Irina Reigns - World Champion!

World Champion and World Cup titles!

Topeak-Ergon racer Irina Kalentieva finished her best season yet by claiming her first World Champion and World Cup titles not to mention winning her seventh Russian National Championship. Relaxing at home, Irina is now mentally preparing for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

World Championships

Irina snached the World Championship race in Fort William, Scotland, with confidence, finishing ahead of European Champion Sabine Spitz by 39 seconds. "Everyone was looking at each other, waiting for someone to do something. It got slower and slower. In the end I decided to go for it", commented Kalentieva after her win. The German rider stayed with her, however going into the final lap Irina developed a small gap. "I gave everything on the final climbs and the downhill. I felt great." Irina's resulting lead extended to 39 seconds over Spitz and over third place finisher JingJing by 1:42. "To win the Worlds is a dream come true", exclaimed newly crowned World Champion, Irina Kalentieva.

World Cup Title

A week following her World Title, Kalentieva won the Overall World Cup title in Maribor, Slovenia. The technical course offered the newly crowned World Champion many opportunities to pass other riders as they struggled through heavily rooted sections. All the while, Irina was suffering cold symptoms she picked up from Scotland the week prior. As a result she didn't feel well her first two laps, lap three however "I felt a lot better, and I overtook Premont to take second place", said Kalentieva. "But by the fifth lap I wasn't feeling great, and with my head cold biting back I let up, not wanting to make myself worse." Seeing an opportunity, Premount showed that she had been preserving her energy, and moved up to take second, behind Lui Ying. As a result, Kalentieva finished in third making her the World Cup Series Champion in the process. "I wasn't looking for a race win here, and for me, today was about the series", Irina said. "I am pleased with my third place as it was a great race. Premont was very strong too. I am delighted with winning the series. It has been the best season ever."