XTERRA Czech: Mountaineers from Switzerland Dominated

HLUBA NAD VLTAVOU June 21 (PROTEXT) - The Helvetica cross flew above the neo-Renaissance castle at Hluboka. Olivier Marceau won Xterra Czech, the qualification race for the Championship in Hawaii. While Marceau was expected to win, Renate Bucher won nexpectedly. Kubicek, who replaced Jan Rehula was the best placed out of the Czechs. Jan Rehula was met by 3 technical problems on his bike in the Schwartzenberg reserve and he finished in a training-style tempo. "I pierced by tire twice and then my chain broke," complained Rehula, who chose Xterra over Sunday's Championship on the Olympic tracks in Plzen. Among the women, Eva Skalnikova, junior cross country skiier, fought her way into the elite ten. "I improved mostly in swimming", she told us. Marceau got into the lead as he got out of the water already. Nicolas Lebrun started to catch up to him on the bike. "In the first of the two rounds, I had him in my sights," said Lebrun. "But then I woke up," Lebrun smiled -- the world champion at the Olympic triathlon in 2000 and the winner of the first Hluboka Xterra in 2001. "I lost in the swim," said Lebrun. "It was a difficult race. I have never ridden an easy Xterra," added Marceau, who has participated twice in the Olympics. Three world champions faced off in the women's race,but Swiss Bucher won overall. "She ran really well. Hats off," admitted current world Champion Jamie Whitmore. 10 000 Euros were given out in prize money and over 400 competitors from all categories participated on this hot day. 34 of them won a spot in the World Championship in Maui last year. Team Progress won the accompanying relay race. The skier formation with Kozisek a Koukal, representing home-town Hluboka nad Vtlavou, finished second. Koziek rode on the bike and Koukal ran -- and that even though his left hand was in a cast, as he broke two of his bones in hand last weekend. Brave Xterra Czech 2005 (1,2 km swim- 35 km MTB - 11 km run): Men: 1. Marceau (CH) 2:12:40, 2. Lebrun (FR) -46, 3. Kubicek (CZ) -5:13, 4. Thomas (USA) -6:43, 5. Boonstra (SA) -6:39, 6. Wingenfeld (GER) -6:48, 7. Brassini (ITA) -8:16, 8. Jiranek (CZ) -9:12, 9. Grütter (CH) -10:08, 10. Böcherer (GER) -10:52. Women: 1. Bucher (CH) 2:35:19, 2. Whitmore (USA) -17, 3. Matter (CH) - 1:09, 4. Angle, 5. Thomas (both USA) -4:29,... 9. Skalnikova(CZ) -13:36. Tomas Nohejl Contact: Silvie Procházková - media director of XTERRA European Champ. sp@xterraeurope.com Subscribers please note that material bearing the slug "PROTEXT" is not part of CTK's news service and is not to be published under the "CTK" slug. Protext is a commercial service providing distribution of press releases from clients, who are identified in the text of Protext reports and who bear full responsibility for their contents. PROTEXT