MTB News & Racing Round-up, September 8, 2010

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Date published:

September 9, 2010, 17:50

Edited by Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor

Welcome to our regular roundup of what's happening in mountain biking. Feel free to send feedback, news, & releases to mtb@cyclingnews.com and results, reports & photos to cyclingnews@cyclingnews.com.

• Bronze feels different second time around for Koerber

  

  Article published:

  September 8, 2010, 21:23

  By:

  Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor

  American mountain biker podiums two years in a row at Worlds

  Riding for the United States, Willow Koerber was part of an exciting women's cross country race at the mountain bike world championships in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, Canada, this past weekend. Koerber rode to a bronze medal, her second in as many years at the Worlds. In 2009, her medal marked a breakout, career-best performance; in 2010, there was more pressure to excel.

  "It was different," said Koerber of this year's experience at Worlds. "It wasn't like I was a complete underdog.

  "I felt more stressed about it, but it's fine. I realize I can handle that stress now. When you really want to win, the least you can do is get third."

  A slip and fall on the final half-lap of a 5.5-lap race nearly cost Koerber, who was then riding in second place, a podium place, but she rallied to make a gutsy, last-minute pass to move herself up from fourth to third.

  "In the last half lap, we were all getting tired," said Koerber who was racing for second place with Catharine Pendrel (Canada) and Irina Kalentieva (Russia) while Poland's Maja Wloszczowska rode off the front solo.

  "I felt like I was really exhausted," said Koerber. "I didn't mess up on the hard section of the downhill (with the rocky chute), I slipped and got stuck in the fencing at the top. 'I can't go into this flustered,' I had thought. You start to get dizzy out there when you're giving it your all. It's a good thing, but you have to be careful.

  "When I fell, I was like 'oh crap, what's going on?' I only have one downhill and one uphill to go. I had felt comfortable riding down that rock shoot every time, and when no one was there, I was riding down the "A" line no problem. On the final lap, I chose the "B" line."

  When Koerber fell, Pendrel passed her. It took Koerber a while to free up her pedal, which was caught on a wooden stake. Back on the bike, 2009 World Champion Kalentieva then managed to get around both of them as all three riders slipped and slid along the track.

  But in racing the mental game is really important and Koerber decided she couldn't give up. "At first, I was kind of panicking because I'd lost the entire gap I'd worked so hard for," she said. "My boyfriend Myles was on the right and said 'don't give up on a medal'. I was almost in tears. I was like 'what just happened?' I think he could see the pain in my eyes and I fought as hard as I could."

  An inspired Koerber turned the frustration into energy. "I pretended all the Canadians were cheering for me, and I put my life on the line for that pass. I'm not sure how I did it. I just got the fire from somewhere and saw red and attacked. It was close.

  "I think you need to go into Worlds wanting to win," she said, "but third place is good, especially since I was fourth until the last few seconds."

  Koerber went home with the bronze medal, adding to her fond memories of racing at Mont-Sainte-Anne. "Here was where I got my first World Cup podium in 2004."

• USA Cycling splits gravity and cross country mountain bike nationals

  

  Article published:

  September 8, 2010, 15:50

  By:

  Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor

  2011-2012 location announced

  USA Cycling is splitting the cross country and gravity portions of its mountain bike national championships into two separate events beginning in 2011. USA Cycling announced on Wednesday that Sun Valley, Idaho, will host the USA Cycling Cross Country Mountain Bike National Championships for the next two years on July 14-17, 2011 and July 12-15, 2012. A location for the downhill, four cross and dual slalom contests has yet to be determined.

  USA Cycling said splitting the nationals for the disciplines would help it better meet the needs of endurance and gravity athletes alike.

  In its first two years at its very own venue, the 2011 and 2012 cross country nationals will be organized by Breakaway Promotions and will include the Olympic-style cross country, short track cross country, and Super D competitions.

  "We made the decision to split the disciplines based on member feedback from all types of mountain bikers," said USA Cycling National Events Director Kelli Lusk. "This will allow both gravity and cross country athletes to compete on an ideal course in a setting specifically designed for their needs."

  All categories of racers will duke it out on the trails of Sun Valley for Stars-and-Stripes jerseys during the UCI-mandated dates of July 14-17, 2011.

  "I have travelled the world and the US for races, and I live in the Sun Valley area of Idaho because it has some of the best trails I've ever ridden as well as a welcoming cycling community," said three-time 24-Hour Mountain Bike World Champion Rebecca Rusch. "I already know this place is world-class and I'm really looking forward to sharing what Idaho has to offer with the best cyclists in the US."

  The Sun Valley Ski Resort in Idaho will act as the host venue for both the 2011 and 2012 event.

  "The Sun Valley/Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau and the communities of Sun Valley and Ketchum, Idaho provided a very detailed bid and a clear commitment to host the 2011 and 2012 events," said Lusk. "The combination of an experienced race director, along with the event and marketing knowledge of the Sun Valley Resort and CVB staff, were key to the success of this bid."

  "We worked closely with Breakaway Promotions and Metric Marketing Group and spent hundreds of hours to formulate the successful bid," said Carrie Westergard from the Sun Valley/Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau. "We are thrilled with the news and are ready to showcase our area's great riding and the strong mountain bike community."

  "Breakaway Promotions is honored to be selected as the race organizer for the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Cross Country National Championships in Sun Valley. We will create a course and competitive experience that will make this event memorable for every rider," said Race Director Chad Sperry.

  More information about the 2011 USA Cycling Cross Country Mountain Bike National Championships will be announced in coming months.

  For the past two years, cross country and downhill nationals were held in Granby, Colorado.

  Canada, which has for the past few years held separate gravity and cross country nationals, is taking the opposite approach for 2011.  Canadian Cycling Federation officials mentioned to Cyclingnews at the Mountain Bike World Championships that it would be re-combining the disciplines into one national championship event for 2011.

• Felt Ötztal X-Bionic signs U23 cross country star Litscher

  

  Article published:

  September 8, 2010, 08:00

  By:

  Cycling News

  Worlds silver medalist signs two-year contract

  Fresh off winning the silver medal at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championship cross country race, Switzerland's Thomas Litscher signed a two-year contract with the Felt Ötztal X-Bionic World Cup team.

  "We already had great interest in him last year, however his commitments with MIG Team continue until the end of 2010 season," said the Felt Ötztal X-Bionic team's director Jörg Scheiderbauer.

  Scheiderbauer sees great potential in the 21-year-old Swiss rider. In addition to his accomplishments solo in the cross country at Worlds, Litscher also was a member of Switzerland's winning relay team.

  He won the junior world and European titles in 2007, and he's been mixing it up among the elites with a 15th place at this year's World Cup in Champery, Switzerland and 20th at the World Cup in Offenburg, Germany.

  "The team and its support are perfect for me," said Litscher. "Considering my past achievements along with hard work, together we can achieve a lot."

• Dutch four cross nationals cancelled

  

  Article published:

  September 7, 2010, 10:48

  By:

  Cycling News

  Lack of sponsorship and subsidies cited

  The Bikepark Groningen Foundation cancelled the Dutch Four Cross National Championships due to a budget deficit. Lack of sponsorships and government subsidy meant the organizers could not cover the budget for running the national championship.

  "Given these circumstances we see no opportunity to organize the planned race," read a statement by organizers.

  Bikepark Groningen is instead focussing on planning its 2011 season. On September 19, it will host a riders meeting at the Bikepark. Interested riders can RSVP to david [at] bikepark.nl.

• Final round of World Cup to decide five of six overall titles

  

  Article published:

  August 27, 2010, 18:32

  By:

  Cycling News

  Mountain bike World Cup returns to US after five years

  This weekend, Windham, New York, welcomes mountain bikers to the conclusion of the 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. Nestled in the Catskill Mountains, the small resort town of Windham will be the site of the first US World Cup event in five years, and the first ever final to be held on American soil. All three disciplines of the sport - Olympic cross country, downhill and four cross - will come together to determine who will be crowned the World Cup champions for 2010.

  Four cross

  Of the six titles up for grabs, only one has been mathematically won: Jared Graves (Yeti Fox Shox) has repeated as men's four cross champion after three victories this season. In the women's four cross, defending champion Anneke Beerten (Suspension Centre) holds a 45-point lead over Austrian rival Anita Molcik, so this title is still in contention. Another rider to watch for the women's event win will be world champion Caroline Buchanan, who has missed most of the season for BMX racing. Rain earlier in the week has softened the course up significantly, and cut down on training time, so the first real chance to see who is going well will be this evening in qualifying.

  Downhill

  Sabrina Jonnier (Maxxis-Rocky Mountain) holds a significant 175-point lead over world champion Emmeline Ragot (Suspension Centre) in the women's downhill, but Ragot is coming off two consecutive victories, so Jonnier cannot celebrate yet. Also returning to action is Rachel Atherton (Commencal), who has missed most of the season with shoulder problems. It will be interesting to see if she is fully recovered.

  The men's race for the title is one of the tightest in memory, with a mere seven points separating the current leader Gee Atherton (Commencal) from rival Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate). Whichever rider finishes ahead of the other will take the title. However, Minnaar suffered an arm injury in training, a "subluxation of the elbow", according to team manager Kathy Sessler. Minnaar was at the hospital for x-rays last night, and nothing is broken, but how much of an impact it will have will be seen today in the qualifying runs. Another rider taken out by this course is Mick Hannah (GT), who sustained an injured shoulder, concussion and possible other injuries. Sam Hill (Monster Energy-Specialized), who has missed most of the season with injury, will be returning to the start line.

  Atherton is relaxed and ready to race. "It's a good course, doesn't really favour one rider over another, you just have to be in good form and pedal hard," he said.

  The 1.9-kilometre course drops 470 metres, for an average grade of 25 percent. It is broken into three segments - a rocky section at the top, more open and flatter in the middle and then another rock section before a fast finish.

  Cross country

  The cross country finals will be equally exciting, with Catharine Pendrel (Luna) leading Eva Lechner (Colnago Arreghini Sudtirol) by 54 points and Willow Koerber (Subaru Gary Fisher) by 59. All three have led the World Cup this season, but who will be the final one to don the jersey? Missing from the mix will by Under 23 women's leader Julie Bresset (BH-Suntour), who broke her collarbone in training 10 days ago. Her season is ended, although she has already wrapped up the U23 World Cup title.

  "I'm feeling good, really good," said Pendrel, "and I'm really hoping to break that World Cup curse this year - every rider so far has lost the jersey in the race they are wearing it!"

  In the men's race, world champion Nino Schurter (Scott-Swisspower) wrested the leader's jersey from Julien Absalon (Orbea) in round five, but his lead is only 26 points, so the title will come down to whomever crosses the finish line first in Windham.

  The 5.4-kilometre circuit is very simple: a long climb followed by a shorter, faster descent. The climbing is broken into steps, rather than one big continuous climb, but there is little room to rest between sections. The descent is smoothing out as more people ride it and has significant sections of singletrack.

  "It is very traditional East Coast riding," said Christoph Sauser (Specialized). "I like the course, it is pretty fun, and the climb is better for being broken up the way it is."

  Riders are still trying decide what to ride - Specialized currently has riders planning on three different bikes, for example: Todd Wells on a 29er full suspension, Sauser on a 26-inch full suspension, and Burry Stander on a 29er hardtail.