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MTB World Championships - CM
Livigno, Italy, August 31-September 4, 2005
World's best come to Italy for tight clampionships
The world mountain bike championships is underway in Livigno, Italy, starting
yesterday with the team relay event and over the next few days awarding rainbow
jerseys in cross-country, downhill, four-cross and trials disciplines.
Some events are almost sure lock-ins for riders who have dominated for the
last several years, while others are wide open as new talent rises to the top
or old stagers bow out.
A happy Gunn-Rita Dahle in 2004
Photo ©: Birke Ulrich
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In the cross-country, reigning champion Gunn-Rita Dahle has had another stellar
year, winning most of the world cups and recently the longer-distance marathon
world championship. The only rider who has been able to threaten her this year
is Canada’s Marie-Hélène Premont, winner of her home World Cup in Mont St Anne
in June. Germany’s Sabine Spitz, the 2003 world champion is a likely podium
finisher, but it will take a superhuman effort from either Spitz or Premont
– or a large dose of luck – to unseat Dahle.
Christoph
Sauser
(Siemens Cannondale)
Photo ©: Rob Jones
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In the men’s cross-country Switzerland’s Christophe Sauser has been the most
consistent rider this year, winning three of the last four World Cups – but
in this division season-long consistency does not always indicate world championship
form. France’s Julian Absalon may have been quietly planning to peak for the
world’s after his two World Cup wins early in the year, while neither Jose-Antonio
Hermida (Spain) nor Belgium’s Roel Paulissen can be written off. Of Nother Americans,
only Geoff Kabush (Canada) has displayed world-beating form this year, with
a strong second place at the last world cup round.
Greg Minnaar (RSA)
Photo ©: Marek Lazarski
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The gravity events are trickier to pick because a small mechanical problem
or crash can end a fancied rider’s chances. South African Greg Minnaar has the
World Cup series pretty much sewn up and must be a favourite to repeat his 2003
rainbow jersey ride, but Australian wunderkind Sam Hill has landed two World
Cup wins this year out of just four starts and could add a senior world’s gold
to his 2003 junior victory. If either of those two falter, any of a dozen riders
could get their crack at a world championship, including France’s Fabian Barel,
Britain’s Steve Peat and Geo Atherton and a seemingly vast horde of Australians
including Nathan Rennie, and NORBA champion Jared Graves.
Anne-Caroline Chausson
Photo ©: Red Bull
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Anne-Caroline Chausson has only ridden three World Cups this year, but won
all of them, and it’s hard to tip anyone else but the eight-time senior world
champion as favourite at the world’s. Chausson’s compatriot Sabrina Jonnier
and Britain’s Tracy Mosely are perhaps the two best of a very small number of
riuders who can threaten Chausson, but all seem more likely to share the podium
with her than to knock her off the top step.
In the four-cross discipline, Annette Beerten of the Netherlands leads thwe
World Cup on points but has been beaten in their last four World Cup meetings
by Jill Kintner of the USA, who looks like one of the USA’s two best chances
for a gold medal at these world’s. The other is also a four-cross specialist,
Brian Lopes. However, competition is fiercer in the men’s division, and Michal
Prokop of the Czech Republic and France’s Cedric Gracia are all serious contenders.
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