EMILY BATTY WINS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BRONZE

(Ottawa, ON – July 1, 2016) Emily Batty of Brooklin, Ontario, took Canada’s first medal of the 2016 Mountain Bike World Championships on Saturday in Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic, finishing third in the Elite women’s cross-country race. Catharine Pendrel of Kamloops, BC, finished fifth. In the Under-23 Men’s competition, also held on Saturday, Marc-Andre Fortier of Victoriaville, Quebec, was the top Canadian, in 36th place.

Batty and Pendrel were part of the lead group of eight riders in the women’s 23.3 kilometre race. The pair were sitting fifth and sixth, respectively, going into the final half-lap, when the riders sitting in second and third both flatted. Annika Langvad of Denmark took the title ahead of Lea Davison of the United States, with Batty having to outsprint Maja Wloszczowska of Poland for the bronze medal, taking the final podium spot by centimetres. Other Canadian results include Sandra Walter (Coquitlam, BC) in 29th, Cindy Montambault (Val-David, QC) in 36th, Rebecca Beaumont (Alma, QC) in 40th and Haley Smith (Uxbridge, ON) in 42nd.

“Coming into the last 300 or 400 metres I saw Maja in the pit with a rear flat,” explained Batty. “I knew I had to leave it all out there, because this is a bronze medal. Maja was able to bridge back up and I knew she was behind me, and getting a draft. But I was running a bigger gear selection than usual, so I was able to lead the sprint out and still win by a few inches. I’m ecstatic, I can’t even describe what this feels like.”

In the Under-23 Men’s race, Fortier moved up steadily all race, after starting from the back of the field with plate number 80. He had moved into the top-40 by mid race, and continued to improve his position until the finish line. Other Canadian results include Peter Disera (Barrie, ON) in 41st, Marc-Antoine Nadon (Timmins, ON) in 52nd and Alexandre Vialle (Prevost, QC) in 68th.

“I was a bit disappointed with my start,” admitted Fortier, “but I just kept going every lap and took positions all race long. It was motivating to keep passing people, and to finish 36th was really good for me. I’m really happy about the result.”