Ferrier Bruneau wins Candian 'cross championships

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The Elite women's race at the Canadian Cyclo-cross championships in Sherbrooke, Quebec, saw an upset on Saturday, when Christel Ferrier Bruneau (SAS Macogep Aquisio) beat defending champion Maghalie Rochette (Clif Pro Team).

Ferrier Bruneau is originally from France, where she has finished second three times at the French cyclo-cross championships, as well as winning a road title. However, she moved to Canada and took Canadian citizenship.

This was expected to be a battle between Ferrier Bruneau and Rochette, and the duo dropped the rest of the field on the first lap. Rochette led for much of the race, opening a gap on her rival mid-race. However, Ferrier Bruneau fought back and, with a lap and a half to go, counter-attacked. Rochette was unable to respond, and Ferrier Bruneau rode away to win by 38 seconds. Mical Dyck (Naked Factory Racing) of B.C. took the bronze medal.

"Maghalie is a really good rider," said Ferrier Bruneau, "but I have had some better results than her in the North american World Cups, so I knew I could do well. Maghalie was better on the technical sections and I lost a bit of time in a corner, but I stayed focussed and came back on the climb, and was able to get away. It's my first victory of the year in cyclo-cross, which is really nice."

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