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Canadians close at Grouse World Cup

Sydor third, Green sixth in physical race Canadian cyclists were up to the challenge last weekend, earning two podium appearances and seven top-10 finishes in the UCI World Cup cross-country races at Grouse Mountain.

Sydor third, Green sixth in physical race

Canadian cyclists were up to the challenge last weekend, earning two podium appearances and seven top-10 finishes in the UCI World Cup cross-country races at Grouse Mountain.

The women raced before a crowd of more than 10,000 spectators on Saturday, July 6. The sun was intense, and the course notoriously technical, with long uphill sections and downhill singletrack over a mass of roots and rock. There was even a rock drop and a fallen tree near the finish line to negotiate.

With family, friends and fans looking on, North Vancouver’s 36-year-old Alison Sydor held on for six laps of the 4.6 km course to claim the bronze medal.

At one point the three-time world champion and Olympic silver medalist was in second place, but Sydor couldn’t hold off the reigning world champion, Alison Dunlap from the U.S., who passed her on the last lap.

"I definitely wanted to be on the podium here," said Sydor. "Dunlap went by me on that last lap in the final climb, but I hung on until the finish, and am happy to put some bad luck in previous races behind me."

The battle for first place had already been decided in the fourth lap when leader Annabella Sopparo of Italy flatted out her rear tire. Sabine Spitz of Germany, who was second at the time, moved into first and built up a lead of more than two minutes by the end of the race.

Although she has been among the top riders on the circuit this year, it was Spitz’s first World Cup victory.

"I had goosbumps on that last climb," said Spitz. "I tried to ride safely and not puncture. When I saw Annabella had flatted, I thought ‘Okay, now it’s my time to lead. In mountain biking you have to have a little luck."

Spitz completed the course in one hour 58 minutes 28 seconds. Dunlap came in at 2:00:34, and Sydor less than a minute later in 2:01:27. Sydor was nearly four minutes ahead of the fourth place finisher.

The Canadian women raced well as a whole, with two others cracking the top 10. Chrissy Redden of Campbellville, Ontario – the winner at Grouse last season – finished sixth in 2:08:12. Kiara Bisaro of Vancouver was eighth in 2:09:17.

Also for Canada, Victoria’s Trish Sinclair was 11 th in 2:12:41. Eron Chorney of Vancouver was 16 th , Nikola Starko 18 th , Wendy Simms 21 st , Sandra Walter 22 nd , Claire Townsend 25 th , and Serena Lawrie 29 th to round out the top 30.

Linda Robichaud was 32 nd , Madelaine Bouz 33 rd , Martina Feldman 34 th , Christina Piccone 36 th , Anne-Marie Jobin 37 th , Marie-Helene Cote 38 th and Michelle Scheiber 39 th .

Technical difficulties and crashes wreaked havoc on the field of competitors, ending the day early for some of the top riders in the world. Barbara Blatter of Switzerland crashed in the first 500 metres, and withdrew with a head injury. Stropparo lost the lead and had to settle for fifth. Redden had a flat that cost her any hope of finishing on the podium. In total, only 17 of the 53 starters made it to the finish.

Rain threatened the men’s race all day Sunday, but held off while the riders completed eight laps of the course.

Victoria’s Roland Green, the reigning World Cup champion and world champion, charged hard at the beginning of the race and was almost immediately in second place. By the end of the fourth lap he started to fade, however, and dropped back from the lead pack.

Philip Meirhaeghe of Belgium, the winner of the World Cup at Mont-Sainte-Anne two weekends earlier, repeated at Grouse. He stuck with the lead pack from the beginning, and in the third of eight laps he made his move and took the lead.

"I like longer courses, but this race was good," said Meirhaeghe. "It’s also uneven, and it’s hard to find your rhythm because you’re always changing from climbing to descending. If it’s not the most challenging course on the World Cup, it’s close."

Meirhaeghe finished in 1:49:42, 57 seconds ahead of Christoph Sauser of Switzerland and Bart Brentjens of The Netherlands.

Green had to settle for sixth place with his time of 1:52:05.

"I just had no legs today," the 27-year-old told Canadian Cyclist. "I did the best I could with what I had. Sixth place is the best that I could manage today. I wanted to stay with Philip in the technical sections but my legs started to fade by the third lap. Christophe and Bart caught me and I went backwards. I wish I could explain it."

Three other Canadians finished in the top 10, and were happy with their finishes. Sean McGrath of Ontario crashed in the start loop, and found himself at the back of the pack from the beginning, along with Ryder Hesjedal of Victoria. The two riders worked together from that point on, blocking and leading for one another until they were back in the top 10. Hesjedal finished eighth, and McGrath ninth with times of 1:54:41 and 1:54:42 respectively. Geoff Kabush of Victoria finished 10th with a time of 1:55:30.

Other Canadians in the hunt included Peter Wedge in 20 th , Mathieu Toulouse 28 th , and Chris Sheppard 33 rd .

As in the women’s race, the course took its toll on the field. Of the 90 starters, only 36 finished the race. Forty-nine riders didn’t make the cut-off for the last lap, and another 15 riders did not finish due to crashes and mechanical problems.

The downhill and 4-cross events that were scheduled for Grouse Mountain were cancelled more than a month ago because there was still more than four metres of snow on the course in some sections. While the course could have been cleared in time to race, safety considerations and the condition of the course were a concern for organizers.

The World Cup continues this weekend with downhill and cross-country events in Telluride, Colorado.