Cycling: Quebec's Premont earns mountain bike silver

Monday, April 28, 2008 - 01:54 AM

Former Olympic Silver Medallist peaking in time for Beijing...

photo credit to Jacques Boissinot/Canadian Press

Canadian Marie-Helene Premont earned a silver medal Sunday at the women's World Cup mountain bike race in Offenburg, Germany.

World champion Irina Kalentieva of Russia won the event, finishing 33 seconds ahead of Premont, while China's Ren Chengyuan was third. Premont, who captured Olympic silver four years ago in Athens, won her second medal of the season. The Chateau-Richer, Que., native also placed third in a competition last week in Belgium.

"It was another good ride for me," Premont said. "I am still improving and getting stronger.

"Hopefully I will get the win I did not get last year. That is my goal for this season."

Catherine Pendrel of Kamloops, B.C., finished eighth, and Kiara Bisaro of Courtenay, B.C., was 18th.

Other Canadian women included:

Wendy Simms of Nanaimo, B.C. (22nd).
Victoria's Sandra Walter (28th).
Calgary's Mical Dyck (29th).
Emily Batty of Mississauga, Ont. (37th).
Victoria's Alison Sydor (41st).
Amanda Sin of Wolfville, N.S. (50th).
France's Julien Absalon won gold in the men's event.

Seamus McGrath of Carlisle, Ont., was the top Canadian with a ninth-place finish, while Victoria's Geoff Kabush was 19th. Derek Zandstra of Trenton, Ont., finished in 48th, and Ricky Federau of Abbotsford, B.C., was 53rd.