Last is first at Lenzerheide World Cup
British rider is first in 20 years to win an Elite cross-country World Cup
Annie Last (OMX Pro Team) became the first British rider in 20 years to win an Elite cross-country World Cup race on Sunday at Round 4 in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.
The Lenzerheide circuit, while not at as high an altitude as Andorra last weekend, is still nearly 1500 metres above sea level. The 4.2 kilometre circuit has one longer opening climb and a series of short steep climbs, combined with numerous rough and rooty forest sections. Heavy rain the night before made the wooded sections almost unrideable in places, and the UCI made the unusual decision of cutting a lap from the women's race part way through the competition (they also cut a lap from the men's race after).
Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Team Merida Gunn-Rita) and Yolanda Neff (Kross Racing) opened a gap on the first lap of six (initially seven), with Neff falling back halfway through the lap, leaving Dahle Flesjaa alone up front. The Norwegian, chasing her 30th career World Cup win, was joined at the front on the next lap by World Cup leader Yana Belomoina (CST Sandd American Eagle), and the two swapped the lead position over the next few laps, with Belomoina stronger on the climbs and Dahle Flesjaa better in the technical sections.
However, Last, who has struggled with back problems over the past few years, was steadily moving up from behind, into third by Lap 4 (when the lap reduction was announced) and joining the leaders on the fifth lap. She attacked late in the lap to move seven seconds clear of Dahle Flesjaa by the start of the final lap, with Belomoina starting to drop back further. Last had the fastest lap of the day on the final lap, to beat Dahle Flesjaa by 13 seconds and Belomoina by 27 seconds. With her win, Last became the first British World Cup winner since Caroline Alexander in 1997 at St-Wendel, Germany. It should be noted that Dahle Flesjaa was 17th in St-Wendel that year and Sabine Spitz (Wiawis Bikes), 13th in Lenzerheide, was 24th in the 1997 race.
"To be honest, I have no idea what I feel right now," said Last, overwhelmed by her win. "I've had a tough couple of years, and even to be racing felt incredible, and then to move forward like that ... it's not sunk in yet. It's unbelievable and I'm so happy."
Dahle, who was looking for her 30th World Cup win, was gracious in her defeat, saying "I'm really happy with my result, and I'm also happy for Annie winning her first World Cup ever. There were a lot of strong women out there and you need a good day to be top three."
In the overall standings, Belomoina has extended her lead after number two ranked Annika Langvad (Specialized) pulled out due to illness after a lap and drops to fifth. Belomoina has 800 points, with Maja Wlozczowska (Kross Racing) moving up to second with 610 points, followed by Linda Indergand (Focus XC) at 560.
Full Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Annie Last (GBr) OMX Pro Team | 1:29:10 |
2 | Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Nor) Team Merida Gunn-Rita | 0:00:13 |
3 | Yana Belomoina (Ukr) CST Sandd American Eagle MTB Racing Team | 0:00:27 |
4 | Jolanda Neff (Swi) Kross Racing Team | 0:01:03 |
5 | Helen Grobert (Ger) Cannondale Factory Racing XC | 0:01:08 |
6 | Maja Wloszczowska (Pol) Kross Racing Team | 0:01:23 |
7 | Emily Batty (Can) Trek Factory Racing XC | 0:01:33 |
8 | Irina Kalentyeva (Rus) Moebel Maerki MTB Pro Team | 0:01:54 |
9 | Linda Indergand (Swi) Focus XC Team | 0:02:08 |
10 | Catharine Pendrel (Can) Clif Pro Team | 0:02:11 |
11 | Tanja Zakelj (Slo) Unior Tools Team | 0:02:28 |
12 | Alessandra Keller (Swi) Radon Factory XC Team | 0:02:38 |
13 | Sabine Spitz (Ger) Wiawis Bikes Pro Team | 0:02:57 |
14 | Adelheid Morath (Ger) | 0:03:11 |
15 | Anne Tauber (Ned) Habitat Mountainbike Team | 0:03:49 |
16 | Lea Davison (USA) Clif Pro Team | 0:04:06 |
17 | Anne Terpstra (Ned) Ghost Factory Racing | 0:04:45 |
18 | Sabrina Enaux (Fra) | 0:04:57 |
19 | Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Fra) Canyon Factory Racing XC | 0:05:40 |
20 | Raiza Goulao Henrique (Bra) Primaflor Mondraker | 0:05:42 |
21 | Elisabeth Osl (Aut) Ghost Factory Racing | 0:05:46 |
22 | Katarzyna Solus-Miskowicz (Pol) Volkswagen Samochody Uzytkowe MTB Team | 0:06:05 |
23 | Haley Smith (Can) Norco Factory Team XC | 0:06:22 |
24 | Erin Huck (USA) Cannondale-3Rox Racing | 0:06:44 |
25 | Karla Stepanova (Cze) | 0:06:47 |
26 | Eva Lechner (Ita) Clif Pro Team | 0:06:51 |
27 | Sandra Walter (Can) | 0:06:53 |
28 | Kathrin Stirnemann (Swi) Radon Factory XC Team | 0:07:13 |
29 | Rebecca Henderson (Aus) | 0:07:34 |
30 | Serena Calvetti (Ita) | 0:07:38 |
31 | Githa Michiels (Bel) | 0:07:42 |
32 | Barbara Benko (Hun) Focus XC Team | 0:07:54 |
33 | Jovana Crnogorac (Srb) Salcano Cappadocia Cycling Team | 0:08:44 |
34 | Corina Gantenbein (Swi) Moebel Maerki MTB Pro Team | 0:08:52 |
35 | Katrin Leumann (Swi) | 0:09:20 |
36 | Esther Suss (Swi) | 0:10:11 |
37 | Lisa Rabensteiner (Ita) Focus XC Team | 0:10:38 |
38 | Jitka Skarnitzlova (Cze) | 0:11:10 |
39 | Daniela Campuzano Chavez Peon (Mex) BH-Srsuntour-KMC | 0:11:25 |
40 | Perrine Clauzel (Fra) Scott Creuse Oxygene Gueret | 0:11:29 |
41 | Catherine Fleury (Can) | 0:11:59 |
42 | Elisabeth Sveum (Nor) | 0:12:08 |
43 | Aleksandra Podgorska (Pol) | 0:12:27 |
44 | Ramona Forchini (Swi) Strüby-Bixs Team | 0:12:29 |
45 | Alice Pirard (Bel) Merida Wallonie MTB Team | 0:12:31 |
46 | Hanna Klein (Ger) | 0:13:07 |
47 | Ariane Luethi (Swi) | 0:13:32 |
48 | Marine Groccia (Swi) | 0:13:58 |
49 | Margot Moschetti (Fra) CST Sandd American Eagle MTB Racing Team | 0:14:11 |
50 | Cindy Montambault (Can) | 0:14:25 |
51 | Cherie Redecker (RSA) | 0:15:16 |
52 | Andrea Waldis (Swi) Clif Pro Team | Row 51 - Cell 2 |
53 | Jessica Pellizzaro (Ita) | Row 52 - Cell 2 |
54 | Fabienne Schaus (Lux) | Row 53 - Cell 2 |
55 | Yosiana Fareidy Quintero Pineda (Col) | Row 54 - Cell 2 |
56 | Lisette Rosenbeck (Den) | Row 55 - Cell 2 |
57 | Eliane Muggler (Swi) | Row 56 - Cell 2 |
58 | Amy Mcdougall (RSA) | Row 57 - Cell 2 |
59 | Lisa Mitterbauer (Aut) BH-Srsuntour-KMC | Row 58 - Cell 2 |
60 | Romaine Wenger (Swi) | Row 59 - Cell 2 |
61 | Kathryn McInerney (Aus) | Row 60 - Cell 2 |
62 | Kerry Macphee (GBr) | Row 61 - Cell 2 |
63 | Ingrid Richter (Ger) | Row 62 - Cell 2 |
64 | Noora Karoliina Kanerva (Fin) | Row 63 - Cell 2 |
65 | Sarah Riley (Aus) | Row 64 - Cell 2 |
66 | Giulia Gaspardino (Ita) Team Piemonte FCI | Row 65 - Cell 2 |
67 | Evelyn Denisse Munoz Jaramillo (Chi) | Row 66 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Nadine Rieder (Ger) | Row 67 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Rebecca Beaumont (Can) | Row 68 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Katja Montani (Swi) | Row 69 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Linn Gustafzzon (Swe) | Row 70 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Claudia Galicia Cotrina (Spa) | Row 71 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Paula Gorycka (Pol) Strüby-Bixs Team | Row 72 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Annika Langvad (Den) Specialized Racing | Row 73 - Cell 2 |
DNS | Alexandra Engen (Swe) Ghost Factory Racing | Row 74 - Cell 2 |
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