Polish mountain bike racer Maja Wloszczowska won the first round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. cheap nfl jerseys . Canadians Emily Batty and Catharine Pendrel finished second and third, respectively. "I think its a fabulous start to the season," said Batty, after the race, her career best World Cup finish. "I had a phenomenal training season, came in with a lot of motivation and fitness. Ive had a lot of support from Subaru Trek, and from team Canada. Im really gunning for the Olympics this year." Held on a newly redesigned course at the Cascades mountain bike park in Pietermaritzburg, the high temperatures and difficult climbs made the race exceptionally tough for the riders. In the early laps, all three of the top finishers held spots in the top five. 2010 World Champion Wloszczowska, 2011 World Champion Pendrel and Batty, who is in her second season as an elite rider after racing in the U23 class, all successfully broke away from the group halfway through the race. All three traded positions and the lead over the second half of the race. For Batty, of Brooklin, ON., performances in the first half of the 2012 season will be critical in earning a spot for the London 2012 Olympics. There are only two spots available for the Canadian women, and as 2011 World Champion, Pendrel is likely to be the first choice for team Canada. Batty will have to battle with veteran Marie-Helene Premont for the final spot. With four World Cup races in the 2012 season in which to assert themselves, every result will be vital. In the final portion of the last lap, Batty took the lead ahead of the final rock garden, where Batty had been taking the slower "B" line at the Tree House section. On the final lap, Batty opted for the "A" line, while Wloszczowska took the "B" line, moving into the lead. Batty was unable to catch Wloszczowska in the sprint for the finish, coming in second, 0:04 back from the winner, with Pendrel finishing third, just over 20 seconds back. "I didnt expect the victory today, and I changed my coach last year, so it was a big mystery how new training techniques would work. I felt great today," said Wloszczowska, after the race. "Emily passed me before the final downhill, and she took my line, so I had no choice and had to take the other line. I just didnt touch my brakes." Prior to this event, Battys best finish at a World Cup had been seventh, in Mont Saint Anne, QC., in 2011. Reigning World Cup champion, French rider Julie Bresset was unable to match the pace of the front three, crossing the finish in fifth, 1:17 back from the winner. Ester Suss of Switzerland finished fourth. Marie-Helene Premont finished 21st, 6:12 back from the winner. Swiss rider Nino Schurter repeated his 2011 performance to win the mens World Cup race. Second place went to South African Burry Stander. German rider Manuel Fumic finished third. Fourth place went to the most successful mens rider in the history of the World Cup, Frenchman Julien Absalon. 2011 World Cup Champion and World Champion Czech Jaroslav Kulhavy finished fifth. "This is a really good course for me, very technical," said Schurter. "I had a really good battle with Burry. I really like Pietermaritzburg." "It was like we sprinted off the start line and just kept sprinting," said Stander. "I kept hearing the support of the home crowd, and just kept pushing." The next World Cup event takes place in Houffalize, Belgium, May 13-15, 2012 cheap jerseys from china . -- The Chicago Bulls came into the season with big expectations. wholesale jerseys . Check out todays trade rumours from around the NHL beat. And follow TSN.ca each day until Deadline Day for all the updates. Making a List With the All-Star Game this weekend in Ottawa, the Globe and Mail says there are five players to watch as trade talks heat up in the Nations Capital.The Toronto Blue Jays off-season quest for a rotation upgrade continues according to reports, they could be considering a journey through the recent past. Reports surfacing Wednesday in The Globe and Mail and Thursday in the Toronto Star suggest that the Jays could be considering a run at free agent starter A.J. Burnett, now that hes believed to be available. The 37-year-old Burnett had previously announced his intention to retire instead of playing the 2014 season. Based on that assumption, the Pittsburgh Pirates did not tender him a qualifying offer meaning that signing him as a free agent carries no compensatory draft pick. Its believed that Burnett would prefer to pitch closer to his Maryland home, but – unlike previous reports – he is believed to have softened on his desire to pitch only for the Pirates. Burnett is one of several free agent arms that the Jays have been linked to through the rumour mill of late; a list that is also believed to include Ubaldo Jimenez and Ervin Santana. In 30 appearances with the Pirates last season, Burnett posted a 10-11 recorrd with a 3. cheap jerseys. 30 earned-run average and a 1.215 WHIP. He finished with the National Leagues highest strikeout/nine innings ratio last season, with 9.8. His groundout-to-flyout ratios have been higher the past two seasons in Pittsburgh (2.05 in 2012, 1.90 in 2013) than every other year of his MLB career save 2005 with the Florida Marlins and are both well above both his career average of 1.36 and the MLB average of 1.08. Burnett has posted a 147-132 career record over 15 MLB seasons with the Pirates, Marlins, Blue Jays and New York Yankees with a 3.99 career ERA, a 1.315 WHIP and a K/9 ratio of 8.3. He signed with the Jays as a free agent prior to the 2006 season to serve as the teams No. 2 starter behind Roy Halladay. He went 38-26 over those three seasons, including an 18-win performance in 2008 which tied him for the 10th-highest single-season total in franchise history. Originally signed to a five-year, $55 million deal by then-Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi, Burnett opted out of the deal after three years to sign a five-year, $82.5 million deal with the Yankees. cheap jerseys ' ' '
