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Green, Premont claim national X-C titles

Teng, Routley in top-10 A long, steep climb right off the start line proved to be the deciding factor in the Tim Hortons Mountain Bike National Championships cross-country event on Saturday and Sunday. The course itself was long and challenging.

Teng, Routley in top-10

A long, steep climb right off the start line proved to be the deciding factor in the Tim Hortons Mountain Bike National Championships cross-country event on Saturday and Sunday.

The course itself was long and challenging. As more than one athlete described it, there was no chance to rest or relax at all from start to finish – you were either climbing or riding on technical singletrack.

"It was a good course, either technical or hard physically," said Victoria’s Roland Green, the reigning world champion.

Green rode with Ryder Hesjedal of Victoria and Seamus McGrath of Ontario for the two laps, then started to pull away towards the end of the second lap and the beginning of the third with his strong climbing. By the fourth lap, Green had more than minute on the rest of the field.

"I made a break on the second lap because I wanted to have a little space if I had a flat or a mechanical," said Green, who has had technical problems that cost him in his last two World Cup appearances. "I knew Ryder and McGrath were chasing pretty hard, so I couldn’t get too comfortable."

Green and Hesjedal went for dual suspension bikes on the course, giving up some climbing power for a little extra comfort and control on the singletrack.

"Ryder and I were having a good ride out there on the dualies and poor Seamus on the hard tail, I felt sorry for him. The first time we were on the climb, I could see how easy it was for Seamus on the lighter bike, but I knew with all the hard stuff and singletrack that it would be hard to hold onto that gap," said Green.

McGrath lost his podium spot on the last lap when his right cleat dislodged from his shoe and got stuck in his pedal. He had to stop and take a screw out of his other shoe to continue with the race.

In the minutes he lost, Geoff Kabush of Victoria pulled into the third position.

For the crowd of thousands that cheered on the riders at different locations along the course, the race was as exciting as they come, with a different field at every lap.

For Green, the nationals are always one of his favourite races. He and the other top riders pulled out of last year’s nationals after the first lap in order to rest up for the Commonwealth Games two days later. They thought it was important to show up and support the nationals, even if they had no intention of racing to the end.

"Seamus and I were first and second (in the Commonwealth Games), so obviously we made the right decision," said Green. "We all have a lot of respect for the national championships. We earned some more UCI points today, and showed once again just how strong the Canadian riders are. All these awesome riders are coming up through the ranks."

Green’s finished five laps of the 7.6 km course in two hours, 11 minutes, 57 seconds to win the title.

Although he was happy to win, he wasn’t as happy with the race organizers’ decision on race day to lengthen the course from four and a half to five laps. Most of the racers had prepared for four and a half laps, said Green, and two hours was long enough for a mountain bike race. The Grouse Mountain World Cup the week before was also over two hours, which is unusual.

Ryder Hesjedal finished second in 2:13:47, and Geoff Kabush third in 2:14:11.

From Whistler, Will Routley was 20 th overall out of almost 90 racers in 2:30:57, and was fourth among the Espoir (Under 23) men. The result, plus his performance in Canada Cup events and the Gourse Mountain World Cup, could qualify Routley for the World Mountain Bike Championships.

Still, it wasn’t easy.

"It was one of the harder days I’ve ever had," said Routley, 20. "The course was up and down, and pretty technical, so it worked the whole body, head to toe. My entire body is just cooked."

This was Routley’s third year in a row finishing fourth in his category at the nationals, but other than that he was happy with his performance. If he had to go back and do it again, the only thing he would have done differently is to bring more water.

"It wasn’t as hot today, but the climb was right in the sun and it was pretty dusty, so I had to conserve what I had for the first two laps. I didn’t get hydrated until the third lap, when I started to feel better," he said.

Tyler West finished five spots back with a total time of 2:33:00 to finish 25 th overall, and ninth among Espoirs.

Lloyd Thomas and Trevor Hopkins also competed, finishing 53 rd and 54 th respectively.

In the Elite women’s race, the day belonged to Marie-Helene Premont of Chateau-Richer, Quebec. She took the lead from the first climb, and kept building on it with every lap.

There’s no question that the 25 year-old Premont is onto something big. In the Canadian World Cups at Mt. Ste. Anne and Grouse Mountain she was fifth and fourth respectively – despite the fact that she had three flat tires during the races.

By the end of the first lap, she had a minute on the rest of the field, and by the end of four laps, she was up four-and-a-half minutes with a time of 2:03:04.

"People on the course were giving me times and I knew I was gaining all the way, but I didn’t want to go slower. I’m glad it’s finished, but I feel good," said Premont.

"My legs were feeling good so on the hills I was able to push very hard. I was careful on the downhill so I wouldn’t get a flat tire."

Chrissy Redden and Alison Sydor battled it out for second place, with Redden leading the climbs, and Sydor ruling the singletrack. They were in shouting distance until the last lap when Sydor’s gears slipped and jammed temporarily.

That gave Redden of Campbellville, Ontario, the edge she was looking for and she finished in second with a time of 2:07:38.

Sydor, who lives in North Vancouver, chased as hard as she could, but finished in 2:07:55, visibly exhausted from her last sprint.

Redden was happy with her silver medal, and obviously impressed by Premont’s climbing.

"Marie-Helene just took off at the start and that was it," she said. I had a good race, but Marie-Helene just keeps getting better. She’s really on a roll."

Sydor said, "It was just such a hard course on the bike, and I just didn’t do that great today. Coming around Lost Lake at the end, physically I felt flat. I didn’t have the legs to catch Chrissy at the end.

"The course was unbelievable. I think there was maybe 30 feet of bike path where you could relax. The strategy was ‘go’. It was very demanding, from start to finish."

Whistler’s Angela Teng had an incredible race, finishing seventh overall in 2:20:54.

"My goal was to be in the top-10, but from the start I started thinking that it was out of my reach, there are so many awesome girls here. I started feeling a little better after the first lap, and I got a break when Sarah (Noble) flatted. She chased me down at the end, but I got in ahead of her.

"I’d say that was one of the most technical, hard on your lower back races, I’ve ever been in. I’m pretty happy with the way I finished."

Also from Whistler, Jill Yale was 39 th , just over 40 minutes back of the lead.

Other results:

In the Master Expert Men 30 to 39 race (25.8 km), Whistler’s Mike Boehm took the gold medal in 1:46.10. Keith Ray was seventh in 1:50:25, Pete Leibel was ninth in 1:50:32, and Tyler Dumont was 15 th in 1:55.43. Matthew Bodkin was a DNF.

Eric Crowe took the silver medal in the Master Expert Men 40 to 49 race (22.8 km) with a time of 1:35:25. Tony Routley was fifth in 1:38:53, Mike Charuk seventh in 1:42:36, Lee Harrison eighth in 1:44:44, and Paul Fournier 13 th in 1:52:22.

In the Junior/Under 17 Expert 15 to 18 Women (18.2 km), national downhill champion Brook Baker was sixth in 1:41:07, less than seven minutes off the lead.

In the Senior Expert Women 19 to 29 group (18.2 km), Joanna Harrington finished second in 1:38:26.

Ronni Lister won silver in the Master Women’s 30 and Over group (15.2 km) with a time of 1:17:18, four and a half minutes back.

Mailyn Hellier was fourth in 1:20:44, and Uschi Scherer sixth in 1:27:09.

For the first time in three years, Whistler’s James Crowe missed out on a national title, finishing second in the Youth Expert 15 to 16 Race (18.2 km) with a time of 1:15:07, almost three minutes back of Raphael Gagne of Quebec.

Jodie Hopkins was fourth among the Senior Beginner Sport Women (15.2 km) with a time of 1:38:14.

Brandon Semenuk was eighth in the Youth Under 15 Men’s race (10 km) with a time of 58:31.

In the Master Beginner Sport 30 to 39 Men’s race (15.2 km), Kevan Shaler was 15 th in 1:22:43.

For complete results, visit www.stat-timing.com.