Pendrel takes solo win in Sea Otter cross country race

Canadian Catharine Pendrel emerged from a nine-rider group and pedalled to a solo win and her first Sea Otter Classic title Saturday in the women's pro cross country at Laguna Seca Raceway.

Pendrel (Luna), the reigning and two-time world cross country titlist, completed the 34-mile, two-lap course in 2 hours, 21 minutes and 28 seconds. Rebecca Henderson (Trek) of Australia, was second, behind Pendrel by 12 seconds.

Jenny Rissveds (Scott-Odlo) of Sweden, who surprisingly claimed the short track race Friday, was third, 1:03 behind the winner.

Marianne Vos of the Netherlands, who won the Sea Otter cross country and short track races the past two years, did not compete. She's scheduled to race on the road next week in her native country while continuing her recovery from a lingering hamstring injury.

"It was my first win here," said Pendrel. "It was just a good day out there, but it was really, really hard. I think there were nine of us together going into the start of the second lap. "Rebecca (Gould) was first going into that final climb and I was second wheel. Something happened behind us.

"Emily Batty was with us, but Rebecca was setting such a fast past, Emily got tagged off the back and that was that. It was about an hour twenty into the race and then it was Rebecca and myself out there by ourselves."

The women's field of 49 began racing 20 minutes after the men's start. The lead group completed the first lap in 1 hour and 11 minutes.

Despite only two riders at the front for much of the second loop, the women also rode their concluding lap just slightly faster than the opening circuit.

"I was able to get away on the final climb, but until I hit the pavement, I didn't know I was going to have it," Pendrel said. "Because she was pushing me so hard, it was really great."

Like the men's race, the women were competing for a longer time frame than the usual World Cup race duration and in warm conditions. Pendrel was unfazed.

"Actually, today was cooler than the other two races we've done this year. It was actually great conditions. But what makes Sea Otter unique is that it's well over a two-hour race and we are used to racing for an hour-and-a-half. With a two-and-a-half-hour race there's a lot of pacing that has to go on and a lot of calculating moves."

Chloe Woodruff (Stan's No-Tube-Niner) of Prescott, Ariz., was fourth, behind the winner by 1:25. Batty (Trek) of Canada was fifth, 1:58 behind Pendrel. Georgia Gould (Luna) of Ft. Collins Colo., was sixth, 2:50 behind the winner. Gould has won the Sea Otter cross country event four times, dating to 2007.

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