Last year's winner Kulhavy expected to battle Frenchman again
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Julien Absalon (Orbea Racing Team)(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
The crowds came for Julien Absalon (Orbea Racing Team)(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
A jubilant Julien Absalon (Orbea Racing Team) wins the La Bresse World Cup on home soil(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Julien Absalon crashed the first time through the rock garden(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Julien Absalon (Orbea) will head to the European Championships this weekend, June 7-10 in Moscow, Russia. After finishing second in 2011, he will race against defending champion Jaroslav Kulhavy (Specialized). Absalon last won the European cross country championships in 2006.
The Frenchman, who recently won the La Bresse World Cup and the Swiss Bike Trophy, is just one of two men being sent by the French Cycling Federation; Stephan Tempier (TX-Active Bianchi) is the other. The French Cycling Federation is only sending a small team to the championships event. While other riders did meet the criteria to race in the European championships, the Federation limited its picks to those it thinks have the potential to medal according to universalbikeracing.com.
No French elite women or U23 men will be racing although Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Rabobank) will race among the U23 women. There are also several French junior men and women on the roster: Margot Moschetti (Scott), Perrine Clauzel (Focus / Coaching System) for the junior women and Victor Koretzky (Bikepark.ch), Romain Seigel (Definitive), Titouan Carod (Scott) and Antoine Bouqueret (Adrisport) for the junior men.
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