(Lenzerheide, SUI – July 10, 2016) Canadian riders had to fight back from mechanical problems at Round 4 of the Mountain Bike World Cup in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, on Sunday. Catharine Pendrel of Kamloops, BC, and Emily Batty of Brooklin, ON, finished seventh and eight, respectively, in the Elite women’s race, while Leandre Bouchard of Alma, QC, was 18th in Elite men. On Saturday, Finnley Iles of Whistler, BC, won the Junior Men’s Downhill, and currently leads the overall standings.
Pendrel, ranked second overall in the World Cup going into Lenzerheide, was one of three leaders in the women’s race before crashing on a descent and damaging her saddle, causing her to lose places as she made her way to the Tech Zone. Batty, the bronze medalist at the world championships a week earlier, flatted on the first lap, dropping back into the mid-20s, before battling her way back into the top-10. Jenny Rissveds of Sweden was the winner, followed by World Cup overall leader Annika Lagvad of Denmark.
“Annika and I had gotten away from Jenny on the climb and then on the next descents I got my front wheel caught in a hole and went down twisting my saddle to 90 degrees,” explained Pendrel. “I couldn’t fix it, so had to ride it to the tech zone, losing four or so positions, but was still in the game. I was fine after the crash; hurt my right hand a bit but nothing serious. I was riding in fifth with Maja [Wloszczowska, Poland] and Alessandra [Keller, Switzerland] when again another unfocused crash allowed them to get away. Frustrating but the form is there.”
For Batty, it was a frustrating start to the race. “The flat happened on the first downhill,” Batty said. “As I was moving up, I was pushed off my line by another rider and I hit a stump with my rear tire. It cut the sidewall of the tire instantly. I ended up riding it to the Tech Zone but lost a lot of time and energy. It’s unfortunate because I felt even better then World Championships. I’m also motivated for a strong finish in the World Cup this season. I was focused on every spot I could get after I flatted. It was really bad timing but I was able to work my way close to the podium and collect as many points is I could given the circumstances.”
Pendrel remains second in the overall standings, but is now 156 points behind Denmark’s Annika Langvad, while Batty drops from fourth to seventh, 311 points back.
In the Elite men’s race, Bouchard steadily worked his way up through the field to 13th place in the final lap, before suffering a flat. The result is still Bouchard’s third top-20 of the season in the World Cup, and moves him up from 32nd to 28th in the overall standings. Nino Schurter of Switzerland won, ahead of Julien Absalon of France.
“I started well but the first lap is pretty short and I had no passing opportunities when the race hit the first climb,” said Bouchard. “I was around 25th, in a big group at the start of the climb. Then, I started picking off places, catching [Australian champion] Dan McConnell’s wheel and moving up really well. On the last lap, I flatted while I was still with Dan [who finished 11th]. I lost a few spots, but I’m still really happy about how strong I rode, and it was my best finish position ever in a World Cup!”
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