Silver for Sabrina Jonnier and Top 10s for Geoff Kabush and Marie-Helen Premont at 2010 MTB World Championships
With a World Cup overall title, World Cup wins, several World Cup podiums and multiple national championship titles, the 2010 season has been extremely successful for Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain. The icing on the cake would have been to take home the World Champion stripes from this year’s World Championships at Mont St. Anne, but that will have to wait until next year.
Sabrina Jonnier, having won two World Cups and the 2010 overall title was certainly a favorite going into last weekend, not to mention the fact shes won at Mont St. Anne on three separate occasions. The 2010 World Cup has been more fiercely contested than any other year, with strong competition from the UKs Rachel Atherton and Tracey Moseley and Frances Emmeline Ragot and Floriane Pugin.
As the first elite women came down the course, it was Rachel Atherton who booted the USAs Leigh Donovan out of the hot seat, but her time there would be brief, as Japans Mio Suemasa roared down the course with the fastest time of the day. An upset win by the small Japanese rider looked possible until Tracey Moseley blew everyone away with a time 13 seconds faster than Suemasa. Next down was Pugin, who was not able to best Moseleys time and neither could Jonnier or Ragot, leaving Moseley with gold and Jonnier and Ragot with silver and bronze respectively. Jonnier was disappointed with her second place, but is happy with her 2010 season as a whole.
Coming off a season-best 2nd place at the World Cup Finals in Windham, NY, Marie- Helene Premont and fellow Canadian and winner at Windham, Catharine Pendrel were viewed as the two riders to beat at Worlds. Premont suffered a lackluster start, but she battled through traffic, reaching as high as fourth place mid-race. The wet and slippery terrain proved challenging for Premont who was not able to make up time on the treacherous descents, but looked strong on the steep climbs. Premont soldiered on for 9th place in front of a deafening hometown crowd, easily winning the fan favorite award.
Geoff Kabush, who has a long history of performing well on home soil came into Mont St. Anne after a season of great results mixed with his fair share of bad luck and illness. Having finished outside of the top ten of each World Cup in 2010, pulling off a big result when all of his competition is peaking for that same event would be no easy task.
Kabush, widely regarded as the best in the sport at pacing himself, set a fast, consistent pace and rode his own race, as he steadily picked his way through the field, moving from the high twenties into the top ten. His technical ability was a big advantage for negotiating Mont St. Annes tricky rock gardens and slippery, muddy climbs. By the end of the race, Kabush had moved into 8th position, his highest placing of the season and an excellent result among the best in the world.
