01.31.08 - Cyclo-cross World Championships -Elite Men & Women

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Treviso, Italy - The 2008 Cyclo-cross World Championships concluded on Sunday with the elite men's and women's events. Hanka Kupfernagel of Germany took her fourth world title in the women's race in a time of 45 minutes and 15.55 seconds. Canadian national champion Wendy Simms of Nanaimo, BC was in the top five for most of the women's race, until fading slightly in the final lap to take seventh, the highest ever finish by a Canadian in the elite category. Simms finished one minute and 4.01 seconds behind Kupfernagel. Lars Boom of the Netherlands won the Elite men's title, only one year after taking the Under 23 age category title. Boom's time for the nine lap event was one hour, five minutes and 27.79 seconds. Canadian men's national champion Mike Garrigan of King City, ON was the top Canadian in the men's event at 48th, four minutes and 33.77 seconds behind.

Wendy Simms - "I had a good start and was in the top five going into the first corner. I was feeling pretty comfortable and then Hanka [Kupfernagel] caught up to us and started driving the pace."

"Then all of a sudden Daphny Van Den Brand [Netherlands] went down in one of the corners, and I found myself leading the world championships! All of a sudden I had a gap and was out front. It was a hard position to be in, that early in the race, and after Hanka passed me I just concentrated on riding as consistently as I could. I'm pretty pleased to see that I can ride up at the front with the best riders now."

Women
1. Hanka Kupfernagel, Germany, forty-five minutes and fifteen seconds
2. Marianne Vos, Netherlands, at 0:13 back
3. Laurence Leboucher, France, at 0:17 back
4. Christel Ferrier-Bruneau, France, at 0:26 back
5. Maryline Salvetat, France, at 0:52 back
6. Mirja Melchers-Van Poppel, Netherlands, at 0:58 back
7. Wendy Simms, Canada, at 1:04 back
8. Daphny Van Den Brand, Netherlands, at 1:09 back
9. Rachel Lloyd, United States Of America, at 1:23 back
10. Caroline Mani, France, at 1:42 back

30. Kelly Jones, North Vancouver, BC, at 6:07 back

Elite Men
1. Lars Boom, Netherlands, one hour five minutes and twenty-seven seconds
2. Zdenek Stybar, Czech Republic, at 0:05 back
3. Sven Nys, Belgium, at 0:06 back
4. Erwin Vervecken, Belgium, at 0:09 back
5. Radomir Simunek, Czech Republic, at 0:10 back
6. Marco Aurelio Fontana, Italy, at 0:10 back
7. Sven Vanthourenhout, Belgium, at 0:10 back
8. Christian Heule, Switzerland, at 0:12 back
9. John Gadret, France, at 0:12 back
10. Klaas Vantornout, Belgium, at 0:12 back

48. Mike Garrigan, King City, ON, at 4:33 back
56. Aaron Schooler, Edmonton, AB, at 6:45 back
59. Osmond Bakker, Stittsville, ON, at 7:39 back