Pendrel leads Luna Pro Team podium sweep

Round six of the cross country series for the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup produced some of the closest and most exciting racing of the year. Catharine Pendrel (Luna led a one-two-three  finish for the Luna team in the women's race, wrapping up the World Cup title in the process.

Extreme heat, plus a dry and dusty course with lots of climbing, made for hard conditions. Riders had to drink constantly, and avoid going out too hard, too early if they didn't want to "blow up".

In the elite women's race Georgia Gould (Luna) had come close to taking the first World Cup of her career a week earlier in Mont Ste-Anne, but faded in the last lap, and was overtaken by teammate Pendrel. This time, on home soil, she was inspired, riding away from early leader Marie-Helene Premont (Rocky Mountain) to carve out a 50-second lead with a lap to go in the five-lap race.

Two teammates chased her: Pendrel and Katerina Nash, who had dropped Premont. Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Multivan Merida) passed Premont to move into fourth, while the Canadian was holding off a late charge by American Olympian Lea Davison (Specialized).

Cresting the final climb, Gould looked to have the win, but then suffered a pinch flat in a a rocky section. She quickly used an inflation cartridge, but the tire went flat again almost within sight of the finish, and she started to run. Pendrel and Nash were surprised to come upon their teammate, with less than 100 meters to go. They swept around her and sprinting to the line, with Pendrel getting the victory. Gould hung on for third.

"I was really sad (about catching Gould in final meters)," said Pendrel. "I did not want it to come down to that. Georgia rode so well, she was obviously riding the best both up and down today. She deserved the win. I looked back and thought maybe Katerina is not going to sprint, but Katerina was going to sprint, so I gotta go for it. It was not the situation I wanted; yes, I wanted Luna one-two-three , but I wanted the best legs to win on the day and that was Georgia."

For Gould it was a bitter disappointment, and the American champion could not talk with choking up. "I had a really good gap, and I just pinch flatted on one of the rocky downhills, I thought it might seal up but I had a lot of high speed downhill, so I stopped and used my CO2 cartridge to fill it up. But it was very soft, and it just went flat again. I just didn't have enough traction for the last climb and had to get off and run. It's pretty disappointing."

Premont took fourth after Dahle Flesjaa flatted, and Davison became the second American on the podium, in fifth. It was Davison's first-ever World Cup podium appearance. Emily Batty (Subaru-Trek), after struggling in the early laps, surged in the final lap to finish 11th.

Pendrel's third win of the season gives her an insurmountable lead in the standings, with one race remaining, in Val d'Isere, France at the end of July. Nash moves into second, followed by Dahle Flesjaa and Gould.

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Full Results
1Catharine Pendrel (Can) Luna Pro Team1:37:53
2Katerina Nash (Cze) Luna Pro Team0:00:01
3Georgia Gould (USA) Luna Pro Team0:00:10
4Marie-Helene Premont (Can)0:01:03
5Lea Davison (USA) Specialized Racing0:01:50
6Alexandra Engen (Swe) Ghost Factory Racing Team0:02:17
7Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Nor) Multivan Merida Biking Team0:02:25
8Irina Kalentieva (Rus) Topeak Ergon Racing Team0:02:47
9Annie Last (GBr) Milka Brentjens MTB Racing Team0:03:03
10Katrin Leumann (Swi) Ghost Factory Racing Team0:04:12
11Emily Batty (Can) Subaru - Trek0:04:30
12Tanja Zakelj (Slo) Salcano Factory Team0:04:58
13Mary McConneloug (USA)0:05:07
14Elisabeth Brandau (Ger) Notebooksbilliger.de Team0:05:16
15Magdalena Sadlecka (Pol) CCC Polkowice0:06:51
16Lucie Chainel-Lefevre (Fra) BH - SR Suntour - Peisey Vallandry0:06:59
17Anne Terpstra (Ned)0:07:12
18Elisabeth Osl (Aut) Ghost Factory Racing Team0:07:33
19Heather Irmiger (USA) Subaru - Trek0:07:54
20Kathrin Stirnemann (Swi) Sabine Spitz Haibike Team0:08:11
21Cécile Ravanel (Fra) GT Skoda Chamonix0:08:25
22Sandra Walter (Can)0:08:43
23Amanda Sin (Can) Scott-3Roxracing0:09:34
24Mikaela Kofman (Can) Scott-3Roxracing0:10:06
25Fanny Bourdon (Fra) GT Skoda Chamonix0:10:36
26Annika Langvad (Den) Team Fujibikes Rockets0:10:57
27Jean Ann Berkenpas (Can)0:11:47
28Erin Huck (USA)0:12:54
29Cindy Montambault (Can)0:14:10
30Laura Lorenza Morfin Macouzet (Mex)Row 29 - Cell 2
31Katherine O'Shea (Aus)0:14:38
32Daniela Campuzano (Mex)0:15:59
33Agustina Maria Apaza (Arg)0:17:15
34Amy Dombroski (USA)-1lap
35Adriana Rojas (CRc)Row 34 - Cell 2
36Aleksandra Mooradian (Pol)Row 35 - Cell 2
37Serrano Rodriguez (Ecu)Row 36 - Cell 2
38Caroline Mani (Fra)Row 37 - Cell 2
39Noelia Rodriguez (Arg)Row 38 - Cell 2
40Sarah Kaufmann (USA)Row 39 - Cell 2
41Nina Baum (USA)-2laps
42Bryna Blanchard (USA)Row 41 - Cell 2
43Maxine Filby (GBr)Row 42 - Cell 2
44Katherine Herrera (CRc)Row 43 - Cell 2
45Sally Gabriel (GBr)-3laps
DNFBlaza Klemencic (Slo) Felt Oetztal X - Bionic TeamRow 45 - Cell 2
DNFAllison Mann (USA)Row 46 - Cell 2
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Teams
1Luna Pro Team107pts
2Ghost Factory Racing Team60Row 1 - Cell 3
3Subaru - Trek32Row 2 - Cell 3
4Specialized Racing28Row 3 - Cell 3
5Multivan Merida Biking Team24Row 4 - Cell 3
6Topeak Ergon Racing Team23Row 5 - Cell 3
7Milka Brentjens MTB Racing Team22Row 6 - Cell 3
8Salcano Factory Team19Row 7 - Cell 3
9Notebooksbilliger.de Team17Row 8 - Cell 3
10CCC Polkowice16Row 9 - Cell 3
11GT Skoda Chamonix16Row 10 - Cell 3
12BH - SR Suntour - Peisey Vallandry15Row 11 - Cell 3
13Scott-3Roxracing15Row 12 - Cell 3
14Sabine Spitz Haibike Team11Row 13 - Cell 3
15Team Fujibikes Rockets5Row 14 - Cell 3
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World Cup standings - Individuals after round six
1Catharine Pendrel (Can)1190pts
2Katerina Nash (Cze)859Row 1 - Cell 3
3Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Nor)798Row 2 - Cell 3
4Georgia Gould (USA)753Row 3 - Cell 3
5Julie Bresset (Fra)750Row 4 - Cell 3
6Emily Batty (Can)735Row 5 - Cell 3
7Maja Wloszczowska (Pol)670Row 6 - Cell 3
8Irina Kalentieva (Rus)645Row 7 - Cell 3
9Marie-Helene Premont (Can)616Row 8 - Cell 3
10Katrin Leumann (Swi)542Row 9 - Cell 3
11Annie Last (GBr)542Row 10 - Cell 3
12Lea Davison (USA)512Row 11 - Cell 3
13Elisabeth Osl (Aut)468Row 12 - Cell 3
14Blaza Klemencic (Slo)402Row 13 - Cell 3
15Alexandra Engen (Swe)397Row 14 - Cell 3
16Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Fra)374Row 15 - Cell 3
17Tanja Zakelj (Slo)361Row 16 - Cell 3
18Sabine Spitz (Ger)349Row 17 - Cell 3
19Lucie Chainel-Lefevre (Fra)340Row 18 - Cell 3
20Esther Süss (Swi)332Row 19 - Cell 3
21Mary McConneloug (USA)315Row 20 - Cell 3
22Heather Irmiger (USA)311Row 21 - Cell 3
23Sabrina Enaux (Fra)296Row 22 - Cell 3
24Eva Lechner (Ita)295Row 23 - Cell 3
25Elisabeth Brandau (Ger)275Row 24 - Cell 3
26Annika Langvad (Den)262Row 25 - Cell 3
27Amanda Sin (Can)256Row 26 - Cell 3
28Magdalena Sadlecka (Pol)246Row 27 - Cell 3
29Kathrin Stirnemann (Swi)245Row 28 - Cell 3
30Karen Hanlen (NZl)234Row 29 - Cell 3
31Adelheid Morath (Ger)230Row 30 - Cell 3
32Anne Terpstra (Ned)215Row 31 - Cell 3
33Marielle Saner-Guinchard (Swi)209Row 32 - Cell 3
34Nathalie Schneitter (Swi)207Row 33 - Cell 3
35Aleksandra Dawidowicz (Pol)196Row 34 - Cell 3
36Cécile Ravanel (Fra)183Row 35 - Cell 3
37Rosara Joseph (NZl)182Row 36 - Cell 3
38Tereza Hurikova (Cze)181Row 37 - Cell 3
39Jean Ann Berkenpas (Can)164Row 38 - Cell 3
40Fanny Bourdon (Fra)159Row 39 - Cell 3
41Julie Krasniak (Fra)155Row 40 - Cell 3
42Nataliya Krompets (Ukr)153Row 41 - Cell 3
43Lene Byberg (Nor)142Row 42 - Cell 3
44Sandra Walter (Can)136Row 43 - Cell 3
45Vera Andreeva (Rus)126Row 44 - Cell 3
46Laura Turpijn (Ned)125Row 45 - Cell 3
47Anna Szafraniec (Pol)120Row 46 - Cell 3
48Mikaela Kofman (Can)118Row 47 - Cell 3
49Janka Stevkova (Svk)118Row 48 - Cell 3
50Hanna Klein (Ger)118Row 49 - Cell 3
51Rie Katayama (Jpn)114Row 50 - Cell 3
52Elisabeth Sveum (Nor)111Row 51 - Cell 3
53Sarah Koba (Swi)110Row 52 - Cell 3
54Qinglan Shi (Chn)105Row 53 - Cell 3
55Silke Schmidt (Ger)103Row 54 - Cell 3
56Katherine O'Shea (Aus)98Row 55 - Cell 3
57Heidi Sandsto Rosaasen (Nor)93Row 56 - Cell 3
58Judy Freeman (USA)91Row 57 - Cell 3
59Erin Huck (USA)84Row 58 - Cell 3
60Agustina Maria Apaza (Arg)84Row 59 - Cell 3
61Katarzyna Solus-Miskowicz (Pol)84Row 60 - Cell 3
62Aleksandra Mooradian (Pol)82Row 61 - Cell 3
63Noelia Rodriguez (Arg)81Row 62 - Cell 3
64Laura Metzler (Fra)80Row 63 - Cell 3
65Adriana Rojas (CRc)76Row 64 - Cell 3
66Anja Gradl (Ger)70Row 65 - Cell 3
67Corina Gantenbein (Swi)63Row 66 - Cell 3
68Sarah Kaufmann (USA)60Row 67 - Cell 3
69Maxine Filby (GBr)55Row 68 - Cell 3
70Caroline Mani (Fra)55Row 69 - Cell 3
71Katherine Herrera (CRc)52Row 70 - Cell 3
72Katherine Compton (USA)51Row 71 - Cell 3
73Rowena Fry (Aus)51Row 72 - Cell 3
74Lee Craigie (GBr)50Row 73 - Cell 3
75Cindy Montambault (Can)48Row 74 - Cell 3
76Githa Michiels (Bel)47Row 75 - Cell 3
77Laura Lorenza Morfin Macouzet (Mex)46Row 76 - Cell 3