October 15/06 7:23 am - Plaxton Gold, Toulouse Silver at Pan-Am Championships

Posted by Editor on 10/15/06
 

Plaxton Gold, Toulouse Silver at Pan-Am Championships

With files from Spotcom

Max Plaxton has won the Espoir title and Mat Toulouse took the silver medal in the Elite Men's category at the Pan-Am Mountain Bike Championships today in Camboriu, Brazil.

Toulouse overcame a slow start, due to a poor start position, to gradually pass every one in the field except eventual winner Hector Paez Leon Colombia, who finished sixth at the Worlds in Rotorua, New Zealand.

"Taking into account my poor season, I did not have a good position on the starting grid. Therefore, I couldn't keep the Colombian in sight. This was one of the most attended Pan-American championships I have taken part in. There were many competitors because it is a selection for the Pan-American Games - which will take place in Rio at the summer 2007 - and because we could obtain good UCI points. The weather was very hot and the course was particularly difficult. The climbs and the descents was very abrupt, it is because of that, in spite of my bad starting position, that I could catch riders. I managed my race very well. I would even say that on the last lap I still had lots of punch. In fact, it was a perfect race ", summarized a very satisfied Toulouse. "When you have had as bad a year as this was for me, you end up wondering whether you are still good. I needed a result like that one. I would have found it difficult to finish my season without any good result. This makes it more satisfying."