The Junior women’s downhill just finished up here in Mt Stromlo, Canberra, and the 2009 Junior world champion is Anais Pajot of France, who was the 2008 champ as well and has been looking dominant here all week. Riding for Sunn, she had a clean run to clinch the title ahead of fellow French rider Julie Berteaux and Australian junior Holly Baarspul. Anais seemed satisfied with her win, saying “I’m very happy to take the title again, it’s not a hard track physically here but it was good”.

Anais Pajot winning the Junior World Champ title 2009.
Photo: Rita Langley

Second place rider Julie Berteaux had a sketchier time on the mountain, going ‘trop large’ on a jump but staying on her bike to take the silver medal. She was the first rider down the mountain, and held the hotseat while kiwi Georgia Wight, France’s Fanny Lombard, and German Leoni-Caro Dickerhoff and Italian Alia Marcellini attempted to beat her time. The closest was Aussie rider Holly Baarspul, who described her run as ‘not too bad, I was just pedaling my little arse off. First world champs and I’ve podiumed, pretty stoked with that!” That’s despite a big stack earlier in the week on the triple treat on Wednesday.

Holly Baarspul.
Photo: Rita Langley

Congrats to all the juniors! The crowds are beginning to pack the hillside now, going nuts for all the Aussie riders, it’s gonna be a big day here in Canberra!

Full results should be on the UCI website here.

Older: Tracy Moseley fastest in Canberra timed practice

Fresher: Martha Hucker’s World Champs 4x videos

Published on 06/09/2009 by Martha Hucker.