Czech MTBO (Mountain Bike Orienteering) Team at the World Championships, Israel, 11.-15.August 2009
MEN: Jiří Hradil, Lubomír Tomeček, Radek Laciga, Martin Ševčík, Jan Lauerman, Marek Pospíšek.
WOMEN: Martina Tichovská, Michaela Lacigová, Hana LaCarbonara, Hana Doležalová, Ranata Paulíčková, Marie Hrdinová.
Results: Middle distance – MEN:
| 1. | 177 | Gasbjerg Torbjorn | DEN | 00:56:27 | |
| 2. | 180 | Hradil Jiri | CZE | 00:57:09 | +00:00:42 |
| 3. | 176 | Brun Pedersen Lasse | DEN | 00:57:17 | +00:00:50 |
| 9. | 179 | Laciga Radek | CZE | 01:00:47 | +00:04:20 |
| 12. | 182 | Sevcik Martin | CZE | 01:01:55 | +00:05:28 |
| 16. | 183 | Tomecek Lubomir | CZE | 01:02:26 | +00:05:59 |
| 23. | 181 | Pospisek Marek | CZE | 01:04:05 | +00:07:38 |
| 37. | 184 | Lauerman Jan | CZE | 01:07:57 | +00:11:30 |
Middle distance – WOMEN:
| 1. | 235 | Hara Marika | FIN | 00:52:22 | |
| 2. | 250 | Gigon Michaela | AUT | 00:53:23 | +00:01:01 |
| 3. | 206 | Schaffner Christine | SUI | 00:53:44 | +00:01:22 |
| 13. | 247 | Dolezalova Hana | CZE | 00:59:13 | +00:06:51 |
| 16. | 245 | Lacigova Michaela | CZE | 00:59:47 | +00:07:25 |
| 18. | 244 | Tichovska Martina | CZE | 01:00:09 | +00:07:47 |
| 21. | 248 | Paulickova Renata | CZE | 01:00:45 | +00:08:23 |
| 28. | 243 | La Carbonara Hana | CZE | 01:02:24 | +00:10:02 |
| 34. | 246 | Hrdinova Marie | CZE | 01:03:50 | +00:11:28 |
Relay – MEN:
| 1. | RUS | 124:26:00 | (Zhurkin Maxim, Gritsan Ruslan, Foliforov Anton) |
| 2. | CZE | 125:13:00 | (Laciga Radek, Hradil Jiri, Tomecek Lubomir) |
| 3. | FIN | 125:43:00 | (Turkka Tuukka, Saarela Samuli, Saarinen Juho) |
Relay – WOMEN:
| 1. | AUT | 145:18:00 | (Hohenwarter Elisabeth, Zinkl Sonja, Gigon Michaela) |
| 2. | SUI | 145:52:00 | (Rothweiler Maja, Jaggi Ursina, Schaffner Christine) |
| 3. | RUS | 147:23:00 | (Mikryukova Nadya, Repina Tatiana, Chernikh Ksenia) |
| 4. | CZE | 148:07:00 | (La Carbonara Hana , Tichovska Martina, Paulickova Renata) |
Sprint distance – MEN:
| 1. | 195 | Jackson Adrian | AUS | 00:23:19 | |
| 2. | 176 | Brun Pedersen Lasse | DEN | 00:23:30 | +00:00:11 |
| 3. | 117 | Gritcan Ruslan | RUS | 00:23:56 | +00:00:37 |
| 6. | 180 | Hradil Jiri | CZE | 00:24:51 | +00:01:32 |
| 8. | 179 | Laciga Radek | CZE | 00:25:20 | +00:02:01 |
| 13. | 184 | Lauerman Jan | CZE | 00:25:45 | +00:02:26 |
| 40. | 182 | Sevcik Martin | CZE | 00:29:12 | +00:05:53 |
Sprint distance – WOMEN:
| 1. | 212 | Bajtosova Hana | SVK | 00:22:37 | |
| 2. | 235 | Hara Marika | FIN | 00:23:00 | +00:00:23 |
| 3. | 250 | Gigon Michaela | AUT | 00:23:34 | +00:00:57 |
| 10. | 244 | Tichovska Martina | CZE | 00:25:01 | +00:02:24 |
| 20. | 245 | Lacigova Michaela | CZE | 00:26:52 | +00:04:15 |
| 24. | 243 | La Carbonara Hana | CZE | 00:27:49 | +00:05:12 |
| 25. | 248 | Paulickova Renata | CZE | 00:28:01 | +00:05:24 |
Long distance – MEN:
| 1. | 195 | Jackson Adrian | AUS | 01:32:41 | |
| 2. | 117 | Gritsan Ruslan | RUS | 01:35:25 | +00:02:44 |
| 3. | 159 | Barthelemy Matthieu | FRA | 01:36:23 | +00:03:42 |
| 9. | 180 | Hradil Jiri | CZE | 01:39:40 | +00:06:59 |
| 13. | 183 | Tomecek Lubomir | CZE | 01:42:39 | +00:09:58 |
| 26. | 179 | Laciga Radek | CZE | 01:48:24 | +00:15:43 |
| 27. | 184 | Lauerman Jan | CZE | 01:48:45 | +00:16:04 |
Long distance – WOMEN:
| 1. | 206 | Schaffner Christine | SUI | 01:31:11 | |
| 2. | 251 | Zinkl Sonja | AUT | 01:33:00 | +00:01:49 |
| 3. | 212 | Bajtosova Hana | SVK | 01:33:07 | +00:01:56 |
| 9. | 244 | Tichovska Martina | CZE | 01:37:23 | +00:06:12 |
| 12. | 243 | La Carbonara Hana | CZE | 01:39:27 | +00:08:16 |
| 20. | 247 | Dolezalova Hana | CZE | 01:45:16 | +00:14:05 |
| 25. | 245 | Lacigova Michaela | CZE | 01:49:28 | +00:18:17 |
11th August - middle competiton was the first discipline at the 7th WC in MTBO. And very succesfull for the Czech Team - Jiří Hradil took the silver medal, beated only by Torbjorn Gasbjerg from Denmark.
Men course was 20.4 km long with 355 m of climbing and 19 control points. Danish racer Gasbjerg (World Champion at the Sprint competition in 2007) was only 42 seconds ahead of our Jiří Hradil. Jiří comments on his success: „I started at the quick pace and made no mapping mistakes, the only one exeption was at the pre-warning control. I passed it over and lost approx. 20 seconds. This was just a stupid lack of concentration, happily with no impact to my position at the podium“. Jiri has his first silver medal from World Champs 2008 in Poland, but at the Sprint competition. „It is very hot here, I don´t like this but some of competitors suffer much more,“ Jiří continues.
Just 17 seconds behind the fast Czech was the third man - Lasse Brun Pedersen from Denmark. Australian biker Adrian Jackson, title defender took the 5th place with 3 minutes loss.
In the top ten ranking at the middle competition was another Czech biker Radek Laciga, silver medalist from Sprint competition in European competition (Denmark, June 2009), who took 9th place. 12th position for Martin Ševčík, 16th for Lubomír Tomeček.
The best Czech female competitor was youngster Hana Doležalová took the 13th place. First plaace - Marika Hara, Finland.
Women course was 15.6 km long, 225 m of climbing and 15 control points. Fastest was Marika Hara fom Finland, 61 seconds adead of Michaelou Gigon froma Austria. Third place was taken by Suisse biker Christine Schaffner. Last year winner Ksenia Chernikh from Russia lost almost 10 minutes and took 27th place.
Czech female competitors took 13th place by Hana Doležalová, 7 minutes of loss behind the winner, 16th place by Michaela Lacigová and 18th place by Martina Tichovská.
In the relay competition Czech Team doubled the collection of silver medals – men relay (Radek Laciga, Jiří Hradil and Lubomír Tomeček) was beated by Russians only (Zhurkin, Gritsan, Foliforov).
The first leg in men relay was not a real success for the Czechs. Radek Laciga arrived at the 9th place with loss of 4 minutes behind the leading Finns. Even Czech relay No2 was ahead. „I made a one minute mistake at control point 8 and in extremely warm weather was quickly loosing a lot of strengths,“ Laciga says. 2nd leg and Czech „silver guy“ Jiří Hradil raised our chances again, he handed over to the finishman Tomeček at the 4th place, 2 minuts behind the leading Suisse team. „I made no mistake, sometimes rode maybe more carefuly than was needed,“ Jiří says. Lubomír Tomeček at the 3rd leg took over all the competitors and finished finally at the 2nd place, because Russian Anton Foliforov started 6th finished 1st – incredible! „Since 3rd control I rode together with Czech team No2 finishman Marek Pospíšek. Marek was unlucky braking his bike frame and I stayed only with Anton,“ comments Tomeček. Bronz medal took Finland, 30 seconds behind Czech Team.
Women relay competiton was dominated by Austrians (Hohenwarter, Zinkl, Gigon), Czech girls (Hana La Carbonara, Martina Tichovská, Renata Paulíčková) took the unpopular 4th place.
Women relay had a clear winner of 1st leg – Czech biker Hana La Carbonara. Tichovská at the 2nd leg lost a few seconds, stil handing over to Paulíčková at the 2nd place, 72 seconds behind leading Russian Team. 3rd Suisse Team behind Paulíčková 60 seconds, 4th Austrian Team 90 seconds. Multiple World Champion Michi Gigon from Austria proved her skills, experience and strengths and finished for Austrian gold. Christine Schaffner from Suisse was also very fast, finishing at 2nd place. Streaming to bronze Russian finishwoman Ksenia Chernikh was more sucessful – beating our Renata Paulíčková for couple of seconds.
„Our relay rode well, unfortunately some of worse teams didn´t loose the contact with our leading group, Suisse Team e.g.. I was accompanied by Michi Gigon (A) and Christine Schaffner (CH) at the most of the race, but having a longer course at the end met lost Russian finishwoman Chernikh. So we rode together until Ksenia geared turbo boost and disappeared. Pitty, we were closed to the podium,“ Paulíčková regrets.
No other medail gains for Czech Team in Sprint and Long competition, still 2 silver medals are a very good result (in men categories). Historicaly first gold medal for Czech MTBO bikers still hanging high – can we reach so high next year in Morld Champs in Portugal?
