Rachel’s first World Cup win of the 2011 season on the dry and dusty track in New York State marks a solid return from injury for the young Brit.
After undergoing shoulder surgery at the end of 2010, Rachel has been super consistent in the World Cups she has raced this year, with a second in Scotland and Austria and a third place in Canada last weekend. Today saw her take it one step further – claiming the win with an amazing run in front of a huge US crowd.
Second to last to race, Rachel’s first interval time was a huge 3.4 seconds clear of the current leader, Tracey Moseley, and she managed to keep a similar pace as she rode the lower half – her time of 2.50.029 looked good with just the French rider, Floraine Pugin, out on the course.
Pugin couldn’t get close to Rachel’s top section and although she clawed a little back in the mid-sector of the course it wasn’t enough and Rachel took her first World Cup of 2011 and the ninth of her career.Â
Women’s top 5
1. Rachel Atherton
2. Floriane Pugin
3. Tracy Moseley
4. Myriam Nicole
5. Emilie Siegenthaler
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Rachel Atherton won for the second year in succession at Windham, USA in the fifth race of the 2011 UCI World Cup Mountainbike Downhill series at the weekend.
