It could have been 2006 at the Mountain Bike World Cup in Madrid, with Julien Absalon (Orbea) and Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå (Multivan Merida) winning this third round of the series. For Absalon, it was business as usual, as he took his third straight victory. However, for Dahle Flesjå it was an emotional moment as she completed her journey back to the forefront of the field after a year of illness. Absalon cemented his lead in the men's overall standings, while Marie-Helene Premont (Rocky Mountain) donned the leader's jersey for the women, the third leader in three races.

Madrid has traditionally been a hot, dusty, dry and fast race, with the contenders gradually whittled away by the speed, and this year was no different.

In the women's five lap race Marga Fullana (Massi) had her usual fast start, with only Premont and Dahle Flesjå able to follow her wheel. Georgia Gould (Luna) was chasing hard, but just couldn't quite match the pace of the leaders on the opening lap.

Dahle Flesjå gets her first win in more than a year

Photo: Rob Jones

Chengyuan Ren (China), the U23 World Cup leader and winner of round one in Houffalize, got tangled up with her teammate Jingjing Wang on the first steep climb, losing 10-12 spots and then having to chase all race. Ren, who was Premont's competition for the overall series lead in the absence of Irina Kalentieva (Topeak Ergon) due to illness, initially looked like she might make it to the front, but faded dramatically in the final two laps to finish 18th.

By the second lap the podium was set, as the front trio continued to steadily open a gap on a shifting group of chasers, led by Gould, Ying Liu (China), Catharine Pendrel (Luna), Sabine Spitz (Ghost) and Petra Henzi (Fischer-BMC). The only question was: which of the three would win?

The day's "smart money" was on Premont and Fullana, but both have been fading in the latter parts of the World Cups. Meanwhile, Dahle Flesjå came to Madrid with only moderate expectations, saying prior to the race that she was only planning to get some good training in as she continues to rebuild her form.

Premont was able to maintain the early fast pace

Photo: Rob Jones

However, as the race went on, Dahle seemed to get stronger and stronger, in particular opening gaps on the other two in descents or fast road-like sections. And this proved to be the key element of her eventual success, after she and Premont dropped Fullana on the first climb of the last lap.

"I felt on the limit during the race, but I know the others were also. I could feel that they were stronger on the steep climbs; I have lost that power, but I could see that I had my strong parts too. When Marie-Helene attacked on that steep climb on the last lap, I was really on the limit." explained Dahle Flesjå.

"Before the last lap I was thinking that I could finish second today, but on the last lap I started thinking 'I could win today'. I think it was maybe my experience that made the difference, because I had to be smarter today; Marie-Helene was stronger."

"But I knew that if I could attack in the last downhill piece, where the stairs used to be in the old course, then I could get a little gap and she could not come by me before the finish, which is how it happened."

"If you had told me yesterday that you thought that I would win, then I would have thought you were really drunk. This was so unexpected, not what we thought at all could happen this early, so I would say that it is like winning the world championships ten times in one day!"

For Premont, finishing second and taking the World Cup leader's jersey made this European campaign a complete success. "I tried very hard for the victory, but this is a very fast course, and not as technical as I like. All race Gunn-Rita was at the front, working, and on the last lap it was together that we dropped Marga. I'm really happy to see her back up here, and she was clearly the winner. I am not a road racer, and many parts of this race were like a road race."

Gould took fifth, behind a late charge by Spitz, with her teammate Pendrel finishing ninth, to put four North Americans in the top-ten, and give Luna the team victory for the third straight week.

"Today, it was just lots of little mistakes," said Gould. "I was taking the wrong line, wrong speed in a corner ... each one cost me, so I had to use extra power to chase, and when Sabine went by me I just didn't have it. But overall, I'm definitely pretty pleased with two fifths in three weeks."

The men's race in Madrid is a long, long seven laps, and always becomes a race of attrition. Julien Absalon knows this, and planned his race accordingly. "It is too fast a race to go out there alone, so I just waited," he explained.

"I have no pressure on me [for the World Cup] because of my wins in the first two. This is a race where an economy of energy is the best way, so I waited until the last minute before I attacked."

The first half of the race saw a constant series of attacks, with Marco Fontana (Italy), Ivan Alvarez Gutierrez (Giant) and Martin Gujan (Athleticum) particularly active at the front. Both Absalon and José Hermida (Multivan Merida) were monitoring the action, sitting comfortably just behind the leaders.

However, other contenders, such as Christoph Sauser (Specialized), Ralph Näf (Multivan Merida), Jakob Fuglsang, Roel Paulissen (both Cannondale-Vredestein), Florian Vogel and Nino Schurter (both Swisspower) all struggled, with Schurter and Paulissen eventually dropping out.

Hermida went fast ... but maybe too early

Photo: Rob Jones

On lap four Hermida made the first move, attacking and taking Fontana and Gujan with him. They appeared to catch Absalon slightly by surprise, initially opening a 10 second gap, before the World and World Cup champion came charging up to go right by them and take the lead early in the fifth lap.

Hermida clawed his way back up to Absalon, and the two commenced to ride away from the disintegrating chase. The pair took a minute out of the chasers, and on the final lap it was time for Absalon to implement the second part of his plan: the finish.

"I could see that on the really steep climb after the chute [descent] I was stronger, so that is where I attacked, and I was clear for the last two kilometers. The last time here was a sprint with [Christoph] Sauser, and I was afraid to do that with José [Hermida], because he is much faster."

For Hermida, it was enough to be back racing at the front of the race after weeks of bike thefts, sickness and mechanical problems. "I'm just very happy to be back in business after these weeks of problems. We were together until that big descent, where I lost a bit of traction on my front wheel and Julien got a little gap, which is when he attacked. So, I had no chance to catch him after that."

Horgan-Kobelski says he's "back in the game for Beijing."

Photo: Rob Jones

Absalon's teammate and countryman Jean-Christophe Peraud took third in a late surge, which should secure his berth for Beijing.

On the North American front, it was Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher) finally getting the ride he's been hoping for by finishing 15th.

"I've had the form, but in both Houffalize and Offenburg I flatted," JHK explained. "It's been pretty frustrating, so I'm glad that this finally all came together. For this race I had a pretty good start but there was a lot of traffic to go through, so I just had to go full out the whole race. I started to fade a little in the final lap, but was able to hang on. This result was really important because it puts me back in the game [for Olympic selection]."

Geoff Kabush (Maxxis), after a very strong start that saw him with the front group on the first lap, started to yo-yo through the high-teens to low 30's before he finally recovered to finish 21st. "I started with the leaders, yeah, but it became apparent quickly that I didn't have it today, so I had to ride a mature race."

Kabush finished 21st, at 3:22

Photo: Rob Jones

"I pulled the plug after the first lap and a half and settled into my own rhythm. I started to get worried that I would keep fading, but I bottomed out in the 30's and then started to move up again."

"It's been a relief to have a good solid trip to Europe and reinforce my position [for Beijing], but I'm still not quite at the front of the races yet, and that's my next challenge."

Race Notes

• The cross-country World Cup takes a bit of a hiatus now until the end of May. The North American riders will mostly head back across the Atlantic, with many saying that they will contest the Norba race next weekend in San Dimas.

• Standing next to Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå's husband and coach on the third lap, he shakes his head, and says "She is surprising me ... not bad for an old lady, huh?"

• For Olympic selections, the Canadian one looks pretty clear: Premont and Pendrel for the women, and Kabush and McGrath for the men. The U.S. women's selection is similarly straightforward, with Gould and Mary McConneloug (Seven-Kenda) well ahead of other contenders. The men's side looks to be more of a battle, especially with Horgan-Kobelski's ride here in Madrid putting him back in contention. Todd Wells (GT) and Adam Craig (Giant) have two strong rides each, while JHK has one ... this one could turn into a battle like the one the Democrats are facing for the Presidential nomination.