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#6-Mount Snow, VT, USA, June 20-22, 1997 Mountain Zone Coverage of the Grundig/UCI 1997 World Cup |
XC MEN || Behind the Scene June 21, 1997: Women's World Cup XC 
Pezzo Continues World Domination in Vermont"Paola seems to have a motor on her," was the only seeming explanation third place finisher Ruthie Matthes could muster after two hours of racing today in the hot Vermont sun. Calmly crossing the smooth gravel finish in front of thousands of cheering fans, Pezzo (Team Gary Fisher) raised her arms in victory with a decisive win on this World Cup tour. Finishing the three and one-half lap race in two hours and one minute, Pezzo finished as she had started her afternoon; 4:26 in the lead and without a challenger. She has now won or taken second-place in every World Cup race she has run this season. "I'm very happy to win here today, especially because this race is in America," Pezzo commented, wiping her brow following the race. Recounting her win only minutes after the finish, she was the picture of calm confidence... and not even out of breath.
The 17.5-mile course was applauded by riders for its technical singletrack, intelligent design and attention to detail. Second place finisher Alison Sydor offered "This is the best course we've had so far this season; WC or NORBA - it's fun." Not too fun though, as its numerous climbs in the muggy 80-degree weather made for arduous riding.
Pezzo agreed. "It was difficult here today, because it was very hot. But I'm feeling good. It's the mid season and I'm a bit tired, so I took it slow on the downhill sections to save my strength." If she was taking it easy on the downhills she must have actually had a motor on the climbs, because she increased her lead from 1:30 to 3:35 in only one-half of a lap. Taking the holeshot with number-two ranked Alison Sydor (Volvo-Cannondale) and Trek/VW's Chantal Daucourt, Pezzo immediately assumed the lead on the first parade lap. By the first tree section Pezzo opened up a 30-second lead over her chasers. From there she never looked back so Sydor, Daucourt and Matthes were forced to simply look on. "I didn't have a great start and was riding cautious" commented Sydor. "By the last lap I could barely hang onto the handlebars. I rode with Ruthie for most of the race, but Paola was simply too fast. For this current World Champion, the sight of Pezzo riding so strongly was sobering. "If I start fast, I know it'll be a good day. But if someone like Paola goes off fast than she's having a good day... and can win." Third place finisher Matthes (PowerBar) echoed Sydor's feelings. "Paola was very fast. I had to be careful, because if I ride above myself I'll find myself at the back." Matthes and Sydor spent the afternoon battling each other, fruitlessly trying to chase down the current World Cup leader. "I was trying to push it; I was aiming for a top-10 overall and just wanted to put PowerBar on the podium. I'll keep fighting though - I have a lot of pride in the WC standings." For anyone behind Pezzo today, pride was all they could race for. Rounding out the top spots were Beth Coats (Ventana) who had an outstanding finish for this elite WC field. Fifth place went to Christina Redden (Ritchey). Chantal Daucourt finished 6th here today and sits 4th overall in the points standings. Alison Dunlap (GT) finished in 10th place and held onto her 3rd overall status. --Ari Cheren for the Mountain Zone Final Results:
1. Paola Pezzo (ITA-Gary Fisher) in two hours,
one minute, fifty-four seconds. |
