August 29/13 9:01 am - Silver for Disera at MTB World Champs - Report and photos

Posted by Editoress on 08/29/13
 

Switzerland and Germany Take Gold in Junior Cross-country Competition

Canada took its first medal of the 2013 UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships on Thursday in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, with Peter Disera's silver medal in the Junior Men's cross-country.  Switzerland and Germany took the first individual world titles of the Worlds, when Alessandra Keller of Switzerland became the Junior Women's Cross-country world champion, while Lukas Baum of Germany won the Junior Men's Cross-country title.

Both world champions won in similar fashions - attack in the first half of the race to open a gap and then ride their own pace and avoid making mistakes in the second half.  The heat and dust took their toll on riders as the races progressed, and some riders who started well faded in the final laps.

Emilie Collomb of Italy took the lead at the start of the Junior women's four lap race, but Keller and Sarah Bauer of Germany came through the end of the first lap together only a few seconds back, and Keller then surged into the lead on the second lap.  By the halfway point in the race Keller was 22 seconds up on Collomb, and Bauer was still dangling six seconds back of the Italian.  The three riders maintained their positions for the remainder of the race, with the gaps growing, so that Keller took the world title by 46 seconds over Collomb, and one minute and one second ahead of Bauer.

"I did not know what to expect," said Keller.  "This is my first year as a Junior, so to win is incredible.  The Italian girl was very fast at the start, but I rode at my own pace and was able to catch her in the second lap.  After that I just focussed on my own riding."

Marine Lewis was the top Canadian finisher in the race, in 15th place, a strong result for her first ever world championships.

"I didn't really have a goal, because it was my first championship," explained Lewis.  "I didn't know what pace to expect, so I just went as fast as i could, and did the best that I could.  I'm happy with my result."

Note:  We have published an interview with Marine Lewis.

Peter Disera took a silver medal today in Pietermaritzburg. RSA

Peter Disera, Lukas Baum, Gioele Bertolini

Peter Disera, Lukas Baum, Gioele Bertolini

Peter Disera finishing 2nd

The Junior men's race saw one rider at the front for almost the entire five laps - winner Lukas Baum.  Behind, there was a constant reshuffling of the chase, but Baum was clearly in a class of his own.  The German rider came into the race as a strong favourite, after winning the European title a few weeks ago, to go with his national title earlier.

Baum was riding with Frenchman Raphael Gay on the first lap, as the pair opened a 25 second gap on a chase group containing Peter Disera (Canada), Jan Vastl (Czech Republic) and Georg Egger (Germany).  However, Gay crashed in lap two, taking down Baum with him.  Baum was able to quickly get on his bike and continue on in the lead alone, but the French rider had flatted, falling to ninth before getting a wheel change in the pits.  Sam Gaze, the New Zealand rider who had been one of the favourites, rode near the front on the first lap before pulling out on the second, a victim of the heat.

Disera, Egger and Vastl rode together until they were also joined by Gioele Bertolini (Italy) on lap three.  This group stayed together until Disera was able to open a gap on the fourth lap, when Egger crashed behind him.  The Canadian steadily extended his lead through the remaining lap and a half to take silver, with Bertolini taking bronze, only a few seconds ahead of a resurgent Raphael Gay.

"With my coach, Wolfram Kurschat, I have been preparing all year for this race," said Baum.  "I knew I was strong, but then when [Gay] crashed on the second lap, I crashed into him, and went over him and my bars went sideways..  After that I had to be more careful in all the technical sections because my bars were not straight."

"I must have done something right," quipped Baum, when asked about his near perfect season.

Disera's medal is the first Canadian medal for a men in cross-country since Max Plaxton won bronze back in 2006.  "I'm not sure if it's fatigue, or the high of being on the podium, but I feel like I'm floating," commented Disera afterwards.

"This is a record breaking, extremely successful year for me.  I left it out there.  I woke up this morning and had this small belief in the back of my head that I could see the podium.  On the fourth and fifth lap I was telling myself 'C'mon, you can do it'.  It was more about 'don't panic, don't freak yourself out, don't spend matches before you need to'.  I just rode my own race, just picking my way through traffic one by one."

Note:  We have published an interview with Peter Disera.

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MTB World Championships August 28/13 - September 1/13, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa