ROEL PAULISSEN WINS MARATHON-WORLDS BY TAKEN 2ND!
2008 MATATHON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPSVillabassa, Italy
Photos and information about races on uci.ch
Two weeks after he won his first Cross-Country Olympic world title, Specializeds Christoph Sauser set out to accomplish the impossible: win both the XC Olympic Worlds and Marathon Cross-Country Worlds titles simultaneously. It looked like he might also do it for the last miles. It was clear that Roel Paulissen, (Bel), and Christoph Sauser, (Swi), were going to fight tooth and nail for checkers. After his victory in Val Di Sole (Cross-Country Olympic World Championships) two weeks earlier, the Swiss were still on a high and had stated before the marathon that he wanted to win another World Champion Jersey today.
Sauser, also the 2007 Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships winner, was the clear favorite from the beginning. Paulissen saw it as the chance of his life. The 32-year old Belgian had never won a rainbow jersey before. Despite having a long history in cycling, Filip Meirhaeghe was the only one to have won a World Championships (XCO) in 2003.
The two men raced for victory despite the effort they had put in. They crashed just a few feet away from the photographers as they collided in the final straight. Paulissen was on foot, while Sauser was the first to get back on his bike.
Tension grew between the men, who were Cannondale teammates from 2005 to 2005. After determining that Sauser was the cause of the crash, the commissaries declared Paulissen the new World Champion, while the Swiss rider got demoted. Paulissen was crowned World Champion, but he didn’t cross the line first!
Many believed that Leo Paez, from Colombia, would reach the third step of podium. However, Urs Huber (Swi), was able to overtake him at the end.
Gunn Rita Dahle (Nor), the women’s race champion, will also be able to recall this day for a very long time. Last year, she was sick and missed the majority of the season. In 2006, she won her last World Champion title. She won her last World Champion title in 2006.
The U.S. National Championship, which was held on top of the World Marathon Championships, proved once more how mysterious mountain bike marathon racing can be. There was not one American rider in the Marathon Worlds. This is not a big deal as U.S. participation at the MA Worlds was very limited. There were 59 female Euros and 138 Euros. The men raced 74.6 miles while the women ran 55.1 miles.
MARATHON CHAMPIONSHIP RESULT
1. Roel Paulissen (Bel)Cannondale-Vredestein4.46.5625 km/h av
2. Christoph Sauser (Swi)Specializedsame time
3. Urs Huber (Swi),+5.00
4. Hector Paez (Col)8.17
5. Ralph Naf (Swi)9.14
6. Lukas Buchli (Swi)10.31
7. Thomas Frischknecht (Swi)SwissPower11.58
8. Johnny Cattaneo (Ita)13.37
9. Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe)Full-Dynamix-It14.08
10. Sandro Spath (Swi)15.19
WOMEN
1. Gunn-Rita Dahle, (Nor)Multivan Merida4.09.5721 km/h
2. Sabine Spitz (Ger)Central Ghost+1.44
3. Pia Sundstedt (Fin)3.39
4. Esther Suss (Swi), 11.53
5. Erika Dicht (Swi)13.35
6. Elena Gaddoni (Ita)16.34
7. Anna Ferrari (Ita)18.35
8. Marielle Saner (Swi)Bikepark.ch BMC19.22
9. Antonia Wipfli (Swi)21.42
10. Katrin Schwing (Ger)Dolphin-Trek24.20
There is a fantastic 4 shot sequence of Sauser and Paulissen’s finish crash on the uci.ch websiter. Here’s the link:
