May 20/12 7:14 am - La Bresse World Cup: Men's XC UPDATES
Posted by Editoress on 05/20/12
The men are lining up and will take their start at 8 am ET
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Missing from today's start will be World Cup leader Nino Schurter (Scott - Swisspower MTB Racing Team) suffering from some sort of flu.
The favourite has got to be Julien Absalon (Orbea Racing Team), who lives just 10 km away, and who designed the course, along with his brother Remi
It rained most of the night, and the course has beendrying up all morning. The junior and women's races earier today will have torn up the course a bit, so it will be interesting how the races develops on the first lap
Men will do a start loop and 6 full laps
Start Loop
8 am
And they are off, along the paved first section as one big bunch
The usual fast starters are at the front
with Manuel Fumic (Cannondale Factory Racing) leading as they head out onto the trail
Lap 1
Fumic still leads as they head out at the end of the start loop. Marco Aurelio Fontana (Cannondale Factory Racing) 2nd, Fabian Giger (Rabobank Giant Offroad Team) 3rd
Julien Absalon (Orbea Racing Team) sitting 7th
Geoff Kabush (Scott-3Roxracing) 20th
Max Plaxton (Specialized Canada) 23rd
The track is quite narrow in places and the speed combined with this fact is spreading the field out.
8:07 am
As they head up the climb, Florian Vogel (Scott - Swisspower MTB Racing Team) leading Fontana and Ralph Naf (Multivan Merida Biking Team) and Giger
The race within the race is between the Swiss rides hoping for the 2nd and 3rd spots on the Olymic team. Schurter has a lock, but there are at least 5 other Swiss riders going for the remaining 2 positions. A top 8 position at a World Cup is a requirement for selection consideration.
Lap 2
Naf leading Vogel at 5 sec and Fontana at 10 sec. Fontana has a flat tho' and will have a very hard time maintaining his spot as the next tech zone is at the top of the climb.
Julien Absalon (Orbea Racing Team) 4th
Moritz Milatz (Bmc Mountainbike Racing Team) 5th
8:26 am
Lots of technical problems; Stander flat on Lap 1, Fontana flatted. Riders are showing signs of having gone down.
8:27 am
1/2 way through Lap 2
Absalon now leading with Florian Vogel (Scott - Swisspower MTB Racing Team) and Moritz Milatz (BMC Mountainbike Racing Team) 3rd
Naf now 5th
Jaroslav Kulhavy (Specialized Racing) 7th at 25 sec
Plaxton 16th at 58 sec back
Kabush 42nd at 2:53
8:30 am
Absalon starting to stretch his legs and push the pace. Vogel is getting dropped
Fontana is out after flatting
Lap 3 - 8:34 am
Absalon starts the 3rd lap with a gap of 10 sec on Vogel and Miltaz at 11 sec
Giger at 22 sec,
Lukas Flückiger (Trek World Racing) 5th at 22 sec
Naf 6th at 22 sec
Kulhavy 7th at 34 sec
Plaxton up to 15th at 1:24
Samuel Schultz (Subaru - Trek) 31st
Kabush 42nd
Zandstra 70th
The technical descent is causing a lot of flats. Fumic is now a victim at the end of the 2nd lap
8:38 am
Absalon heads up the climb, and is pushing hard to open up a bit more of a gap on chasers Vogel and Milatz
1/2 way though lap 3
Absalon leading with Milatz, Vogel and Giger at 14 sec
Naf 5th at 28 sec
Kulhavy 6th at 29 sec
Jean-Christophe Peraud (AG2R La Mondiale) 7th at 39 sec
Maxime Marotte (BH - SR Suntour - Peisey Vallandry) 8th at 44 sec
Lukas Flückiger (Trek World Racing) at 9th 45 sec
Christoph Sauser (Specialized Racing) 10th at 50 sec
Plaxton 15th at 1:43 back
Lap 4 8:50 am
Absalon leading Vogel by 14 sec, Giger at s.t.
Naf at 15 sec
Kulhavy 5th at 22 sec
Perraud 6th at 36 sec
Milatz at 47 sec - Milatz has just had a flat just metres past the tech zone, so unless he has some way of fixing himself, he is out
Plaxton 12th at 1:44
Jeremiah Bishop (Cannondale Factory Racing) 32nd
Sam Schultz 33rd
Stephen Ettinger (Bmc Mountainbike Racing Team) 37th
Kabush 49th
8:53 am
Heading up the climb, Absalon is leading, but there is a chase group of 4 now chasing: Naf, Vogel, Giger and Kulhavy all at ~ 14 sec putting the pressure on Absalon.
Big crowds out to watch this race. France does not get an XC World Cup very often, so the French usually have to go outside the country to see the Absalon race.
9 am - 1/2 way round
Absalon
Kulhavy, Vogel and Naf at 19 sec. and Giger struggling a bit at 21 sec
Perraud 6th at 56
Perraud the 2008 silver medalist is trying to qualify for the 2nd spot for France
Plaxton is up to 11th, and is just about to pass Hermida and Fluckiger to move into the top 10
Lap 5 of 6
9:06 am
Starting the 5th lap, Naf has closed the gap to pass Absalon as they cross the line
Kulhavy 3rd at 22 sec
Vogel 4th at s.t.
Peraud 5th at 56 sec
Giger and Marotte 6th/7th at 1:13
Sauser 8th at 1:26
Hermida 9th at 1:55
Plaxton 10th at 1:56
9:09 am
Up the climb and Absalon back in control, gapping Naf
9:16 am
1/2 way round
Absalon, Naf 2nd at 17 sec, Kulhavy 3rd at 22 sec, Vogel 4th at 54 sec, Peraud 5th at 1:15
Marotte 7th at 1:35, Sauser 8th at 1:35, Plaxton 9th at 2:26
9:18 am
Kulhavy and Naf together now and battling it out to see who gets to hit the descent first - Naf 'wins'
Kulhavy almost comes off on the descent, allowing naf to get away
Lap 6 LAST LAP 9:21 am
Absalon hits the line to head out for the final lap with a gap of 11 sec on Naf. Kulhavy 3rd at 17 sec
Vogel 4th at 1:07
Peraud 5th at 1:23
Giger 6th at 1:43
Marotte 7th at 1:48
Sauser 8th at 1:51
Fluckiger 9th at 2:24
Plaxton 10th at 2:25
9:26 am
Starting the climb, Absalon leading, but Kulhavy is starting to reel him in.
Naf 3rd
9:31 am
1/2 way through the final lap. Absalon leading a tiring Kulhavy, at 23 sec. Naf 3rd at 50 sec
Vogel at 4th at 1:32, Giger at 5th 1:46, Peraud 6th at 2:04
Sauser 7th at 2:08, Marotte 8th at 2:37, Plaxton 9th at 2:49, Fluckiger 10th at 3:18
Final
1 Julien Absalon (Fra) Orbea Racing Team , 1:37:33
2 Jaroslav Kulhavy (Cze) Specialized Racing , at 0:07
3 Ralph Naef (Sui) Multivan Merida Biking Team , 0:40
4 Florian Vogel (Sui) Scott - Swisspower MTB Racing Team , 1:24
5 Fabian Giger (Sui) Rabobank Giant Offroad Team , 1:41
6 Christoph Sauser (Sui) Specialized Racing , 2:08
7 Jean-Christophe Peraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale , 2:20
8 Maxime Marotte (Fra) BH - SR Suntour - Peisey Vallandry , 2:35
9 Max Plaxton (Can) Team Canada , 2:51
10 Lukas Flückiger (Sui) Trek World Racing , 3:20
Course map
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