MOSCOW, August 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russian cyclist Irina Kalentyeva won Olympic bronze Saturday in the women's mountain bike race.
Over five laps on a grueling 4.5-km course, German rider Sabine Spitz won gold in 1:45:11, fully 41 seconds ahead of Poland's Maja Wloszczowska.
Kalentyeva finished in 1:46:28, just nine seconds ahead of Canadian Catharine Pendrel after the pair fought a private battle for the bronze over the final two laps.
The heat and the testing course meant only 18 of 30 starters completed the race. Four riders dropped out, while eight were lapped, including a second Russian, Vera Andreyeva, who finished in 23rd place.
