Langvad extends World Cup lead in Albstadt

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Annika Langvad (Specialized) proved that her win in Cairns at the opening round of the cross-country World Cup was no fluke, with a dominating performance at round 2 in Albstadt, Germany, on Sunday.

Albstadt is a hard course, with steep climbs and technical descents. Many a rider has gone out hard only to fade badly in the final laps. This year, riders faced sun and heat, instead of the usual rain and mud.

Langvad rode away from the rest of the field on the first lap, after riding with a select group at the front on the start loop. She quickly went over a minute clear by the second lap, and then cruised to victory without too much difficulty.

Behind, Jenny Rissveds (Scott-Odlo) was at the front of the chase until she crashed hard on a descent, bloodying her right knee. She lost a number of spots and appeared to be out of contention.

The chase was taken up by Catharine Pendrel (Luna), Sabine Spitz (Sabine Spitz Pro Team), Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå (Multivan Merida) and Linda Indergand (Focus XC). Missing was defending World Cup champion Jolanda Neff (Stockli); a late scratch after becoming ill overnight before the start.

"Winning [in Cairns] gives me a lot of confidence," admitted Langvad. "I was a bit surprised that Jolanda wasn't here; she didn't start. I was expecting a close fight with her. When that didn't happen I just settled into my own pace. I didn't expect to take that amount of time on every single lap. I just slowed down just to feel comfortable and ride within my limits. And then when I heard I had two minutes so I decided, 'hey, let's just enjoy this and celebrate'."

Indergand was the first to come off the chase, as Pendrel set a tough pace on the climbs. Dahle Flesjaa was the next to fall back, and finally Spitz was dropped on the fourth lap. However, Rissveds was making a remarkable recovery through the field, setting the fastest splits in the final two laps, and caught Pendrel on the last lap to take second.

Langvad leads the standings with a perfect score of 500 points. Pendrel moves into second from fourth with 310 points, followed by Rissveds with 290.

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