| Diary:
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| 19.09.2004 |
Racing Time: 2.03h Final Position: second
Finally I am the UCI XC World Cup Overall winner!
It's a title I have been hunting after for a long time. Twice 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th!
I've had the scent of the whole podium already but never won the big trophy.
My start in the final WC race in Livigno, Italy was really good and I almost led into the first steep climb. But a bad coincidence happended in that my chain got stuck on the cassette. The quick stop, where I had to lift my bike to pedal without pressure to get my gears back into the correct position, left me back in around 40th
position. Shit!
I did not freak out and started to catch up time and riders again. Over the four lap race I made it back up to second place, but my team mate Roel Paulissen was too strong for me to get back to him again. It would have been great to do a team time trial with him for the final big race, like we have before.
Finishing in second place moved me clear into World Cup Champion position and Roel into overall second positon. It was also a great day for Fredrik Kessiakoff, my other team mate from Sweden, who had his best race result ever, finishing in forth position. Three Siemens Mobile-Cannondale riders on the same podium for the first time!
Even though Filip Meirhaeghe is still in the overall ranking. The UCI can not cut him off the list yet, because the Belgian Federation has not banned him yet. There is still a justice process going on, and like this he could still sue the UCI.
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GMT
