Defect devil in action

The first lap starts quickly and soon a large leading group forms with all the favorites, including Filippo Colombo (third in the short track), Mathias Flückiger and Nino Schurter. It soon narrows down to seven riders. Mathias Flückiger is the first to lose out due to a puncture. The defect devil strikes again on the second lap. Filippo Colombo leaves the leading group due to a broken chain and a short time later, short-track winner Victor Koretzky suffers a puncture on his front wheel.

The chasers around Jordan Sarrou closed the gap and increased the leading group to eight riders again on lap four. But at the start of the fifth lap, Nino Schurter takes the lead. The world champion pulls the leading group together again and reduces it by two riders. But with Henrique Avancini, short-track world champion Blevins and Ondrej Cink (CZE), as well as Luca Braidot (ITA) and Vlad Dascalu from Romania, there are still some hot contenders in the mix.

First US victory in 27 years

The six riders enter the final lap together. Now the tactical skirmishes begin and Schurter always tries to get to the front on the descents. But now it's Blevins who overtakes the world champion on the trail climb, makes his escape and secures the first US World Cup victory in 30 years. "This victory means everything to me! In front of my family, in front of the US fans and then here in the USA," says a delighted Blevins and announces: "After so many years where the US team has been without success, I don't want my victory to be the last. After all, US Cycling put a lot of work into the development of young riders."

Blevins wins ahead of Vlad Dascalu and Ondrej Cink. Schurter can't even hold on to the podium after Blevins' attack. He also suffers a puncture, but manages to cross the finish line in fourth place, just ahead of Luca Braidot, who makes it onto the podium for the first time. Behind him, the German Luca Schwarzbauer also rides to sixth place - also his best result. Not far behind, Victor Koretzky fights his way up to a respectable eighth place, Mathias Flückiger finishes a good 16th and Reto Indergand and Andri Frischknecht make it into the top 20.

Results
Overall standings

Richards dominates from the start

In the women's final race, there is a terrible crash on the start straight, which immediately takes one of the favorites out of the decision. Laura Stigger (AUT) was swept away by a rider who got stuck on the barrier. She first tries to continue, but then soon drops out of the race. As it turns out later, the Austrian suffers a slight fracture to her left arm.
Meanwhile, Evie Richards is setting the pace at the front. The Brit has been on a high since her victory at the World Championships, and she seems to want to make the most of it now. She soon pulls away with Rebecca McConnell. But while the Australian is still setting the pace, she has to go into the tech zone to change her bike - the air is out of the front tire. This costs her time, places and potential chances of victory.

McConnell does not give up and gradually overtakes her rivals again. By lap three, she was back in second place. But she doesn't get any closer - on the contrary. Richards rides unleashed to her second World Cup victory and, after winning the short track race, doubles her weekend perfectly. This puts her in second place in the overall standings behind the unassailable Loana Lecomte.

Behind them, Sina Frei and Anne Tauber tried to close the gap to McConnell, but without success. The Australian rode safely into second place. The duo fought it out between themselves for third place, with Frei initially having the better prospects. The Swiss rider launched an attack and seemed to get away. But Tauber comes close again, and when the Dutchwoman starts, Frei can no longer keep up and has to settle for fourth place, but takes fifth place in the overall World Cup standings, one place ahead of Linda Indergand, who finishes seventh in the race.

After her second place in the short track, Jolanda Neff rides to ninth place in the cross-country race. Ahead of her, the German Nadine Rieder is delighted with her best World Cup result to date. Rieder's Swiss team colleague Nicole Koller also has a good chance of setting a personal best. After finishing sixth in the short track, she made a strong start in the cross country and was in the top 10, but a defect on lap three ruined Koller's chances. With a strong lap time, she fights her way back to 14th place within a short space of time, which she then holds until the finish. She also ends her strong World Cup season in 14th place.