Hermida’s win and an off day by U23 World Champion Burry Stander of Specialized Factory Racing allowed the Spaniard to move up to second overall by just 36 points.
Hermida, always the comedian, announced to the crowd that he needed a beer – or as he elegantly put it – “Un cerveza por favor”! Hermida then soloed to victory 30 seconds ahead of Cueto, while the the rest of the podium – Fluckiger, Schurter and Vuillermoz were all within 30 seconds of each other. The field behind was pretty split asunder in a case of every man for himself at this point in the season. Jose Antonio Hermida of Merida Multivan is not one to miss a chance of victory and he charged off the front leaving fellow Spaniard Ruben Ruzafa Cueto of Orbea chasing with young Mathias Fluckiger of Trek World Racing, newly crownd World Champion Nino Schurter of Scott-Swisspower and fast starter and U23 rider Alexis Vuillermoz of Lapierre International. So it was up to the others to race in the afternoon heat … and it was the winner of the first round of the World Cup – held in a similar sweltering afternoon in Pietermaritzburg who came to the front.
Absalon lead the first couple of laps but then flatted and soon retired to begin his off season with a well earned beer! Already in the first couple of laps you could see who had achieved their goals and who was still chasing them. Next onto the men’s race, and with Absalon was already the World Cup Champion again, it was up to the other racers to chase for a win to end the season on a high of their own. Pendrel was 3rd, new World Champion Irina Kalentieva of Topeak-Ergon was 4th and an absent due to injury Margarita Fullana of Massi held on to 5th. Osl thus secured her first World Cup overall title, while Byberg took second.
Osl took the win in 1:19:10 – a short race by UCI World Cup standards – and was followed home by Byberg 1:05 later, then Pendrel just 8 seconds later and then Poland’s Anna Szafraniec of JBG-2 Professional MTB Team, while Marie-Helene Premont of Maxxis Rocky Mountain, who crashed in the last lap, took the last podium spot. Byberg had a slow start but managed to chase her way through the pack to overtake another outside overall rival Catharine Pendrel of Luna Chix right down to the wire. When racing started Osl decided the best form of defence is attack and just rode an amazing tempo off the front leaving the others trailing in her wake. Knowledge it was going to be tough for Byberg to make up the gap and overtake her. Osl, fondly known as Lisi round these parts, had a 75 point advantage of Byberg coming in to final round, and with her massive crowd support and local
and it was here that the UCI World Cup finals took place to conclude the 2009 race season.įirst up was the XCO, and while Julien Absalon of Orbea had already secured the overall title the weekend before in Champery, the women’s race was wide open – with local favourite Elisabeth Osl of Central Ghost Pro Team & Norway’s Lene Byberg of Specialized Factory Racing going head to head in a points chase down to the wire. The downhill course is where most of these terms apply to best, but the XC has its place here too.
In just a few short years Schladming has become the place of legend in the mountain bike scene – super steep, rooty, technical and whole bunch of similar superlatives. Mountain bike Champions crowned in the high mountains of Schladming in the heart of the Austrian Alps.