Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesja and Ralph Näf each secured a podium finish for the «Multivan Merida Biking Team» at Madrid’s mountainbike worldcup race. While Dahle-Flesja dominated the women’s race from the start, distancing her closest follower Marga Fullana by almost two minutes at the finish, Näf finished third, one position ahead of his team mate José Hermida.
Näf showed a courageous race, splitting up the leader’s group repeatedly with his accelerations. In the end, only two riders could follow him: Olympic champion Julien Absalon and last year’s worldcup overall winner Christoph Sauser. «I felt great and was putting a lot of pressure on the others in the beginning of the race. But in the second-to-last lap, I cranked up the speed a bit too much and had to pay for it. So finally I had to let Sauser and Absalon go», the Swiss rider analyzed his race at the finish.
Behind Näf, José Hermida was giving his best to catch up with the leader’s group. «I could have won this race», Hermida commented after having been part of that leader’s group for the first half of the race. But when the leaders accelerated in the third lap, he saw no chance to pass a slower rider and lost contact. And catching up with a leader’s group containing such names as Sauser, Näf and Absalon is not that easy.
In the women’s race, Norway’s Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesja continued her domination of the sport. From the start, she pedaled away from her competitors, nursing an advantage of almost two minutes to the finish line. «In the first lap, I went to my limits – or actually over them. All I could do was to hope for the others to be at their respective limits as well – and obviously the were», the Norwegian commented on her tactics after the race. With this win in Madrid, Dahle-Flesja further expanded her lead in the worldcup.
To her own surprise, Nina Göhl drove to a respectable thirteenth rank in Madrid, despite being absorbed by tests for her studies of medecine. On the other hand, Moritz Milatz was disappointed and completely exhausted: «I might as well have given up the race in the first lap, as nothing went right for me today », the young German explained at the finish. After strong performances in the MTB Bundesliga, his expectations had been higher by far.
Ride quotes:
Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesja: «Today my race tactics were extraordinarily aggressive, sprinting away from the others from the start. I was at my limits, or even over it. But I wanted to enforce a decision as quickly as possible, as it’s very hard to close gaps on a course like this.»
Ralph Näf: «In the second-to-last lap, I made a mistake by accelerating to hard. This costed too much power, and I was unable to react to the following attacks. But honestly, I am very satisfied to finish third!»
José Hermida: «I might have won today’s race as well. But when an attack was launched from the leader’s group, I could not pass a slower rider and lost contact. And catching up with a leader’s group containing such names as Sauser, Näf and Absalon is not that easy.»
Results MTB Worldcup Cross Country, Madrid, Men
1. Julien Absalon (FRA) Bianchi Agos 2:02:18
2. Christoph Sauser (SUI) Specialized Factory Racing 2:02:19
3. Ralph Näf (SUI) Multivan Merida Biking Team 2:02:49
4. Jose Antonio Hermida Ramos (ESP) Multivan Merida Biking Team 2:03:10
5. Roel Paulissen (BEL) Giant-Racing-Team 2:03:25
6. Liam Killeen (GBR) Specialized Factory Racing 2:03:26
7. Michael Weiss (AUT) SRM Simplon Team 2:03:49
8. Fredrik Kessiakoff (SWE) Cannondale-Vredestein 2:03:49
9. Lado Fumic (GER) Fumic.Brothers.International 2:04:36
10. Bart Brentjens (NED) Giant-Racing-Team
46. Moritz Milatz (GER) Multivan Merida Biking Team 2:11:47
Results MTB Worldcup Cross Country, Madrid, Women
1. Gunn-Rita Dahle (NOR) Multivan Merida Biking Team 1:39:11
2. Margarita Fullana Riera (ESP) Spiuk Illes Balears at 1:55
3. Irina Kalentieva (RUS) Topeak-Ergon 3:09
4. Maja Wloszczowska (POL) Lotto s.t.
5. Sabine Spitz (GER) Specialized Factory Racing 3:13
6. Lene Byberg (NOR) Bikin'cyprus Int. 4:40
7. Petra Henzi (SUI) Fischer-Bmc 4:53
8. Maroussia Rusca (SUI) Team Bikepark.Ch Tui 5:11
9. Rosara Joseph (NZL) 5:17
10. Marie-Helene Premont (CAN) Rocky Mountain Business Objects 5:28
13. Nina Göhl (GER) Multivan Merida Biking Team 5:51
