05.04.08 - Mountain bike World Cup circuit - Marie-Hélène Prémont wins silver at mountain bike World Cup

Click here for pictures

MADRID – Marie-Hélène Prémont of Chateau-Richer, Que., won the silver medal on Sunday in a very close women’s cross country race at the third stop on the World Cup mountain bike circuit.

Prémont, the Olympic silver medallist in 2004, has reached the podium in all three World Cup races this season and has moved into first place in the season standings. She also placed second last weekend in Germany and took bronze at the season opening event in Belgium.

On Sunday, Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa of Norway won a sprint to the finish over Prémont. Both riders clocked one hour and 48 minutes and 14 seconds over 40 kilometres or five laps around an eight kilometre course. Margarita Fullana of Spain was third 1:13 behind the leaders.

‘’I tried very hard for the victory,’’ Prémont told canadiancyclist.com. ‘’But this is a very fast course, and not as technical as I like.’’

CathArine Pendrel of Kamloops, B.C., was ninth, Mical Dyck of Calgary 27th, Alison Sydor of Victoria 32nd and Wendy Simms of Nanaimo, B.C., 40th.

In the men’s cross country race, Julien Absalon of France remained unbeaten this season on the World Cup with a third straight win in 2:12:30. Jose Antonio Hermida Ramos of Spain was second 0:12 seconds behind and Jean-Christophe Pereaud of France 0:52 behind the winner.

Geoff Kabush of Victoria was the top Canadian in 21st and Seamus McGrath of Carlisle, Ont., was 27th.

"It's been a relief to have a good solid trip to Europe,’’ said Kabush. ‘’But I'm still not quite at the front of the races yet, and that's my next challenge."