Unbeatable Compton slides to World Cup lead

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US champion Katie Compton (Planet Bike) grabbed her fourth World Cup win of the season on the snow-covered course up and around the car circuit of Zolder in Belgium. Compton overtook Sanne van Paassen (Brainwash) in the World Cup rankings.

“We were all struggling and there was probably a good reason why the crowds were gathering at the steep drops. I crashed a lot but the snow is forgiving. I figured the riders behind me crashed a lot, too,” Compton said.

“I'm happy with the World Cup lead even though I'm only going to keep it until the next World Cup round,” Compton said. The 32-year-old American champion will skip the next round of the World Cup in Pont-Château, France, as she heads back home to Colorado. Compton will return to Europe for the final round in Hoogerheide in the Netherlands, which will be held one week before the world championships in Sankt-Wendel, Germany.

Compton trashed the opposition right from the start and despite several crashes, nobody was able to keep up with the US national champion. Early on, Van Paassen was the first chaser, but she quickly realized she was racing for second place. “Katie Compton is very strong, but technically I think the difference wasn't big,” Van Paassen said.

At almost a minute from Compton, world champion Marianne Vos (Nederland Bloeit) won a hard-fought battle ahead of compatriot Van Paassen. “It was a matter of staying upright. Katie has the guts to do this; she's not afraid of anything,” Vos said.

At more than two minutes from the winner, Daphny van den Brand (ZZPR.nl) won the sprint for fourth place from Pavla Havlikova (Czech Republic). Sabrina Schweizer (Germany) was a surprising name in sixth position.

British champion Helen Wyman (Kona) never felt comfortable in the snow and eventually finished in 12th position, just ahead of Belgian champion Sanne Cant (BKCP-Powerplus).

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