Langvad claims MTB XC world title

Denmark won it's first Elite cross-country title since the 1990's, with Annika Langvad's dominant performance on Saturday at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic. Lea Davison (USA) took silver after the two riders in front of her flatted on the final lap, while Emily Batty (Canada) took bronze in sprint finish.

The women's race was down to eight riders by the end of the start loop, with Canada's Catharine Pendrel setting the pace, followed by Langvad, Jolanda Neff (Switzerland), Katerina Nash (Czech Republic), Emily Batty (Canada), Sabine Spitz (Germany), Maja Wloszczowska (Poland) and Linda Indergand (Switzerland). Missing from the group was perennial favourite Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Norway), who went down in a crash at the start, breaking her handlebars and having to drop out. This group was quickly whittled down to Langvad, Pendrel, Wloszczowska and Nash, with Batty and Spitz dangling off the back.

Langvad then showed her climbing skills, riding everyone off her wheel on the next lap. Wloszczowska and Pendrel started the lap chasing together, but the Canadian had to back off the pace, leaving Wloszczowska alone in second. Spitz recovered to move into third, with Davison moving up to fourth by the third lap, followed by Batty and Pendrel.

Then disaster struck for both Spitz and Wloszczowska, who both flatted in the final lap, enabling Davison to move into the silver medal spot. Batty also passed Wloszczowska in the Tech Zone, but the Polish rider caught up to her in the final 400 metres, setting the stage for a dramatic sprint, with Batty winning the bronze medal by a bike throw at the line.

"I knew on this course you have to be at the front because there are so many places you can't overtake," explained Langvad. "This year I feel so good. I arrived [at the Worlds] with lots of confidence and I kept everything together. I knew I didn't have to overdo things, because I knew I was strong. When you're at the front you can ride your own race and you can also make a few mistakes, because nobody rides this race on this course without making a few mistakes."

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