Catharine Pendrel wins world mountain bike title
Kamloops, B.C., racer coming off Commonwealth Games victory
Canadian cyclist Catharine Pendrel is golden once again.
The 33-year-old from Kamloops, B.C., raced to victory at the world mountain bike championships Saturday for her second career title, maintaining the lead after suffering a flat tire on the final lap.
Pendrel crossed in one hour 31 minutes 30 seconds, 21 seconds ahead of former world champion Irina Kalentieva of Russia. American Lea Davidson won the bronze. Pendrel had a 43-second lead when she had the flat tire, but a quick wheel change kept her in first place.
"I like to race from the front," Pendrel said. "And when there's an opportunity to take the lead you should go for it. That's always the kind of racer I have been. If you want to win the worlds you have got to be willing to take some chances and go out strong."
Pendrel won the Commonwealth Games title in similar fashion in July in Glasgow, powering out to a massive lead en route to gold. She'd also won She had climbed onto the World Cup medal podium three times this season.
She won her first world title in 2011 in Champery, Switzerland.
"Catharine was phenomenal today. She was so strong and composed. It was one of her best races ever," said Dan Proulx, coach of Canada's mountain bike team.
Emily Batty of Brooklyn, Ont., was sixth.
Canada finished as the top-ranked country in the nations ranking in the women's race.