World Championships
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Rasmussen and Fullana Take Top Spots Sunday, September 19, 1999
Downhill: Vouilloz and Chausson Keep Streaks Alive 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
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.
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.
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 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.
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. [World Cup Home]
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