The French Julien Absalon confirmed the Elite cross country title at the World Championships. He has already gained the gold medal at the Olympic Games 2004. From the very beginning he was leading the race together with the Swiss Christoph Sauser, who finished with 18’’ gap. The third position and the bronze medal goes to the Spanish José Hermida with 54’ gap. The first Italian was Marco Bui, who was the 11th with 6’gap. The race was very difficult because of the hot weather and the high altitude.

RESULTS XC ELITE MEN

Rank Name Nat Time Gap

1. ABSALON Julien FRA 2:07:34

2. SAUSER Christoph SUI 2:07:52 + 18

3. HERMIDA RAMOS Jose Antonio ESP 2:08:28 + 54

4. KESSIAKOFF Fredrik SWE 2:09:06 +1:32

5. FRISCHKNECHT Thomas SUI 2:11:49 +4:15

6. FUMIC Manuel GER 2:11:51 +4:17

7. PAEZ LEON Hector Leonardo COL 2:12:03 +4:29

8. BUNDI Silvio SUI 2:12:21 +4:47

9. BECKINGSALE Oliver GBR 2:12:42 +5:08

10. COLOMA NICOLAS Carlos ESP 2:12:52 +5:18

INTERVIEWS XC ELITE MEN

Absalon Julien, FRA: my strategy for today’s race has been to control first my rivals, and attack after. I gave the best in the 2nd lap, to keep the front position. It was not an easy race, I flattened in the last lap. I noticed that  I was loosing pressare at the first feed area, but I didn’t think  it was flattened, so I climbed the big uphill with the tire almost flat. When I realized I flattened, I stopped at the 2nd feed area, to fix it.  I noticed that Christoph also flattened. I was a little nervous. Right after, I jumped into the river. On the last lap, uphill I started to feel cramps, so I had to stop, get off the bike to move the right leg. About the corse an the altitude: demanding course,  climbs/little gear followed by flat on grass/big gear: here it is difficult to control the bike, you cannot change rithm and the muscles don’t stress.. Every year I set a big goal: last year the Olympics, this year the World Cup in Europe and this Championships in Italy. I’m happy that I got a gold medal today, also for Bianchi is important a victory in Italy. It was important to try the corse, and get used to the altitude. I spent 10 days of training here, then went back to France for a national race, away from the whole MTB circus. I came back for the Championships..

Sauser Christoph, SUI: it is my 2nd time here in Livigno, twice a Silver medal. I also had a problem with material: when I noticed that I was loosing pressure, I carried on instead of inflating CO2. This was a mistake, on the grass I realized that I flattened and I needed to fix. I lost maybe 30/40 seconds. The course is difficult, but I don’t believe that the length is a real problem: XC means to pedal face down for about 2 and ½ hrs, no matter if few or many laps. Maybe for the spectators is different, but here they could control both mountain sides, using binoculars. Great support here from the public, I think they also enjoyed it. I soent 3 weeks in the USA, at high altitudes: I didn’t have any problems.

Hermida José, ESP: it’s my first time in Livigno, I’ve got 2 medals here: I contributed with a 25% for the gold in Team Relay, today I knew which one my rivals were, and I wanted to give my best. I was reassured when I saw that only the three of us were leading the race, then I saw the other both flattened, but it was too late to catch them. I liked the course, and everybody had fun.

CURRICULUM XC WINNER ELITE MEN

WHO IS ABSALON

Julien Absalon was born on the 16th August 1980 in Saint Amé (France). He won the first World junior title in 1998 at Mont St. Anne (Can) and then the European title in category U23 in 2001. He repeated it in the same U23 category in 2002. It was in 2003 that he gained the silver medal at the World Cup in Elite category. His great season was 2004, when he won the Olympic Games at Athens and World Championships at Les Gets, the famous winter resort (France). He prepared himself this year for two World Cup stages, at Spa-Francorchamps (Bel) and Madrid (Spa) and he gained the silver medal at the European in Kluisbergen (Bel), behind his country fellow Peraud. He likes all the open air sports, from snowboard, paragliding to motocross, which he practices with his wife Emilie. He has got  a road bike, three cyclecross and four Mtb. Hi would like to get the podium at the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008 and London 2012.