Home Vision World CAROLINE MANI CLAIMS SILVER AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TRI BIKE FIT TIPS VISIT DALLAS DNA TEAM CAMP 3 Feb 2016 CAROLINE MANI CLAIMS SILVER AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Caroline Mani displayed a stellar performance in front of thousands this past weekend to secure the silver medal in this year’s 2016 UCI Cyclocross World Championships. Mani beat pre-race favorite Sanna Cant to the line, but finished behind the newly crowned champion, Dutch Thalita de Jong. After the race was completed, Caroline Mani reflected upon her performance and said, “Coming to the finish line I realized ‘I am going to win the silver medal at worlds.’, but honestly my first reaction was disappointment because I was so close to winning,” Mani said. “It was a mixed feeling at first – I was happy, I waved, I had emotions and then 30-seconds later I told myself ‘I am number two in the world!’ “ [Raleigh Professional Cycling Team]. Caroline Mani (far left) – Photo Courtesy of Meg McMahonRaleigh Professional Cycling Team wrote –When the light turned green, Mani, along with the rest of the front row, went full tilt off the line. By the end of the first lap, Mani found herself comfortably situated in the front group along with World Cup overall winner Sanne Cant, 2016 Hoogerheide World Cup winner Sophie de Boer (the Netherlands) and 2016 Namur World Cup winner and British national champion Nikki Harris.“On the start line I told myself ‘let’s just do this!,’ said Mani. “I had a good start, went wide around the first tight corner to avoid crashes and I was about top ten after the pits. I was already at the front of the race when in Europe I don’t normally even see the front.”The four leaders would each take turns leading the race as they distanced themselves from the rest of the field. Typical of her aggressive and animated racing style, Mani would often take control at the head of the group as if to say “if you want the win, you have to take it from me first.”“I was the one who made the race the first few laps,” said Mani. “They were all focused on Sanne. Everyone thought she’s going to be the one to win so their race was all about her.”“I tested her and I knew she wasn’t the strongest one,” Mani added. “I dropped her on the road climb and running. I knew I was stronger. I attacked and went away, but it was easy to bring me back on the long road sections.”Photo Courtesy of Meg McMahonUnbeknownst to the four leaders, De Jong was quickly making up ground from the back of the field. Just before the start of the fourth and final lap, the Dutch champion reached the lead group. Contact made, she attacked them all on the hardest part of the course creating a small gap to Cant and a further gap to De Boer and Mani.“Nobody told me anything about De Jong,” Mani said. “I had no information. It may not have changed anything, but if the others had helped me more, maybe she wouldn’t have caught us or she would have caught us later in the last lap and I could have gone with her.”“But you can tell she was a bit stronger,” added Mani. “She’s one piece on her bike and was just smashing the pedals. She got a gap in no time, but that was the part where I was struggling, where I wasn’t strongest.”De Jong hit the final run-up with eight seconds on Cant. The Belgian champion had a slight gap on Mani, but Mani’s quick climbing legs would propel her past Cant on the steep run-up just a few hundred meters from the finish line. Mani came off the last fly-over onto the finishing straight alone, flashing a massive smile and screaming “on my god!” as she crossed the finish line 14 seconds behind De Jong and 10 seconds ahead of Cant.Caroline Mani’s 2015-2016 season highlights:17 podiums, 4 winsBack-to-back winner of the USA Cycling Pro CX seriesFrench National ChampionSilver medal at 2016 UCI Cyclocross World Championship#2 UCI ranking (as of 2 February 2016)Caroline is equipped with an FSA cockpit (Bars, Stem, Seatpost) an FSA Carbon crankset as well as Vision Wheels.You can read more about the race and Caroline’s performance HERE Related News 23 Jul 2024 OUR YELLOW JOURNEY Triumphs and Tenacity: VISION's Unforgettable Tour de 6 Jun 2024 Lachlan Morton Triumphs at the 2024 Inbound Gravel With an extraordinary performance, Lachlan Norton conquered the 202 6 Jun 2024 Lachlan Morton Triumphs at the 2024 Inbound Gravel With an extraordinary performance, Lachlan Norton conquered the 202