| Diary:
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| 07.06.2008 |
6 Laps, 2.07hrs
3rd Place, 8sec behind winner Florian Vogel
It is hard to lose in a sprint finish… I am still thinking if I could have gone any harder in the last two laps, or used the tactical side of my brain more in order to drop the two Swisspower Team mates of Vogel and Schurter, who just hanged in there on the climbs or closed small gaps in the flats each lap. I knew my chances in the sprint were very small compared to the two explosive riders who are also super fast starters.
Just before the finish I tried my final bit of luck with a long sprint into the last single trail, but the two sprinted out of my draft too fast and then on the following 15sec climb I could not keep up any more.
But it feels great to be in the overall leader’s jersey again, a jersey I have not been in since 2005, even if I did not have to fight it out with Julien Absalon. Julien did not start today due to his World Championship preparations in two weeks.
"This is about the best result I could have hoped for; it was very tactical and hard to win against two teammates," said Sauser. "For the last lap and a half I led, and I went as hard as I could on the climb, but they were just able to hang on."
Race comments, velonews.com:
Christoph: "Then, on the gravel road before the single-track we started to slow down a lot, but I needed to keep the speed up - they are both more explosive then me, and I wanted to get to the single-track before them. But they were both able to jump in front of me there, and there was no hope after that."
Vogel, who won his first World Cup with the victory, agreed with most of Sauser's analysis.
"Me and Nino, we were really on the limit for the last two laps, especially on the climb because Christoph was so strong,” he said. “I had a plan, but we were so much at the limit that I nearly bonked on the last lap."
"But I know the race here - I've gotten third twice - and I know that for the finish you have to be first into the last single-track. Christoph starting sprinting for it really early, and I could just sit on him and then go by to get to the front. After that, it was over."
       
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