MTB World Cup XC #2 - CDM

Offenburg, Germany, April 25-26, 2009

Photos

Race 4 - April 26: Elite men cross country

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Rob Jones /www.canadiancyclist.com

The men's cross country race gets underway.
Christoph Sauser (Specialized Factory Racing) rides in the pack as the riders reach the first corner.
José Antonio Hermida Ramos (Multivan Merida Biking Team) took the early lead, but was forced out with a cold.
Todd Wells (Specialized Factory Racing) didn't make the finish, we're not sure if the guy in the background chasing him had anything to do with it...
Florian Vogel (Scott-Swisspower MTB-Racing) finished over six minutes down.
Belgian champion Roel Paulissen (Cannondale Factory Racing) took seventh spot.
Nino Schurter (Scott-Swisspower MTB-Racing) crossed the line with Geoff Kabush to round out the top 10.
Swiss rider Lukas Flückiger (Trek World Racing) just missed out on a podium finish, taking sixth spot.
World champion Christoph Sauser (Specialized Factory Racing) mixed things up, but then got mixed up and crashed out.
Terrified or focused? Whatever the look on Jean-Christophe Peraud's (Massi) face, he took a solid third place finish.
South African Burry Stander (Specialized Factory Racing) took an impressive fourth spot.
Italian Marco Aurelio Fontana (Cannondale Factory Racing) descends in Germany.
Adam Craig (Giant Mountain Bike Team) was the top United States of America rider in 14th place.
Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher) was 58th in the race, 8.41 minutes behind.
Michael Broderick came home in 91st spot.
USA's Barry Wicks (Kona) didn't have the best of runs, finishing outside the top 100.
Tad Elliott finished two laps down in 138th.
Kris Sneddon (Kona) finished down in 133rd.
Canada's Geoff Kabush (Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain Bicycles) climbed into the top 10, with a ninth place finish.
Samuel Schultz (Subaru-Gary Fisher) finished in 16th place.
Need something Specialized? The Specialized tech zone had everything ready for worse-case senario.
Italian Marco Aurelio Fontana (Cannondale Factory Racing) finished inside the top 10.
German Wolfram Kurschat (Topeak Ergon Racing Team) looked like he'd let nothing get in his way.
Samuel Schultz (Subaru-Gary Fisher) was the second quickest rider from the United States of America.
Julien Absalon (Orbea) wins the race and breaks the record.
Wolfram Kurschat (Topeak Ergon Racing Team) celebrates his second placed finish.
Men's podium (L-R): Burry Stander (Specialized Factory Racing), Wolfram Kurschat (Topeak Ergon Racing Team), Julien Absalon (Orbea), Jean-Christophe Peraud (Massi) and Ralph Naef (Multivan Merida Biking Team).

Race 3 - April 26: Elite women cross country

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Rob Jones /www.canadiancyclist.com

Mary McConneloug (Kenda Seven)
Elite women's podium
Winner Chengyuan Ren (Chinese National Team) sprays the crowd
Chengyuan Ren (Chinese National Team) wins
Emily Batty rides one of the technical drops.
Lea Davison (Maxis - Rocky Mountain)
Lene Byberg (Specialized Factory Racing) is having a great start to her season.
The start saw a large women's field.
Marie-Helene Premont (Maxis - Rocky Mountain)
Emily Batty
Catharine Pendrel (Luna)
Sabine Spitz (Central Ghost Pro Team)
Willow Koerber (Subaru Gary Fisher)
Chengyuan Ren (Chinese National Team) came on strong in the last two laps.
Elisabeth Osl (Central Ghost Pro Team) and Catharine Pendrel (Luna) chase
World Champion Margarita Fullana (Massi) leads for most of the race.
Emily Batty was the fasest Under 23 woman.
Marie-Helene Premont (Maxxis-Rocky Mountain) made her 2009 World Cup debut.

Preview

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Rob Jones /www.canadiancyclist.com

Julien Absalon
World Cup #1 Jose Hermida is sick, so will he be able to defend his opening round win?
Julien Absalon hopes to take back the World Cup men's leader's jersey.
Georgia Gould
World Cup women's leader Elisabeth Osl
Marie-Helene Premont will start well back in the fifth row.
Lene Byberg videos the course for later review.
Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski
Roel Paulissen
Nino Schurter
Todd Wells debuts the Specialized 29er on the World Cup circuit.