World Cycling Championships | Quebecers race to forget

While Thomas Pidcock and Nino Schurter fought a constant battle at the front, Leander Bouchard struggled to keep his place in between top 60 The elite men’s cross-country race was presented on Saturday at the World Championships in Glasgow.

The Canadian runner-up struggled to find his rhythm on the Glentress Mountain Bike Center circuit. occupation 53^H At the end of the first two sessions, the veteran cyclist was not able to move up the standings any further. He slid ten degrees, before posting his best time on the eighth and final loop of the day to finish 60th^H (1 hour 28 minutes 48 seconds).

Gunnar Holmgren (42^H), Peter Desera (51^H) and Sean Fincham (54^H) were other Canadians who competed in this race that featured a stunning duel between Briton Thomas Bidcock, Olympic champion, and Switzerland’s Nino Schurter, ten-time world champion.

In the end, fervor and youth prevailed in this clash of generations, when Pidcock, 24, was the first to complete the race wearing the rainbow jersey. His several attacks on the fifth lap saw him take over and never look back, on his way to victory in 1:22:9.

Not far behind, Nino Schurter kept his rival’s pace until lap seven, then succumbed to the rise of New Zealander Samuel Gaze, second at the finish as he fell 19 seconds down on Pidcock. Thus Shorter (+34sec) was decorated with bronze.

It should be noted that Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, world champion on the road and world title holder in cyclo-cross, was unable to complete the race. A victim of a fall downhill on the first lap, he was forced to retire.

Among the women, France’s Pauline Ferrand-Brivaux won again, claiming her fifth career title in the event. Laurie Arsenault, the only Quebec player on the occasion, had to retire in the first minutes of the race.

For their part, Marie-Faye St-Onge (37^H), Ophelia Grandmont (38^H) and Zorak Payet (66^H) competed in the Under-23 events, while their compatriot Jacob Roy (24 y^HMika Komaniuk (32^H), Annabelle Drouin (38^H) and Maxime St-Onge (52^H) their bike among the youngsters.

Road biking: no surprise to Tarek Dahab

For his part, Tarek Dahab took advantage of Saturday to complete the first world championship in his career with a score of 16^H A place in the C2 class road race, a result that fully corresponded to his expectations.

Coach Sebastian [Travers] He explained to me how the race would start and I had no surprises. It was a very tough competition today (Saturday) and I am satisfied with the effort,” Dahab analyzed at the end of the 62.4km race.

In the end, the athlete from Beloeil finished just over 11 minutes behind the winner, Frenchman Alexandre Liot (1 hour 34 minutes 38 seconds). Australian Darren Hicks (+2 seconds) and Belgium’s Ewood Froman (+45 seconds) completed top 3.

He continued, “The conditions were very difficult and it was a good experience for me in general.” The guides took a quick lead and we never really caught up to them, but I was able to get a lot going for my group. I knew what to expect and it turned out really well. »

Fourth in the trial timeline on Monday the 18th^H On the road on Thursday, Dahab feels he can tell mission accomplished on this first world trial. Once he returns home, surgeries await him on his wrists and thumbs, after which he will be able to resume training at full speed for next season.

“I’m going to have a fairly long break, but the good news is I’ll still be able to pedal!” the 50-year-old cyclist fired off with a conclusion.

The cycling world championships concludes on Sunday.