Pauline Ferrand Prevot (RaboLiv) wins Windham World Cup(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Raboliv) rides to victory with an 88-second cushion(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Lea Davison (Specialized) trying to chase down third place with one lap to go(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Jolanda Neff (Stoeckli Pro Team) crossing the last bridge on the course with one lap to go(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Lea Davison (Specialized) fans were out in force today(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Raboliv) warming up on her trainer before the event(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Lea Davison (Specialized) warming up at the start in her ice vest(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
World Champion Catharine Pendrel (Luna Pro Team) is one of the favorites today(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Multivan Merida) started with the number two plate(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Riders work their way up the mountain during the short start loop(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Multivan Merida) leads the women’s field during the start loop climb(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
USA Champion Chloe Woodruff (NoTubes Niner) on lap one(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Maja Wloszczowska (Kross Racing Team) riding the top ten on lap two(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Jolanda Neff (Stoeckli Pro Team) was riding in eighth place on lap two(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Katerina Nash (Luna Pro Team) descending one of the flyovers on lap two(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Erin Huck (Scott 3Rox Racing) was racing just outside the top ten on lap two(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Katrin Leumann (Ghost Factory Racing) on a short climb during lap three(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Raboliv) descending through a big rock garden on lap three(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Specialized team-mates Annika Langvad and Lea Davison could be seen together throughout the race(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Multivan Merida) riding in fifth place through the rocks(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Adelheid Morath (BH-SR Suntour) making a run through the rock garden(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Catharine Pendrel (Luna Pro Team) started strongly but found that it was not her day(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Rose Grant (Stan’s NoTubes) was putting in a strong performance(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Georgia Gould (Luna Pro Team) showing the effects of dust on the course(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Annika Langvad (Specialized) riding to a bronze medal(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Multivan Merida) slipped back a few spots but still finished 7th.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Lea Davison (Specialized) seemed to ride stronger as the race progressed(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Adelheid Morath (BH-SR Suntour) riding to a top five finish with one lap to go(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Raboliv) was all smiles at the finish(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
World Cup leader Jolanda Neff (Stoeckli Pro Team) finishing second at the Windham World Cup(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Windham World Cup podium: Podium: Lea Davison, Jolanda Neff, Pauline Ferrand Prevot, Annika Langvad, Adelheid Morath(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
World Cup leader Jolanda Neff(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Road world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Raboliv) returned to mountain biking last weekend with a third place at the Mont Ste Anne World Cup, and followed that up this week with a win at the penultimate round in Windham, New York, on Sunday.
The Windham course is 'old school' with a long grueling climb followed by a fast, technical descent. The very dry conditions meant that riders rode in a cloud of dust, and corners were loose and slippery.
The odds-on favourite was World Cup leader Jolanda Neff (Stoeckli Pro Team), with three wins in four races, however, Neff had not trained all week after fainting and hitting her head, and so she started uncharacteristically slowly, allowing Ferrand-Prevot to take the lead.
World champion Catharine Pendrel (Luna), the defending champion at Windham, chased Ferrand-Prevot for a lap, before succumbing to the pace and drifting backwards out of contention.
Neff then began to move up, joining Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Multivan Merida), Annika Langvad (Specialized) and Lea Davison (Specialized) in the chase. Neff dropped the rest on the fifth of six laps to roll in second and pad her lead in the standings. Langvad just beat team mate Davison for third, with Tanja Zakelj (Unior Tools) taking fifth.
"I am really happy, of course," said Ferrand-Prevot. "Last week I felt really good on the uphill and sometimes in the descent. Today I wanted to take a good start and to fight to be the first if possible on the uphill and to relax a bit on the downhill. It worked, so it was perfect."
"It is a good course for me, but I didn't think Catharine Pendrel would be dropped, and when I was alone I said, 'OK I just have to go full gas and don't turn back'."
Neff commented, "It was a really tough race, I think I was really far back in the beginning, like out of top 10 or top 15, really far back. I really fought hard until the finish. I'm so happy to take second place."
"I think today was very important [for the overall]. I didn't feel so good and I really fought hard for the overall. I think second place was the maximum I could do today, Pauline rode really strong."
With one round remaining, Neff now has 1100 points, with Dahle Flesjaa a distant 190 points behind and Pendrel just holding onto third at 726 points, 26 ahead of Davison.
Full Results
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#
Rider Name (Country) Team
Result
1
Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Fra) Rabo Liv
1:33:25
2
Jolanda Neff (Sui) Stoeckli Pro Team
0:01:28
3
Annika Langvad (Den) Specialized Racing
0:02:09
4
Lea Davison (USA) Specialized Racing
0:02:12
5
Adelheid Morath (Ger) BH-SR Suntour-KMC
0:02:41
6
Tanja Zakelj (Slo) Unior Tools Team
0:02:58
7
Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Nor) Multivan Merida Biking Team
0:03:17
8
Maja Wloszczowska (Pol) Kross Racing Team
0:03:49
9
Yana Belomoina (Ukr) Betch.Nl Superior Brentjens MTB Racing Team
0:04:12
10
Blaza Klemencic (Slo) Habitat Mountainbiketeam
0:04:28
11
Eva Lechner (Ita) Team Colnago Sudtirol
0:04:47
12
Erin Huck (USA) Scott-3Rox Racing
0:04:52
13
Annie Last (GBr)
0:05:01
14
Emily Batty (Can) Trek Factory Racing
0:05:30
15
Katerina Nash (Cze) Luna Pro Team
0:05:52
16
Helen Grobert (Ger) Ghost Factory Racing
0:06:10
17
Daniela Campuzano (Mex) Mexican National Team
0:06:50
18
Irina Kalentyeva (Rus) Moebel Maerki MTB Pro Team
0:07:16
19
Georgia Gould (USA) Luna Pro Team
0:07:28
20
Corina Gantenbein (Sui) Haibike Oetztal Pro Team
0:07:37
21
Anne Terpstra (Ned) Habitat Mountainbiketeam
0:08:12
22
Isabella Moreira Lacerda (Bra) Brazilian National Team
0:08:18
23
Lisa Mitterbauer (Aut) Habitat Mountainbiketeam
0:08:20
24
Chloe Woodruff (USA)
0:08:31
25
Catharine Pendrel (Can) Luna Pro Team
0:08:38
26
Rose Grant (USA)
0:08:42
27
Linda Indergand (Sui) Focus XC Team
0:09:34
28
Karla Stepanova (Cze)
0:10:02
29
Githa Michiels (Bel) Versluys Team
0:10:07
30
Elisabeth Osl (Aut) Ghost Factory Racing
0:10:18
31
Hanna Klein (Ger) BH-SR Suntour-KMC
0:10:49
32
Mikaela Kofman (Can) Scott-3Rox Racing
0:11:11
33
Raiza Goulao-Henrique (Bra)
0:11:36
34
Larissa Connors (USA)
Row 33 - Cell 2
35
Katrin Leumann (Sui) Ghost Factory Racing
0:12:11
36
Cindy Montambault (Can)
0:12:38
37
Alice Pirard (Bel) Merida-Wallonie Mountain Bike Team
Row 36 - Cell 2
38
Anna Oberparleiter (Ita) Italian National Team
0:13:03
39
Peta Mullens (Aus)
-1Lap
40
Kate Fluker (NZl)
Row 39 - Cell 2
41
Lesley Paterson (GBr)
Row 40 - Cell 2
42
Agustina Maria Apaza (Arg)
Row 41 - Cell 2
43
Michelle Hediger (Sui) Giant Swiss Team
Row 42 - Cell 2
44
Rebecca Beaumont (Can)
-2Laps
45
Elyse Nieuwold (Can)
Row 44 - Cell 2
46
Elisabeth Sveum (Nor) Norway National Team
Row 45 - Cell 2
47
Crystal Anthony (USA)
Row 46 - Cell 2
48
Kim Hurst (NZl) New Zealand National Team
-3Laps
49
Noelia Rodriguez (Arg) Argentinian National Team
Row 48 - Cell 2
DNF
Rebecca Henderson (Aus) Trek Factory Racing
Row 49 - Cell 2
DNF
Jovana Crnogorac (Srb) Salcano Cappadocia
Row 50 - Cell 2
DNF
Nathalie Schneitter (Sui) Rose Vaujany Fueled By Ultrasports
Row 51 - Cell 2
DNS
Sandra Walter (Can)
Row 52 - Cell 2
DNS
Elisa Otter (USA) US National Team
Row 53 - Cell 2
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