09.07.07 - Mountain bike – world championships- Tough day for Canada

September 7, 2007 – Canadian riders delivered subpar performances on Friday in the men’s under-23 race at the world mountain bike championships currently being held at Fort William, Scotland.

Neal Kindree of B.C., was the top Canadian placing 24th in the 42.8 kilometre cross country race. Kindree finished nine minutes and 58 seconds behind the winner Jakob Fuglsang of Denmark.

Max Plaxton, the 2006 bronze medallist, was 28th after suffering a flat and brake problems on the third lap. He was 11:02 off the winner’s pace. Raphael Gagné of Lac-Beauport, Que., was 43rd just under 15 minutes from the winner. He also experienced mechanical problems as his chain broke at the start of the second lap.

Plaxton had a great start and was fifth after two laps.

‘’I was feeling great and then the flat happened,’’ said the Victoria-based rider. ‘’I changed the wheel then had trouble with my rear brake. I had to slow down considerably on the downhills. It was my last year in this category and I really wanted to win. It’s the first time I’ve experienced such bad luck. It’s very frustrating.’’

Despite posting the best Canadian result, Kindree wasn’t celebrating. ‘’I’m not disappointed but I’m not satisfied either. I’ve been ill and my focus for the last 10 days was on getting better. So 24th place is O.K. Before the illness my goal was a top-10 finish.’’

‘’It’s very disappointing because I lost so much time fixing my chain,’’ said Gagné. ‘’Still I’m happy with how I battled back. I think many riders wouldn’t have completed the race under similar circumstances but I pushed through.’’

On Thursday, Jeff Clarkson and Francis Morin were 63rd and 70th respectively in the men’s junior race.

The elite races are scheduled for Saturday. Canadians in action are Kiara Bisaro, Catharine Pendrel, Ricky Federeau, Geoff Kabush and Seamus McGrath, all of B.C., and Quebec’s Marie-Hélène Prémont.