Rafaelle Carrier carried home the Junior women’s bronze medal Saturday in chilly Liévin, France, the first CX Worlds in France since 2004. Carrier dropped a Swiss rider in the final lap to take third. Last weekend Carrier became the first Canadian to ever win a World Cup category. In the 2023 Worlds, junior Canadians Isabella and Ava Holmgren earned gold and silver respectively. French rider Lise Revol came back in that last lap to beat Czech Barbora Bukovska for the gold.
The Canadian contingent was Carrier, Nico Knoll, Lily-Rose Marois and Maya Tasse in a field of 45.
Carrier’s main rivals were the French duo of Revol and Lison Desprez and Czech Bukovska.
The French roared to the front at the start of Lap 1, Carrier in Position 5. Soon it was Revol, Desprez, Carrier. Revol took a gap. Carrier momentarily dropped Desprez while in hot pursuit. Revol had a 23-second advantage after the first circuit. Knoll was 13th.
At the start of Lap 2, Bukovska pushed into second place. Carrier slid out in a corner and found herself in fourth. With Bukovska the closest chaser to Revol, Carrier and Desprez battled, Dutch rider Mae Cabaca looming over their shoulders. The Carrier-Desprez-Cabaca group grew. As the Czech drew closer, Carrier’s group fell further behind, fifty seconds in arrears. Knoll was 15th.
On Lap 3 of 5, Bukovska made the junction. Carrier continued in the podium battle with Cabaca, Desprez and Swiss rider Anja Grossmann. Italian Elisa Ferri toiled to reach them. The Czech then dropped Revol. Ferri couldn’t link up and Desprez began to lag. Carrier crossed the line alone in third place. Knoll was still 15th.
The penultimate lap saw “Buk” extend her lead at the beginning of the circuit, but Revol shrink it by the end. Carrier found company in Grossmann, Cabaca and American Lidia Cusack hoping to get involved too. Desprez still wasn’t out of it. Cabaca fell back from the Carrier-Grossman-Cusack Podium Gang.
The Czech’s lead was nine seconds when she heard the bell but she celebrated like she had won until someone shouted her back to reality. Cusack lost contact. Revol finally caught Bukovska in the final kilometre and grabbed the reins. A mistake from the Czech sealed Revol’s gold medal. Carrier dispatched the…
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