Today we have lived the races in the Junior World Championships organized in Vallnord Bike Park La Massana (Andorra). At 15:00 and under heavy rain, the junior riders in the men category have faced a heavy, slippery course and which technical areas have increased its danger. The 2014 World Champion, the Danish Simon Andreassen, came to defend his number 1 and show that the silver medal achieved in the Team Relay yesterday was no fluke. Andreassen has imposed an impossible pace for his chasers.
After him, a two-men group has brought emotion to the fight for the medals throughout the race. The Colombian Egan Bernal and the German Maximilian Brandl have been attacking each other during the 5-lap race, getting small gaps that were closed again right after. Bernal attacked and attacked on every climb, but Brandl did not let the gap go bigger than just a few seconds.
After 5 laps and almost one hour and a quarter of an epic race the victory has been for Andreassen, seconded by a very brave Brandl, who coped with the attacks of the Colombian, bronze medallist, and had the capacity to deliver the definitive attack in the last half lap. These young world mountain bike talents have stepped on a podium in a spectacular day that will be remembered both for athletes and spectators.
2 hours before we have lived the junior women race, that has avoided the rain and allowed the athletes to face less dangerous conditions than in the men’s. The British Evie Richards has come out with the idea of seeking the gold medal; her attack has come right from the start line. The British girl has opened a gap of 30 seconds over the second-placed Italian Martina Berta, but the gap has started to decline in the second lap. A crash from Richards has allowed Berta to overtake the leader and go towards a gold medal that has been won by a margin of 1:20 minutes, performing very consistently throughout the race.
Behind the Italian, Richards has overcome the crash and has kept the Swiss Nicole Koller, 2014 World Champion, at enough distance to protect her silver medal position. Koller could not move better than third place after a few months in which she has not been able to train and perform at the level she would like to.
SEE CLASSIFICATIONS
