American women place two on podium at season’s first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup

Yorkshire, Great Britain (April 25, 2010) – The 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup season got underway on Sunday with two Americans on the podium in the women’s cross country contest. Willow Koerber (Durango, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher) earned her best-ever finish in international competition finishing second, only 11 seconds behind reigning world champion Irina Kalentieva (RUS). After leading a chase group in pursuit of the leading pair, American compatriot Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna) joined Koerber on the podium in fourth.

Kalentieva and Koerber were able to establish a lead around the second of the five-lap, 36-kilometer affair. The Luna squad quickly formed a chase group to hunt down the reigning world and Pan-American champions with Gould, Katerina Nash (CZE/Luna) and Catherine Pendrel (CAN/Luna) leading the way. The group drew to within 14 seconds of the leaders before fading to finish nearly half a minute behind the winner.

Americans Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher) finished ninth and Mary McConneloug (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven-Notubes) was 14th to land four U.S. women inside the top 15 in the World Cup opener. Pua Sawicki (Yucaipa, Calif./Okolestuff.com) also finished 44th.

In the men’s 43-kilometer affair later in the day, Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized) was the top American finisher in 19th, while former USA Cycling National Development Program rider Sam Schultz (Missoula, Mont../Subaru-Gary Fisher) came in 30th. Reigning USA Cycling National Champion Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher) was 39th and Michael Broderick (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven-No Tubes) was 106th.

The second of the nine-round UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will continue in Houffalize, Belgium, May 1-2. For more information on the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, click here.

UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #1
Yorkshire, Dalby Forest, GBR
April 25, 2010

Elite Women’s Cross Country
36-kilometers

1. Irina Kalentieva (RUS/Topeak Ergon) 1:54:57
2. Willow Koerber (Durango, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher) 0:11
3. Katerina Nash (CZE/Luna) 0:28
4. Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna) 0:29
9. Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher ) 1:46
14. Mary McConneloug (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven-Notubes) 3:18
44. Pua Sawicki (Yucaipa, Calif./Okolestuff.com) 11:19

Elite Men’s Cross Country
43-kilometers

1. Nino Schurter (SWI/Scott-Swisspower) 1:54:52
2. Julien Absalon (FRA/Orbea) 0:01
3. Burry Stander (RSA/Specialized) 0:14
19. Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized) 3:49
30. Sam Schultz (Missoula, Mont../Subaru-Gary Fisher) 5:43
39. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Gary Fisher) 7:25
106. Michael Broderick (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven-No Tubes) 14:59