Emily Batty of Oshawa, Ontario won the bronze medal in a World Cup women’s mountain biking event in Vallnord, Andorra on Friday. For Batty it was her second World Cup podium finish of the season as she placed second in Val di Sole, Italy on July 6.
Batty had a third place time of 1:23.45 in Andorra. She reached the podium by 0.56 seconds over Anne Tauber of the Netherlands, who finished in fourth place with a time of 1:24.01. Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa of Norway won the gold medal with a time of 1:22.58. Jolanda Neff of Switzerland won the silver medal with a time of 1:23.23. The gold medal for Dahle Flesjaa is amazing when you consider the fact she is 45 years of age.
There are two more World Cups this season on the UCI (International Cycling Union) World Tour. The world’s best will next come to Canada to compete in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec on August 12 and then to La Bresse, France the weekend of August 24-26.
Batty will be using the final two World Cups of the season in women’s mountain biking to prepare for the 2018 World Mountain Biking Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland from September 5-9, 2018, the 2019 World Mountain Biking Championships in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. When Mont-Sainte-Anne hosts the 2019 World Mountain Biking Championship, it will be the fourth time the World Mountain Biking Championship has been held in Canada. Mont-Sainte-Anne previously held the World Championships in 1998 and 2010, while Bromont, Quebec held the World Mountain Biking Championships in 2002.
