2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships
Cross Country senior men, women, junior men
2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships Home |
British Cycling Olympic Podium Programme athlete Dave Fletcher completed his first appearance in the senior men's cross country mountain bike world championships, finishing 44th.
After missing his final appearance in the under-23 category due to injury, it was Fletcher's first world championship since 2010. Starting 62nd on the grid, Fletcher moved into the top fifty and on lap seven recorded his fastest time of the race.
That was not enough to stop the 80% rule to be enforced however, and he was recorded as one lap down on the field. Oli Beckingsale was removed by the UCI official one lap sooner, finishing 52nd.
That was the order of the day for the British representitives at the world championships - Great Britain’s sole representative in the senior women's race - Lee Craigie - was also withdrawn.
Craigie had ended lap one 45th but by lap three the gap was 8.53 and put her on the cusp on succumbing to the 80% rule, which removes riders whose lap times are 80% slower than that of the leaders.
On lap four that fate was confirmed and Craigie’s race was ended.
Earlier, Samuel Stean’s 48th place finish made him the best- placed Great Britain rider in the junior men’s race as the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-Country World Championships continued in Saalfelden, Austria.
Fellow Briton’s Michael Thompson and Iain Paton were both unable to complete the race, withdrawn on lap four due to the 80% rule after falling too far behind the leaders.
The race was eventually won by New Zealand’s Anton Cooper, who led from the off and only briefly dropped from first place after lap one before going on to produce a dominant display.
Stean placed 36th after the start lap before going back through the field as the race unfolded and after lap three sat in 54th. A late flourish allowed him to gain some places as the five lap race reached its denouement.
Competition concludes tomorrow, with the debut of the pro sprint eliminator.
Result
Cross country senior men
1 SCHURTER Nino SWITZERLAND 1:40:55
2 FLÜCKIGER Lukas SWITZERLAND +00:29
3 FLÜCKIGER Mathias SWITZERLAND +00:51
4 ABSALON Julien FRANCE +01:04
5 GIGER Fabian SWITZERLAND +01:16
other
44 FLETCHER David GREAT BRITAIN -1LAP
52 BECKINGSALE Oliver GREAT BRITAIN -2LAP
Cross country senior women
1 BRESSET Julie FRANCE 1:32:25
2 DAHLE FLESJAA Gunn-Rita NORWAY +01:47
3 GOULD Georgia UNITED STATES OF AMERICA +03:12
4 SÜSS Esther SWITZERLAND +03:22
5 KALENTIEVA Irina RUSSIAN FEDERATION +03:23
other
44 CRAIGIE Lee GBR19781220 GREAT BRITAIN -2LAP
Cross country junior men
1 COOPER Anton NEW-ZEALAND 1:06:53
2 KORETZKY Victor FRANCE +02:17
3 CAROD Titouan FRANCE +02:34
4 SEIGLE Romain FRANCE +04:06
5 SWENSON Keegan UNITED STATES OF AMERICA +04:35
other
48 STEAN Samuel GREAT BRITAIN +10:46
58 THOMPSON Michael GREAT BRITAIN -1LAP
62 PATON Iain GREAT BRITAIN -1LAP
