Absa Cape Epic stage 3

How is it to be on the side of this race? Watch Emil Lindgren being a VIP:

Highlights from Specialized Racing:

Cape Epic stage 1

The week of Cape Epic and planning to write as much as possible about it 🙂 Magic race:

And Annika Langvad and Ariane Kleinhans getting pimped Era’s with golden stickers:

Highlights (and lowlights with Emil Lindgren’s crash):

Specializeds view of the day:

And how to go fast in a descent, Jose Hermida Ramos passing the others in a cool clip 😀

Cape Epic Prologue

Yesterday the big race in South Africa started. 8 days of mtb racing and Christoph Sausers last race:

Emil Lindgren also racing with his new Team Kargo

2015 XC teams 1 gone

Giant is stopping their XC Team! One of the biggest bike manufactures in the World are not in the best bike sport. If they quit LIV too they are stupid. Ranked 1st with Neff, 6th with Wloczszowska and 18th with Ferrand Prevot.

But the sadest thing is with the men. Fabian Giger ranked number 3 and Emil Lindgren 9th, Heyden U23 World Champion! That’s what I call a top team. Giger seems to have found a new team, Lindgren doesn’t 😦

Looking at the ranking Women elite got many different teams, looking at men it looks like this:

1. BMC

2. Scott

3. Giant (gone)

4. Trek

5. Cannondale

6. BMC

7. Merida

8. Cannondale

9. Giant (gone)

10. Stöckli

11. Giant (gone)

12. BH

13. Trek

14. Scott

15. BH

16. Merida

17. BMC

18. Bh

19. Cannondale (for 2015)

20. MMR

Missing here is Specialized! Best rider from them is Yamamoto at 26th, they should sign a fast rider like Matthias Wengelin and get up in the ranking.

Another team missing is Bianchi with Gerhard Kerschbaumer that rode really good in the end of the season.

So the big question is: Which team should sign Emil Lindgren???

Summary of the XC World Cup 2014

Makes me wish that 2015 soon is here 😀

South Bohemia Tour and XCO Worlds

Reidar Borgersen in leaders jersey today (and tomorrow) had a great Team Joker working for him today.

Not a stage win but was in front in the hard end and is still leading with 12sec. Last stage tomorrow and I really looking forward to it 🙂

While it seemed to be great World Championship for some and really bad for some in Hafjell today. Didn’t see it but will see the replay when I come home.

Women elite:
1 Catharine Pendrel – Canada
2 Irina Kalentieva – Russia
3 Lea Davison – USA

Really happy with the podium in Men Elite. I like Absalon and great to see Fontana nailing it. And Fumic 5th

1 Julien Absalom – France
2 Nino Schurter – Switzerland
3 Marco Aurelio Fontana – Italy

WC XCE: A Swiss and a Belgian

That’s how it can go. World Championship in XC Eliminator today and no gold for Sweden. Jenny Riasveds qualified fastest but ended last in the final so a 4th place. Super but not as good as Kathrin Stirnemann who won. Nice was also Ingrid Bøe Jacobsen who came third, the biggest MTB talent in Norway now, let’s hope she stays in MTB.

Men’s race was better for Sweden. Emil Lindgren came 2nd! Super result and good to see him step a step up, learned by Engen how to reach higher up? Won did Fabrice Mel’s from Belgium.

Some pictures from the race is available here http://larskrogsveen.photoshelter.com/gallery/XCE-World-Championships-2014-Eliminator-Maihaugen/G00008VpF3G.d.CE

And results: UCI

The day of racing

Thought of riding my bike after my mum left today but to little time and to many exciting races.

Womens road World Cup in Vårgårda, Sweden:

1. Chantal Blaak – Specialized-Lululemon

The World Cup XCO in Meribel, France:

Women elite:

1. Jolanda Neff – Liv Pro XC Team

2. Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå – Multivan Merida Biking Team

3. Pauline Ferrand Prevot – Liv Pro XC Team

Men elite:

1. Nino Schurter – Scott-Odlo Racing Team

2. Julien Absalon – BMC Racing

3. Manuel Fumic – Cannondale Factory Racing

All racing in Meribel for the tragic death of Annefleur Kalvenhaar:

Then i checked the text stream a bit of Tour de l’Avenir, a U23 road stage race in France:

1. Kristoffer Skjerping – Team Joker

Missed Vattenfall Cyclassic:

1. Alexander Kristoff – Katusha

Also Enduro World Series Crankworx in Canada:

Women elite:

1. Cecile Ravanel

Men elite:

1. Jared Graves

And now it is the last stage of USA Pro Challenge that is the last race of Jens Voigts career, live now after 20.30

Racing all day 😀

 

Windham XC World Cup news

No Scandinavian outside top 6 yesterday on the XCE.

Women Elite:

1. Jenny Rissveds – Scott-Odlo – SWE

6. Ingrid Bøe Jacobsen – Sepura XC – NOR

Men Elite:

6. Emil Lindgren – Giant Off Road Team – SWE

On what looked like a very boring course, Jenny Rissveds didn’t like it. Grass up and then grass down on a ski slope. The XCO course seems as funny but with some forest sections too, watch the Track Check with Cannondale Factory Racing here:

 

Swedish XCO Championship Elite

What a day, started with riding with two friends in the sun on roads like this:

map and stats: Movescount

And then up to Hallby for looking a fast cyclists and cheer on riders like Alexandra Engen:

But like on friday Jenny Rissveds was faster and won the National Championship in XCO too:

1. Jenny Rissveds – Falu CK

2. Alexandra Engen – Jönköpings CK

3. Kajsa Snihs – IK Jarl Rättvik

In the mens category it was tighter, hoped for Emil but thought Wengelin would take it, he didn’t have the legs today and even a bit in the middle Friberg was the leader:

But Emil passed and won, so fast I only got this pic of him:

1. Emil Lindgren – CK Natén Säter

2. Calle Friberg –

3. Matthias Wengelin – SCS Racingteam CK

Awesome racing, course and weather all weekend. Supergood job by the 4 clubs that made this work 😀

Ended with a bath in Vättern 🙂