1999 World Cup Mountain Biking
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Meirhaeghe and Pezzo Return to Spotlight St. Wendel, Germany: XC #4 The Diesel-UCI Mountain Bike World Cup returned to St Wendel this weekend to mark the halfway point of the eight-race Cross Country series. By the time 10,000-plus fans had vacated the huge party tent, deserted the sports center and ceased in chanting "hey-hey-hey," Belgium’s Filip Meirhaeghe (Mountain Dew-Specialized) and Italian babe Paola Pezzo (ITA, Gary Fisher Saab) had marked their return to the spotlight with convincing wins.
Pezzo put the hurt on a well-equipped women’s field Saturday thanks to a mid-race power move off the front. Then the next day...the same thing happened when Meirhaeghe constructed his own solo attack off the front. It went against the normal tactic (and last season’s model) of this "roadie" course’s group-racing style, yet provided amazing racing for the gathered multitudes nonetheless.
THE BELGIAN BOMBER BACK IN FORMATION
But, catch him they did not, as nary a top-ranked rider could match his climbing power or technical prowess in the trees. When no one followed his lead, Meirhaege decided to go it alone and build as big a gap as possible. By the end of the race that gap was more than a minute between he and silver-medal finisher Bas Van Dooren (NED, Be One).
The remaining all-star chase group was spearheaded by points' leader Cadel Evans (AUS, Volvo-Cannondale) who, after a rear derailleur problem late in the race, landed in 11th place but held onto the U-23 and leader’s jerseys. Other members of the one-time leaders club included Michael Rasmussen (DEN, Gary Fisher Saab), Dario Acquaroli (ITA, Bianchi-Martini) and Roel Paulissen (NED, American Eagle).
PEZZO WEARS GOLD AGAIN
The women raced five laps plus a start loop on a course slick from a previous night’s rain. With a technical section removed, the already-fast St. Wendel track became even faster, a stiff breeze blowing at its uppermost reaches for good measure. Within one lap, the field was separated into a gang of four all working together off the front. Pezzo traded the lead with points-leader Alison Sydor (CAN, Volvo-Cannondale), points runner-up Gunn-Rita Dahle (NOR, DBS) and Napa winner Alison Dunlap (USA, GT). This foursome put a large gap on the field, pursued by only a couple riders, such as Marga Fullana (ESP, Mt Dew-Specialized) and Caroline Alexander (GBR, American Eagle). In the fourth lap, Pezzo decided she had seen enough teamwork and mustered a fierce attack on the long climb out of the start/finish. Sydor responded, but Pezzo put the hammer down and gapped the Canadian by 20 seconds, while Dahle, Alexander and a surging Annabella Stropparo (ITA, Volvo-Cannondale) chased in solo efforts. By the end of the fifth lap, Pezzo had a full minute’s lead on Sydor and took her first win since Portugal’s round two last season. Dahle held off Alexander by one second for third place, while Stropparo took her second podium of the season for fifth place. Dunlap, meanwhile, dropped back due to tired legs and landed in 10th place, while last round’s Madrid winner Fullana was victim to overtraining (and her Tour of Mallorca bronze medal), finishing 16th. MountainZone.com Correspondents, running wild in the Globus store. [World Cup Home]
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