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Hometown hero Premont wins Mont-Ste-Anne XC

by VeloNews.com

• June 25, 2005
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By Rob Jones, and Mike Badyk

It was easy to track where Marie-Helene Premont (Rocky Mountain-Business Objects) was on the cross-country course at the Mont-Ste-Anne World Cup – just follow the thunderous applause from the partisan crowd. People came streaming out of the woods in droves, trying to get a spot along the finish chute to welcome Premont to the winner’s circle, after she dropped World Cup leader Gunn-Rita Dahle (Multivan Merida) late in the fourth lap to take the lead.

Wearing her traditional ear-to-ear smile, Premont came across the line with arms in the air. She then stopped and lifted her bike in the air, clearly enjoying the win.

“It is fantastic. All my friends are here. My mother, my sister, my brother. It is so wonderful. This is my first win at home. I’m really happy for this result. I really thank the crowd that was here for me. My friends over there – some of them are still crying.”

Premont, who lives at the bottom of the Mont-Ste-Anne mountain, and got her start in mountain biking after volunteering at a World Cup here, had only one strategy for the race.

“I knew at the first lap that I wanted to stay behind Gunn-Rita. She’s strong at the beginning of a race. For the start loop there was a big cross wind, so I just kept her wheel. After that I tried to keep her in sight. No more than 20 or 25 seconds back. I knew I could be strong at the end of the race because I always was in the past. I ended up passing her on one of the descents. I was attacking on the climbs and also on the first technical part. I knew I was feeling strong there, so I used that to close the gap.”

But when Dahle began to falter, Premont did not realize it. “I didn’t know at first, but people told me along the course. From that I knew it was harder for her and better and better for me. I wasn’t feeling very good at the beginning because of the heat, but I felt better as the race went on. Next is Brazil and I’m hoping for more success.”

The key moment in the race came on the second climb on the fourth of five laps, when Dahle visibly began to wilt. “Suddenly with no warning on the second climb I lost all my power,” she said. “I really considered getting off my bike and walking. I was hoping it would come back, but it didn’t. The only other time this has happened to me was at the Olympics when I got the same feeling. There I got my energy back, but not here.”

Dahle, who lost a staggering 2:45 in the final lap, was gracious in defeat. “Marie-Helene was really strong. I know that feeling to win in front of a home crowd. She is a great girl. She deserved to win.”

Sabine Spitz (Specialized) rode a consistent third place, but was never a factor in the race, finishing 5:13 back of Premont. Afterwards she was extremely disappointed.

“I’m unhappy,” she said. “My goal was to win, but I couldn’t follow those two girls today. The temperature made it really hard today. Last week I was at altitude and maybe that was a factor, I don’t know.”

The United States had a strong showing today, putting two riders on the podium. Willow Koerber (Ford) finished fourth and Mary McConneloug (Kenda-Seven) took her third consecutive World Cup podium in fifth, despite a crash on the first lap.

Koerber finished third at Mont-Ste-Anne last year, and loves the course. “The course is so much fun here,” she said. “Even with the heat, it is great. I was at altitude last week (for the Utah NORBA race), so it was nice to have lots of oxygen. The heat made it very hard, and I was a little worried after the first lap, when the gaps were opening up, but I managed to bounce back.”

Race note
One big name was missing – Alison Sydor (Rocky Mountain-Business Objects), who elected to stay at home. Sydor will race the Canadian road nationals in two weeks in hopes of joining the road squad for the world championships. Immediately afterward she will head to Europe to do the TransAlpes stage race.

UCI World Cup
Mont-Ste-Anne, Québec, Canada
Women
1. Marie-Helene Premont (Can), Rocky Mountain-Business Objects 1:53:34
2. Gunn-Rita Dahle (Nor), Multivan Merida Biking Team, at 2:45
3. Sabine Spitz (G), Specialized Factory Racing, 5:13
4. Willow Koerber (USA), Subaru-Gary Fisher, 6:13
5. Mary McConneloug (USA), Kenda-Seven, 6:56
6. Irina Kalentieva (Rus), Multivan Merida Biking Team, 8:43
7. Lene Byberg (Nor), Multivan Merida Biking Team, 9:11
8. Kelli Emmett (USA), Ford Basis, 9:18
9. Kiara Bisaro (Can), GearsRacing.com, 11:38
10. Ivonne Kraft (G), Olympia, 13:23