News: World Cup XC Houffalize, Belgium

Julien Absalon on his way to victory. Photo Courtesy of Union Cycliste Internationale

Frenchman Julien Absalon has won just about every prize in mountain biking, and now, after a victory in the opening round of the 2008 Nissan World Cup cross-country series on Sunday, he can finally add his name to the list of winners in Houffalize, Belgium.

With a rich history and impressive winners’ list that includes names like Thomas Frischknecht, Bart Brentjens and John Tomac, Houffalize has long been considered hallowed ground by cross-country racers. But Absalon, the three-time world champion and defending Olympic champion, had never won in Houffalize until this weekend.

Absalon, wearing the rainbow stripes of the world champion and riding a hardtail Orbea bike, attacked a lead group early and held off Swiss up-and-comer Nino Schurter (Swisspower) to rack up his thirteenth career World Cup win. Absalon is now just four wins shy of Frischknecht’s record of 17 wins.

Ren Chengyaun win Houffalize for the second year in a row. Photo Courtesy of Union Cycliste Internationale

Like many other top contenders, Schurter is involved in a tight competition to qualify for the Olympics this summer in Beijing. The Under-23 world champion showed that he’s a frontrunner among the stacked Swiss riders vying for start spots at the Olympics. Another Swiss rider, Christoph Sauser (Specialized) finished third at Houffalize, just 23 seconds behind Schurter.

A handful of American riders are battling for two Olympic spots, and at the first major international qualifying event, Todd Wells (GT) of Durango, Colorado, struck first, with an impressive eleventh-place finish. Adam Craig (Giant) was the next best American, in fifteenth.

In the women’s race, Chinese powerhouse Ren Chengyuan of the Chinese team showed that she’s on track for Beijing with a come-from-behind win over Russian rival Irina Kalentieva (Topeak-Ergon). It was Chengyuan’s second straight win in Houffalize after her 2007 victory there.

While conditions were fair for the afternoon men’s race, the women faced a muddy course. Chengyuan got off to a slow start in the sloppy conditions, and spent most of the race behind the lead group, outside of the top-five. But as the sun came out and began to dry the course, Chengyuan surged on the last lap and narrowly edged out Kalentieva by just 35 seconds at the line.

Two North American women had impressive top-five finishes: Canadian Marie Helene-Premont (Rocky Mountain) crossed the line in third, and American Georgia Gould (Luna) in fifth.

Nissan World Cup Cross-Country No. 1 Houffalize, Belgium, April 20

Men:
1. Julien Absalon (France), Orbea, 2:06:56
2. Nino Schurter (Switzerland), Swisspower, at 0:51
3. Christoph Sauser (Switzerland), Specialized, at 1:14
4. Jakob Fuglsang (Denmark), Cannondale-Vredestein, at 2:00
5. Ravanel Cedric (France), Lapierre International, at 2:37
6. Jean-Christophe Peraud (France), Orbea, at 3:10
7. Jose Antonio Hermida (Spain), Multivan-Merida, at 3:33
8. Roel Paulissen (Belgium), Cannondale-Vredestein, at 3:55
9. Kashi Leuchs (New Zealand), Cannondale-Vredestein, at 4:09
10. Martin Gujan (Switzerland), Athleticum, at 4:34
11. Todd Wells (USA), Team GT, at 5:16
12. Geoff Kabush (Canada), Maxxis, at 5:30
15. Adam Craig (USA), Giant, at 5:55

Women:
1. Ren Chengyuan (China), 2:11:062
2. Irina Kalentieva (Russia), Topeak-Ergon, at 0:35
3. Marie-Helene Premont (Canada), Rocky Mountain, at 1:08
4. Margarita Fullana (Spain), Massi, at 2:23
5. Georgia Gould (USA), Luna, at 2:47
6. Gunn-Rita Dahle (Norway), Multivan-Merida, at 4:00
7. Nathalie Schneitter (Switzerland), Colnago Cap Arreghini, at 4:13
8. Petra Henzi (Switzerland), Fischer-BMC, at 4:26
9. Tereza Hurikova (Czech Republic), Ceska Sporitelna, at 5:06
10. Sabine Spitz (Germany), Central Ghost, at 5:38

The race starts in town and heads up the famous St. Roch climb Photo Courtesy of Union Cycliste Internationale