Jolanda Neff (Kross Racing Team)(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Annika Langvad (Den) Specialized Racing(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Emily Batty (Can) Trek Factory Racing XC(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Catharine Pendrel (Can) Clif Pro Team(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Anne Tauber (Ned) CST Sandd American Eagle MTB Racing(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Yana Belomoina (Ukr) CST Sandd American Eagle MTB Racing(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Erin Huck (USA)(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Emily Batty (Can) Trek Factory Racing XC gets some track side coaching from husband Adam Morka(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Kate Courtney (USA) Specialized Racing(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Emily Batty (Can) Trek Factory Racing XC(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Kate Courtney (USA) Specialized Racing(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Emily Batty (Can) Trek Factory Racing XC(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Start of the women's race in front of a large crowd(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Barbara Benko (Hun) Ghost Factory Racing leading on start loop(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Haley Smith (Can) Norco Factory Team XC(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Tanja Zakelj (Slo) Unior/Devinci Factory Racing and Annika Langvad (Den) Specialized Racing(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Katerina Nash (Cze) Clif Pro Team and Alessandra Keller (Sui) Thomus-RN Racing Team(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Emily Batty, a crowd favourite(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Jolanda Neff (Kross Racing Team) wins(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Local favourite Emily Batty (Trek Factory Racing XC) finishes third(Image credit: Rob Jones)
(L-R) Yana Belomoina, Annika Langvad, Jolanda Neff, Emily Batty, Anne Tauber(Image credit: Rob Jones)
World Cup leader Jolanda Neff (Kross Racing Team)(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Jolanda Neff (Kross Racing) took her second World Cup win of the season on Sunday at Mont Sainte-Anne, Quebec, Round 6 of the UCI Mountain Bike XCO World Cup. With her win, Neff solidified her lead in the overall standings with one race remaining. Annika Langvad (Specialized) came in almost two minutes behind Neff to take second with Emily Batty (Trek Factory) a few seconds behind her to complete the podium.
Mont-Ste-Anne is a classic venue, with riders facing roots, rocks, steep climbs, rough descents and, in this edition, punishing heat. It has been around since the start of the World Cup in 1991, and is considered one of the most prestigious to win. After a one kilometre start loop, riders raced six laps of the 4.1-kilometre circuit.
Neff took an early lead and never looked back, increasing her time gap every lap and setting the fastest lap splits for every lap but one. It was her third win at Mont-Ste-Anne, tying her with Canada's Marie-Helene Premont, and one win behind Canadian rider Catharine Pendrel (Clif Pro Team).
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Behind, Specialized teammates Langvad and Kate Courtney rode together for the first three laps before Langvad dropped her American teammate. Canadian champion Batty caught and dropped Courtney on Lap 5, and the fading American champion eventually dropped to sixth. Batty was slowly reeling Langvad in, but ran out of laps.
"I've been dreaming of this win for a long time," said Neff. "This is my 11th [World Cup] win. I was so close earlier this year in Nove Mesto, Val di Sole and Vallnord, and I've been working so hard for this. Today was so hard; on the third lap I felt like I was stunned because it was so hot. I had to keep telling myself to slow down because the heat was so extreme. The last three laps were just about managing my speed to keep a gap."
In the overall standings, Neff now has 1,600 points, followed by Langvad at 1,458. Maja Wloszczowska (Kross Racing) remains in third at 1,077, but Batty jumps from eighth to fourth, only seven points behind Wloszczowska.
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