Beerten wins again

Anneke Beerten (Suspension Center) took her second straight win of the season at round five of the four cross World Cup in Val di Sole, Italy. A large crowd came out in the warm evening sun of the Italian Dolomite Mountains to cheer on the eight women, on a track virtually unchanged from the World Championships in 2008.

The Dutch rider was head and shoulders above the rest of the women's field. Unlike the rest of the riders, she was clearing the same big jumps as the men on the lower half of the course, and easily won the final.

Austrian Anita Molcik, her rival for the overall title, did not have the same ability on the more technical aspects of the course, but used her very fast start to win her semi-final and then take second to Beerten in the final. Katy Curd of Great Britain took third and Joanna Petterson of South Africa fourth.

"I really like this course," said Beerten. "Even at the beginning of the week when I first rode it, I felt comfortable here. I knew that it was important to be able to do all the jumps, so I have been practicing on them, and it really made a difference."

Beerten now leads Molcik by 45 points in the standings, with one race remaining, so this competition is not over.

Full Results