Bronze for Batty at World Cup in Vallnord, Andorra
Emily Batty rode to a time of 1:23:45 to finish third in the women’s XCO finals on Sunday.
In a very tight finish, Batty crossed the line just .22 seconds behind second-place Jolanda Neff of Switzerland. Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa of Norway took gold with a time of 1:22:58. This is Batty’s second podium finish of the season after her silver medal win last weekend in Val di Sole, Italy.
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RELATED: Batty wins World Cup silver in Val di Sole, Italy
Batty started the race strong and was in bronze medal position at the end of the first lap. A mechanical issue in lap two forced Batty to slow down and drop to sixth place, 22 seconds off the lead. She was able to fight back and land on the podium but wasn’t able to catch Dahle Flesjaa and Neff.
Altitude was a factor in this race as the XCO course in Vallnord is just below 2000m above sea level. Many of the racers have been training at high altitude to prepare.
Canadians Haley Smith and Sandra Walter also landed in the top 20, finishing 13th and 17th, respectively.
Team Canada will be coming home for the next World Cup stop in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec on August 10-12.
