Kate Courtney (Kentfield, Calif./Specialized Factory Racing) raced her heart out on day four of the 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships to ride off with the silver medal in the U23 women’s cross-country race.
A crash in the start loop put the 21-year-old Courtney in a difficult position from the gun. She moved up to sixth place by the end of lap one and continued gaining ground over the course of the 23-kilometer contest.
Swiss rider Sina Frei took the early lead which she never relinquished. She was joined at the front for a while by Dutch rider Anne Tauber until Tauber jammed her gears and slipped back in the field. Despite Courtney’s incredible effort to bridge the gap, Frei’s strong legs kept her in the lead all the way to the finish line where she claimed the rainbow jersey. Courtney crossed the line 49 seconds back for the silver while Alessandra Keller (SUI) earned bronze.
Team USA got a second top-ten finish compliments of Haley Batten (Park City, Utah/Clif Pro Team). Batten rode in third place until lap three and ended up completing the five laps for a solid tenth-place, just over five minutes back from Frei. Hannah Finchamp (Kennewick, Wash./Clif Pro Team) also raced for the red, white, and blue and finished her race in 25th place.
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