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Cross-Country Rainbows to Denmark and Spain
Rasmussen and Fullana Take Top Spots
Sunday, September 19, 1999

Downhill: Vouilloz and Chausson Keep Streaks Alive
U-23 Cross Country: Evans Loses Ninth Time
Team Relay: Spain Takes First Medal of Worlds
Schedule of Events
Preview: We Are the Worlds

Denmark continued its reign as the most successful nation in senior men's cross-country racing this weekend, when "chicken" - Michael Rasmussen (Team Gary Fisher Saab) - gave his country its fourth gold medal. Just hours earlier, Spanish siren Marga Fullana (Team Mountain Dew / Specialized) continued her impressive season by powering to the women's gold.

Racers, staff, press and fans awoke Sunday morning to a rare sight for the weekend – blue skies and sunshine streaming through their windows. The trains from Stockholm were sold out, and 15,000 tickets were bought for the controlled zones alone. It was, after a long season, time to roll out.

Full-On Fullana

Full-on Fullana

Women, as usual, went first with a 10 a.m. start for nearly four laps of difficult racing. The course, a pair of loops set on the steep ski mountain, awaited racers with lung-busting climbs and muddy conditions in the 9.6 km laps. And within the first climb it was confirmed that this race would be more of a chase – to catch the flying Fullana.

Three-time World Champion Alison Sydor (CAN, Volvo-Cannondale) made the best attempt of the day, losing time on Fullana on the long climbs and then gaining some of it back on the muddy, technical descents. But as Fullana got more comfortable on the downhill sections, Sydor soon lost contact and resigned herself to a chase for the silver medal.

"By the end of the race Sydor had over a minute-and-a-half on Pezzo and captured the silver, while Pezzo rebounded from a lackluster '98 season for the bronze..."

The battle for one of the three podiums steps was actually where the real racing occurred. Switzerland's Barbara Blatter rode in third for part of the race, but '97 World Champion Paola Pezzo (ITA, Gary Fisher Saab) – who worked her way from a slow start – eventually passed Blatter on her way to a late-race duel with Sydor.

Pezzo Bronzed

Late in the third of four laps, Pezzo caught and passed Sydor, but lost the position to Sydor again on the decisive descent. By the end of the race Sydor had over a minute-and-a-half on Pezzo and captured the silver, while Pezzo rebounded from a lackluster '98 season for the bronze.

Alison Dunlap (USA, GT) did her country proud by capturing fourth, just ahead of Blatter, while one of the pre-race favorites — Gunn-Rita Dahle (NOR, DBS)— crashed in the first lap and pulled out from competition.

The Chicken Comes Home to Roost
Michael Rasmussen, so nicknamed because of his thin euro frame and love of that tasty protein-enriched white meat, punctuated a flat '99 season (and career) Sunday afternoon, winning the sport's biggest title in a crushing victory.

Some would say the Olympics are the sport's biggest event, but not Rasmussen – he knows the field is way stronger at the Worlds than the Olympic's limited field. And he showed his love and respect of the worlds by keying hard on this season-ender and winning the weekend's most emotional competition.

Riding across the finish line in tears, Rasmussen broke down at the paddock with a career's worth of emotion – overwhelmed by what he had just accomplished. "It's beautiful" were the first words from his mouth.

Rasmussen Ruled

What Rasmussen had orchestrated surprised most observers, but his second-place finish behind Christophe Dupouey two weeks ago in the world cup finals indicated that was peaking, big-time. And on Sunday he got a bit lucky with the defending world champ.

Dupouey, the strongest rider in the field right now, had to pull out of the race after only one full lap when problems with his shifter cable jacked up his rear derailleur. Rasmussen jumped on the opportunity with an early attack that was answered only by '98 U-23 World Champion Miguel Martinez (FRA, Full Dynamix) and Bas Van Dooren (NED, Be One).

The three of them rode up front, with a pair of Belgians - Roel Paulissen (American Eagle) and Filip Meirhaeghe (Mountain Dew / Specialized) chasing hard. While Rasmussen battled with Martinez for the win, these three contended for the podium.

Martinez, who rode in 2nd literally all afternoon, was able to catch Rasmussen on the descents, but in the last lap was unable to answer the chicken's last surge. The gap between them went from 7 seconds to over a minute in just two final loops, ensuring Rasmussen's sweetest win ever.

Meanwhile, Meirhaeghe made an attack for the bronze medal, passing Paulissen and Van Dooren at the top of the final descent to fly into the finish with his second-straight Worlds bronze medal.

After the 103 starters had all been accounted for, it was time for the final awards ceremony, in front of a massive crowd in the village center. Finally, the flag for 2000's Worlds was handed to Sierra Nevada, Spain with the closing ceremonies marking an end to a memorable – and excellent – mountain bike world championship.

—By MountainZone.com reporters, mountain-biked out for '99 and headed home.