Merida

Race Reports
Merida

RACE REPORTS

Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå rides to her fifth European championship title

At the European mountain bike championship in Dohnany (Slovakia), it was harvest time for Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå’s long and consistent build-up for the first time. Like she used to do in her most successful times, she dominated the race right from the start and won with an advantage of 33 seconds over world champion Maja Wloszczowska.

«This is a very emotional moment», Dahle explained after her triumphal ride. «A lot of people did not believe in my comeback, and today I had the opportunity to prove that I am definitely back in the world’s top 10.» After a long time of illness and the birth of her son, the Norwegian has been following her build-up schedule for several years with full determination, and this has brought her back to the podiums of international championship. «We have laid our focus on the second half of the season», she continues to explain. Starting this second half of the season with such a superior win at international championships is promising for the world championships due to be held in less than a month.

In the men’s race, Rudi van Houts scored another strong result for the Multivan Merida Biking Team. The Dutchman was one of the most active riders in the group that was chasing the eventual medal winners Jaroslav Kulvahy, Julien Absalon and Florian Vogel. «I had a strong day today, and with this result I have also qualified for the Olympic games in London», he commented at the finish. Right behind him, Jose Hermida finished the race in sixth. «For me, it was a tough race, as I still lack a bit of speed. But compared to last year my build-up is on schedule, and it’s still four weeks to go until the world championships», he explained at the finish. Multivan Merida had one more rider in the race: Jochen Käß recovered from a crash to finish in 18th.

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