<b>The World Cup weekend started with the presentation of the new Cannondale hardtail. The location was as exclusive as the bike. It took place at the castle Hohenzollern.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>The XC Eliminator track might not be technical, but the Elite Men's final was intense. 4 guys sprinting down the asphalt.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>Fabrice Mels was just centimeters quicker and took the win.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>The beast does not shave his legs. As current World Champ, he does not have justify. Paul Van Der Ploeg</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>Kathrin Stirneman winner of the Women's Elite Eliminator was flying on friday night</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>Jenny Rissveds warming up for the U23 Women's race. Since having a severe cold at the beginning of May, she is still struggling to get back on form.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>First race, early Sunday morning and the call up for the U23 Men. During the race Michiel woke up. 2nd place for him</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>Jolanda Neff and Eva Lechner joking around before the race start.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>The bikes get more and more technical. There are prototype turbo boost, ejector seat and windshield wiper switches on this ride.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>7 laps await as the women drop the hammer.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>Welcome to the feedzone. Sebastian of Ghost Factory Racing Team holds the stash and the 'stache.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>The chasers group trying to close the gap to Pauline Ferrand Prevot.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>Good race for Jolanda Neff this weekend. 3rd place for her and still in the leader's jersey.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>A great, but tough race for Adelheid Morath. Until the the last lap, she was fighting for 3rd place but a crash put her into 6th place at the line.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>Another start-to-finish win for Pauline. Checking mails and tweeting the win is part of the job.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>Women's podium ceremony with Pauline enjoying local German beer.</b> -Marius Maasewerd
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<b>The Elite Men's start field storming to 8 laps of racing.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>Fabian Giger one of the lucky few on the new Shimano XTR Di2, but the only racer running two chainrings up front.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>The bad luck is still with Jaroslav Kulhavy. A crash on the knee he injured at the beginning of the year put him out of the race and directly on the way to the hospital.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>The course in Albstadt was one of the shortest. It was only 4km long with a lap time of just 11-minutes. Julien Absalon stalking his prey.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>It was Julien Absalon's race. The course matched him 100% and after last year's disaster he was super fit to win.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>15.000 spectators made plenty of noise on the short course.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>Dan McConnell, one of the 3 on Shimano Di2 with a 6th place finish.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>Nino Schurter, back on the hardtail. The Albstadt XC course does not feature many technical sections, so full-suspension is not necessary.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>The course in Albstadt, with the long tough climbs, did not suit Nino's riding style. But pushing the lock-out, he went hard and earned 2nd place.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>Everything went great for the Shimano riders today. Two XTR Di2 riders on podium and no mechanicals.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>The shifter shows Julien not only the gear, but also that he his number one today.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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<b>29 World Cup wins. No one has more and with his fitness level, we're confident that there will be more.</b> -Marius Maaseward
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Description
The UCI World Cup Cross Country riders flocked to Albstadt, Germany for another round of competition. The Albstadt course is short and not overly technical, but it features a brutal climb and quick descent which means recovery is difficult. When the dust settled, Julien Absalon was the man to beat as he earned his 29th World Cup win. Pauline Ferrand Prevot earned victory in the Elite Women's class against a strong field. Marius Maaseward was on the front lines, capturing the images and interviews from this action-packed race in Germany.
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