Roxane Vermette took the 30e rank in the women’s under-23 cross-country event at the Mountain Bike World Cup in Leogang, Austria. She fell just over 10 minutes behind the first, the Dutch Puck Pieterse.
British Columbian Emily Johnston (+8 minutes 3 seconds) was the top Canadian in finishing in 20e square.
On the dry course which was punctuated by steep climbs in the sun and steep descents, the cyclist from Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges quickly knew that she was not at the top of her form.
“It was a tougher race and I didn’t have the best feeling. The course climbed a lot, it was hot and I was more or less ready for that. I gave it my all and I’m proud of that,” she said. “I had a good start and it was on the second lap that I had trouble keeping up the pace on the climbs. There was almost no recovery time. »
The athlete is finishing a large block of training in anticipation of the Canadian Championships and World Cup stages, so she suspected that her condition would not be optimal when she arrived in Austria.
“Of course I was hoping for better, but it’s not so much a surprise,” added the one who was the only Quebecer registered for the weekend’s cross-country races, all categories combined.
Quebec representatives are usually more numerous at the World Cup stages, except that since the next stop on the world circuit will only take place in a few weeks, many have decided to skip this European race.
Vermette, she wanted to be there, even if she was autonomous and without support to support her in the event of a mechanical problem.
“I really wanted to do this race and it’s important for me to be present on the international circuit. I aspire to good performances and my objective is to be in the Top 10 in the world. I have to rub shoulders with the best in the world in order to progress. »
The cyclist will take part in a continental race in Italy next week before returning to the World Cup at the Lenzerheide stage in Switzerland from July 8-10.
