Report: Dalby World Cup Elite Women's race
Sunday 25 April 2010 |
Irina Kalentieva enjoys her win in the Elite Women's race
A damp atmosphere pervaded the Dalby World Cup venue as the elite racing got underway at 10.45 prompt on the Sunday morning. Overnight rain was still in the air, but the course was dry and even dusty in places after a couple of weeks of wind and sun.
But the early morning chill was soon forgotten as the Elite Women's race warmed things up with American Willow Koerber and reigning world champion Irina Kalentieva dominating proceedings. Their battle stretched the field and kept a big crowd on tenterhooks well into the fourth and final lap, with Kalentieva sealing the win in the final run in to the finish. GB rider Annie Last gave her many fans a lot to cheer about with a brave and determined ride from an unpromising grid position.
THE RACE
After the usual frenetic start, Heather Irminger of USA was the first to show going through Dixon's Hollow towards the end of the start loop. Fellow American Willow Koerber was close behind her, with Eva Lechna and world champion Irina Kalentieva also well placed in a tight front group.
Annie Last was making progress as the riders went out onto the course proper, moving up to 25th, within the first few minutes of the event and she was closing on the top twenty as the race went through Worry Gill for the first time. Lily Matthews was the second placed Brit, inside the top thirty at the same point.
Second time through the Worry Gill spectator area on the opening lap Keorber, Irminger and Kaleniteva had worked a small gap over the rest of the field, though they stalled and lost time on the short technical climb in front of a growing crowd. Fourth was Katerina Nash of the Czech Repoublic with Julie Bresset from France in fifth and that was the order as they went over the line at the end of the first full lap.
Brit watchers were able to cheer Annie Last over the line in 26th, just under 20 seconds down. Lily Matthews was 44th and Cragie Lee 69th. Adopted Brit, Kate Potter was getting great support in 59th place.
As the riders flew out onto lap two, Willow Koerba was looking really fluid and pushing her two companions as the slalomed through the Adderstone loop singletrack, though she lost her lead to Kalentieva as she took the easy, but longer, line past Worry Gill's notorious drop, with Irminger cruising in third. Nash was on her own in fourth, four seconds down, with a further ten second gap back to the rest of the chasers.
The shape of the race suddenly changed half way through the second lap, with the Medusa's Drop complex and following climb to the top of the course giving Koerber the chance to apply more pressure. Irminger was the first to crack and as the riders flashed through Worry Gill for the second time, Kalentieva had also dropped back a few lengths, though she had worked her way back into the American's company as they approached the end of the lap and rode through the flowing bends of Dixon's Hollow.
A chasing group of four formed as the race went out onto the third lap, some 20 seconds down, with Lechner, Bressett, Nash and Irminger trying to work together to bring the leaders back. Annie Last was continuing to ride well, having moved up four places into 22nd place.
Lap three saw Koerba still pushing hard in the lead, with Kalentieva, appearing to find things tough, just hanging on to her wheel at times. Meanwhile the chasing group had swelled to six riders, with the USA's Georgia Gould and Switzerland's Katrin Leumann having joined them.
The crowd was really beginning to get involved as once again Kalentieva chose to ride the Worry Gill drop, with Koerba losing the lead going around the safer, but longer, route and enduring some good-natured booing for her cautious approach. The American had clearly made a tactical decision to use the safer route and accept the couple of seconds a lap it lost her.
However, Kalentieva and Koerber had stretched things out again as they went over the line as they began their penultimate lap and they had a lead of over half a minute over a changed chasing group now comprising Nash, Irminger, Leumann, Bressett and Gould. The Dalby lap concludes with a long drag through scrubland and "soft" trails and both Kalentieva and Koerber were brilliant through this section, called the ‘Rabbit Run', where the chasers seemed to get more bogged down by the fatigue and heavy going.
Annie Last was now beginning to pay for all her hard work moving up from a lowly grid placing and she was still in 22nd place. Meanwhile, Lily Matthews was holding her own in 43rd.
The third lap saw something of a lull in the action as Kalentieva and Koerber held the chasers at bay, apparently content to work together and cement their lead. Behind them the pressure was being felt and the chasing group was beginning to fall apart. However, the battle for the lead ramped up again as the riders came to the final kilometer or so of the lap and as they entered Dixon's Hollw Kalentieva had pulled out a small gap over Koerber: again the Rabbit Run section had bared its teeth.
Going out onto the final lap, Kalentieva had five seconds lead over Koerber, with a chasing trio of Gould, Canada's Catherine Pendrel - who made a big move in the second half of the race - and Nash still at about half a minute but increasingly battling for the third podium spot, with the leaders out of reach.
At Worry Gill, the leaders were back together and once again Kalentieva took the shorter route down the drop and took a couple of seconds lead as Koerber went the long way round.
The race was reaching crunch time and the crowd realized they were watching the winner as Irina Kalentieva flashed through Worry Gill for the final time, with a handful of seconds to spare over Koerber. The world champion then built her lead steadily up though the Rabbit Run and by the time she came into Dixon's Hollow for the final time she was assured of the win and enjoyed a great reception as she crossed the line alone, lifting her bike in celebration, before embracing runner-up Willow Koerber, who came in 11 seconds later.
Katerina Nash claimed third at 28 seconds, out-sprinting Georgia Gould who took fourth whilst under-23 rider Julie Bressett rounded out the top five at 53 seconds. Annie Last really responded to some very vocal support out on the course and pulled back three places on the final lap to slip into the top twenty in 19th place, just over five minutes down, a great ride! Lily Matthews drifted backwards in the latter stages of the race, but still finished in a creditable 51st position.
After the race, the winner, Irina Kalentieva was breathless but delighted: "I feel good, I won the race. It was hard, very hard and I'm very happy. Willlow was stronger in the uphills but I felt good in the downhills. With 2 kilometres to go, I pushed everything I have and won the race!"
Willow Koerber was equally pleased with her best World Cup result to date: "Yes, I'm really happy. We had a great race and it came down to the last lap. She's world champ for a reason. It's and honour to have been riding out there with her!"
Results
1 KALENTIEVA Irina ( RUS19771110 ) TER 01:54:57
2 KOERBER Willow ( USA19771212 ) SGF +00:11
3 NASH Katerina ( CZE19771209 ) LUN +00:28
4 GOULD Georgia ( USA19800105 ) LUN +00:29
5 BRESSET Julie * ( FRA19890609 ) BHS +00:53
6 PENDREL Catharine ( CAN19800930 ) LUN +00:57
7 LEUMANN Katrin ( SUI19820208 ) --- +01:25
8 PREMONT Marie-Helene ( CAN19771024 ) TMR +01:37
9 IRMIGER Heather ( USA19790531 ) SGF +01:46
10 BYBERG Lene ( NOR19821125 ) SFR +01:52
11 WLOSZCZOWSKA Maja ( POL19831109 ) CCC +02:25
12 LECHNER Eva ( ITA19850701 ) COL +02:46
13 OSL Elisabeth ( AUT19851121 ) CEN +02:50
14 MCCONNELOUG Mary ( USA19710624 ) --- +03:18
15 BATTY Emily * ( CAN19880616 ) TRK +03:28
16 SÜSS Esther ( SUI19740319 ) --- +03:34
17 ENAUX Sabrina ( FRA19780401 ) FOX +04:42
18 SCHNEITTER Nathalie ( SUI19860619 ) COL +05:01
19 LAST Annie * ( GBR19900907 ) --- +05:04
20 SANER-GUINCHARD Marielle ( SUI19770322 ) BPB +05:05
21 SZAFRANIEC Anna ( POL19810216 ) JBG +05:19
22 LANGVAD Annika ( DEN19840322 ) --- +05:43
23 VILLAR ARGENTE Anna ( ESP19830629 ) --- +05:56
24 ENGEN Alexandra * ( SWE19880105 ) --- +06:14
25 JOSEPH Rosara ( NZL19820221 ) --- +06:34
26 BRANDAU Elisabeth ( GER19851216 ) --- +07:00
27 ZAKELJ Tanja * ( SLO19880915 ) MBO +07:17
28 TURPIJN Laura ( NED19781226 ) TMC +07:30
29 BOURDON Fanny * ( FRA19890203 ) --- +07:45
30 KLEIN Hanna ( GER19870916 ) --- +07:57
31 SIN Amanda ( CAN19770203 ) --- +08:22
32 METZLER Laura ( FRA19861202 ) BHS +08:45
33 KATAYAMA Rie ( JPN19790913 ) --- +09:01
34 STEVKOVA Janka ( SVK19760204 ) --- +09:44
35 RAVANEL Cécile ( FRA19810106 ) LPI +10:03
36 MANI Caroline ( FRA19870118 ) BHS +10:06
37 BENKO Barbara * ( HUN19900121 ) --- +10:09
38 KRAFT Ivonne ( GER19700708 ) --- +10:19
39 POINTET Virginie * ( SUI19900226 ) BPB +10:21
40 LEARY Nicola ( NZL19840319 ) --- +10:39
41 KOBA Sarah ( SUI19840719 ) GST +11:02
42 VIPOND Catherine ( CAN19850112 ) --- +11:10
43 SANTANYES MURILLO Sandra ( ESP19780110 ) TRL +11:13
44 SAWICKI Monique Pua ( USA19800221 ) --- +11:19
45 HURIKOVA Tereza ( CZE19870211 ) TRL +11:29
46 REDELSPERGER Coralie ( FRA19830305 ) --- +11:29
47 POLSPOEL Maaike * ( BEL19890328 ) --- +12:28
48 MORATH Adelheid ( GER19840802 ) FOX +12:29
49 ERDELYI Eszter ( HUN19820525 ) --- +12:30
50 GORYCKA Paula * ( POL19901105 ) CCC +13:25
51 MATTHEWS Lily * ( GBR19890930 ) --- +13:48
52 MARCOUYRE Helene ( FRA19791016 ) BHS +14:05
53 STIRNEMANN Kathrin * ( SUI19891022 ) --- +14:15
54 HOMOVEC Nina ( SLO19850621 ) MBO +14:31
55 TERPSTRA Anne * ( NED19910105 ) STS +14:50
56 SPATH Melanie ( GER19810616 ) --- +15:00
57 OSL Maria ( AUT19840124 ) FIB +15:22
58 ZELDENRUST Monique ( NED19830125 ) GST +15:55
59 HEDIGER Michelle * ( SUI19910501 ) FIB +16:17
60 STALLEN Mirre ( NED19810817 ) --- +16:31
61 HENDERSON Rebecca * ( AUS19910927 ) --- +17:02
62 GROEN Karin ( NED19850809 ) --- +17:35
63 SLIK Rozanne * ( NED19910412 ) TMC +17:55
64 SADLECKA Magdalena ( POL19820317 ) CCC +18:01
65 DAHLE FLESJAA Gunn-Rita ( NOR19730210 ) MMB +18:12
66 DE JAGER Nicoletta ( NED19830103 ) --- +18:38
67 RIEDER Nadine * ( GER19890717 ) --- +19:08
68 CRAIGIE Lee ( GBR19781220 ) --- +19:23
69 RONEN Inbar ( ISR19730722 ) --- +19:32
70 O'SHEA Katherine ( AUS19790322 ) TRQ +20:03
71 WALL Joanna ( AUS19781129 ) TRQ +20:32
72 VESELA Lucie ( CZE19850417 ) GCT +20:56
73 ERLANDSSON Asa Maria ( SWE19740130 ) --- -1LAP
74 NELEN Kristien ( BEL19781120 ) GSC -1LAP
75 ROBERTS Jessica * ( GBR19890727 ) --- -1LAP
76 CAITLIN Elliot ( IRL19850523 ) --- -1LAP
77 HARBERS Kiona ( NED19781030 ) --- -1LAP
78 FILBY Maxine ( GBR19801030 ) --- -1LAP
79 SAGESSER Jennifer * ( SUI19900901 ) TRT -2LAP
80 PALFRAMAN Melanie * ( RSA19890329 ) --- -2LAP
81 INGRAM Lesley ( GBR19810806 ) --- -2LAP
82 BROWN Morven * ( GBR19900327 ) --- -2LAP
83 LARRAGOITI Alba ( MEX19820903 ) --- -2LAP
84 BUICK Anna * ( GBR19901107 ) --- -3LAP
