along with Florian Vogel in second place and Ralph Naef taking third, Sauser and his Swiss teammates put three countrymen together on the podium for the first time in UCI Mountain Bike World Championship history.
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An even bigger surprise was the absence of French favorite Julien Absalon from the podium, or even the finish line.
Absalon, the four-time defending champion of this title, pulled out in the last lap after struggling with the heat. He won gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and has been dominant at this event the last four years.
It appeared Sunday, however, that his Olympic title defense could be threatened by any number of riders, especially the Swiss who captured the top spot at Val Di Sole.
Sauser is still second to Absalon in the UCI Olympic rankings, but his victory Sunday makes him a favorite for Beijing in August. Vogel and Naef are in the top 15 in the Olympic rankings, and both are having strong seasons.
The United States had just three men in the top 50, with Todd Wells placing 15th, Adam Craig in 45th and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski finishing 49th.
In the Women's Elite race, Margarita Fullana of Spain won her third World Championship after a title drought stretching back to her wins in 1999 and 2000.
Also on the podium were Sabine Spitz of Germany and Irina Kalentieva of Russia. Kalentieva is number one in the Olympic rankings, with Spitz close behind. Fullana was ranked sixth before the event.
There are three US women in good position to take a podium spot in Beijing. Georgia Gould and Mary McConneloug are ranked eighth and ninth, respectively. Both posted top-20 finishes Sunday, along with Lea Davison at 19th.
The fifth leg of the UCI World Cup is next for the racers, held July 26-27 in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada.
RESULTS:
Men's Elite
1. 2 SAUSER Christoph SUI 1:58:26 Distance : 40.66 km - Average speed : 20.60 km/h
2. 6 VOGEL Florian SUI 2:01:21 +2:54
3. 12 NAEF Ralph SUI 2:02:46 +4:19
4. 78 KILLEEN Liam GBR 2:03:09 +4:42
5. 4 KESSIAKOFF Fredrik SWE 2:03:14 +4:47
15. 24 WELLS Todd USA 2:06:36 +8:09
45. 13 CRAIG Adam USA 2:15:23+ 16:56
49. 35 HORGAN-KOBELSKI Jeremy USA -1Lap
Women's Elite
1. 5 FULLANA Margarita ESP 1:39:01 Distance: 29.14 km - Average speed: 17.66 km/h.
2. 2 SPITZ Sabine GER 1:40:44 +1:43
3. 1 KALENTIEVA Irina RUS 1:41:21 +2:20
4. 3 PREMONT Marie-Helene CAN 1:41:53 +2:51
5. 40 WLOSZCZOWSKA Maja POL 1:42:47 +3:45
9. 7 GOULD Georgia USA 1:45:19 +6:18
19. 46 DAVISON Lea USA 1:49:04+ 10:03
20. 8 MCCONNELOUG Mary USA 1:49:28+ 10:26
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