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MTB World Cup XC #4 & DH #2 - CDM
Fort William, Scotland, May 27-28, 2006
Race 1 - May 27: Women's cross-country
Dahle misses out but Göhl doesn't disappoint
By Rob Jones in Fort William, Scotland
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Dahle went to the front at the start of the women's race, as usual, but when the leaders came through at the end of the lap, the blue jersey of the world cup leader was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Marie-Helene Premont (Rocky Mountain-Business Objects) held a 40-second lead over Göhl and Irina Kalentieva (Topeak-Ergon).
Dahle had flatted, and then found out after changing the tube that her air cartridge didn't work. So, she had to make a two kilometre run to the tech zone. "I lost many spots, I think I heard 59th or 60th when I got going again. Plus, it was hard to have to pass so many people."
However, Dahle motored straight through the field and managed to work her way back onto the podium in fourth place by the end of the race, calling it, "my strongest effort this year. I felt so good out there all day today."
While Dahle was working her way back up, Premont was riding a steady pace at the front of the race, still 40 seconds ahead of Göhl and Kalentieva by the third lap. However, she was struggling to maintain that distance. "I felt pretty strong up there," said the Canadian, "but on the top of the course there was a lot of wind, so the two riders behind me had a better time, I think."
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On the main climb of lap three Göhl left Kalentieva when the Russian rider dropped her chain at the start of the main climb. This possibly turned out to be a good thing for Göhl, as she quickly reeled in Premont so that the pair started the last lap together.
"Michel (Leblanc, National coach) told me that she (Gohl) was much faster than me on the downhill, maybe gaining 20 seconds there. I tried to make up time where I could, but she was just stronger today." Gohl dropped Premont before the climb, and managed to extend her lead to over a minute by the finish. Kalentieva held on for third, with Dahle catching the fading chase group of Lene Byberg (Bikin' Cyprus), Sabine Spitz (Specialized) and Marga Fullana (Spiuk Illes Balears) to take fourth ahead of Byberg.
Göhl called her win "the biggest of my career, this is absolutely the best I have done. Irina and I were working very well together, but when she had her mechanical problem I could not wait. I could see that I was riding better than Marie-Helene, so I did an attack before the big climb and descent and was able to get a gap."
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Rob Jones/www.canadiancyclist.com
- The women start their journey around Fort William
- Nina Göhl (Multivan Merida) takes her first world cup win
- Marie-Helene Premont (Rocky Mountain) shouldn't be disappointed with a good second place
- Margarita Fullana Riera (Spiuk) leads Lene Byberg and Alison Sydor
- Lene Byberg (Bikin' Cyprus) performed well again
- Mary McConneloug (Seven-Kenda) made the trip to Scotland
- Susan Haywood (Trek/VW)
- Dahle motored straight through the field, working her way back to fourth place from 60th
- Irina Kalentieva
- Wendy Simms (Velo Bella-Kona) recoverd from an early race crash
- Gunn-Rita Dahle gets some encouragement
- Marie-Helene Premont (Rocky Mountain) corners well on her way to second
- Irina Kalentieva (Topeak-Ergon) finished the day in third
- Chengyuan Ren showed she's a future star again today
- The women's podium (l-r): Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa, Marie-Helene Premont, Nina Göhl, Irina Kalentieva, Lene Byberg
- Kiara Bisaro (Team R.A.C.E.) takes a wider line on this corner
- Premont's race face AFTER the race!
- Wendy Simms still manages a smile
- Mary McConneloug 'relaxes' post race
Results
1 Nina Göhl (Ger) Multivan Merida Biking Team 2.04.18 2 Marie-Helene Premont (Can) Rocky Mountain Business Objects 1.11 3 Irina Kalentieva (Rus) Topeak-Ergon 2.20 4 Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Nor) Multivan Merida Biking Te 3.43 5 Lene Byberg (Nor) Bikin'cyprus Int. 3.59 6 Sabine Spitz (Ger) Specialized Factory Racin 4.12 7 Margarita Fullana Riera (Esp) Spiuk Illes Balears 4.48 8 Eva Lechner (Ita) 5.04 9 Chengyuan Ren (Chn) 6.16 10 Blaza Klemencic (Slo) Pintatim Full-Dynamix 7.31 11 Maria Ostergren (Swe) 7.35 12 Maja Wloszczowska (Pol) Lotto 7.58 13 Alison Sydor (Can) Rocky Mountain Business Objects 8.13 14 Annika Smail (NZl) 8.19 15 Kiara Bisaro (Can) Team R.A.C.E. 16 Wendy Simms (Can) Velo Bella - Kona 17 Anna Szafraniec (Pol) Lotto 9.02 18 Petra Henzi (Sui) Fischer-Bmc 9.19 19 Rosara Joseph (NZl) 9.33 20 Willow Koerber (USA) Subaru-Gary Fisher 10.00 21 Tereza Hurikova (Cze) Ceska Sporitelna Mtb 10.09 22 Maroussia Rusca (Sui) Team Bikepark.Ch Tui 10.58 23 Mary Mc Conneloug (USA) Kenda Seven 10.59 24 Adelheid Morath (Ger) 11.33 25 Ying Liu (Chn) 11.39 26 Cécile Rode (Fra) Team Lapierre Internation 11.54 27 Maria Osl (Aut) Toni's Pro Team Kirchbear 12.00 28 Heather Irmiger (USA) Subaru-Gary Fisher 12.02 29 Jingling Wang (Chn) 12.16 30 Sarah Koba (Sui) 12.17 31 Franziska Röthlin (Sui) Kona Verbier Factory Team 12.44 32 Evelyn Staffler (Ita) 12.50 33 Jenny Copnall (GBr) Subaru-Gary Fisher 13.02 34 Susan Haywood (USA) Trek Volkswagen Pro 13.27 35 Elisabeth Osl (Aut) 13.48 36 Ariëlle Van Meurs (Ned) 14.09 37 Laura Turpijn (Ned) 14.44 38 Anna Enocsson (Swe) 15.07 39 Jaqueline Mourao (Bra) 15.22 40 Séverine Hansen (Fra) 15.33 41 Ivonne Kraft (Ger) 16.22 42 Magdalena Sadlecka (Pol) 16.39 43 Pia Sundstedt (Fin) 16.54 44 Asa Maria Erlandsson (Swe) 17.06 45 Saskia Elemans (Ned) 17.19 46 Sabrina Enaux (Fra) 17.29 47 Katerina Nash (Cze) Luna Women's Mtb 17.48 48 Amy Hunt (GBr) 17.55 49 Kathy Sherwin (USA) 18.53 50 Nina Homovec (Slo) 19.21 51 Cristina Mascarreras Sabria (Esp) 19.35 52 Nataliya Krompets (Ukr) 19.46 53 Githa Michiels (Bel) 21.06 54 Caroline Jackson (GBr) 21.18 55 Elina Sophokleous (Cyp) 21.29 56 Sarka Chmurova (Cze) 21.38 57 Tarja Owens (Irl) 22.14 58 Jennifer O'connor (NZl) 22.20 59 Hanna Klein (Ger) 22.29 60 Ruth Mcgavigan (GBr) 22.45 61 Wei Fang (Chn) 23.01 62 Sheju Mei (Chn) 24.00 63 Carrissa Wilkes (NZl) 24.21 64 Kim Hurst (GBr) 28.55 1 lap down 65 Kate George (GBr) 66 Sophie Johnson (GBr) 67 Genevieve Whitson (NZl) 68 Dagmar Borrowman (GBr) 69 Amanda Davies (NZl) 70 Julie Cartner (GBr) 2 laps down 71 Helen Findlay (GBr) DNF Bärbel Jungmeier (Aut) DNF Neus Parcerisses (Esp) DNF Linda Larsen (Nor) DNF Kate Potter (Aus)
