Lenzerheide favorite Rissveds wins ahead of strong Swiss women

As always, the cross-country riders are set to contest the World Cup opener in the short track sprint discipline (XCC) late on Friday afternoon. In perfect conditions, the race on the approximately one kilometer long course takes a highly exciting course - by the third lap, the leading group comprises a whopping 18 riders, including numerous lead changes. Jenny Rissveds, Jolanda Neff (SUI), Loana Lecomte (FRA), Caroline Bohé (DEN), Sina Frei (SUI) and Ramona Forchini (ITA) lead the field one after the other. As the race progressed, however, five riders emerged who would decide the race.

In the end, it was once again the Swede who took the lead on lap six, picking up the pace and gaining 15 seconds on the chasing quartet of Neff, Allessandra Keller (SUI), Lecomte and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (FRA) over the course of the next two laps. The two Swiss riders, in particular, put up a fight on the last lap, but it came too late to challenge former Olympic champion Jenny Rissveds for the short track title in Lenzerheide. Keller and Neff eventually cross the finish line in second and third, followed by Ferrand-Prévot and Lecomte. Overall World Cup leader Rebecca McConnell finishes eleventh. The Austrian young guns Mona Mitterwallner and Laura Stigger finish in 12th and 17th place respectively. The best German skier is Leonie Daubermann in 23rd place.

"Lenzerheide is pretty similar to Sweden. Lots of roots - I like that. I didn't really have a strategy, but I realized that I was the fastest through the root passages and so I just went for it. I've just found a good balance in my life. I'm happy and I love riding my bike and I also enjoy the races. It can go on like this," says a delighted Jenny Rissveds

"Second place here is pretty cool for me. I've finally made it onto the World Cup podium in the top 3 in front of my home crowd. I can't wait for Sunday. Lenzerheide is a special place for me. The Swiss spectators are fantastic, they scream your name and really push you forward. Jenny rode away and we tried to catch up with her. In the end, it was a great duel between Jolanda and me," says Alessandra Keller

Results XCC Women Top 5

1. Jenny Rissveds (SWE) 20:30
2nd Alessandra Keller (SUI) 20:31
3rd Jolanda Neff (SUI) 20:32
4th Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (FRA) 20:33
5th Loana Lecomte (FRA) 20:41

Swiss festival with personal best

The men's short track race is set to be even more exciting. In a very tactical race, the starting field remains close together for a long time. World Cup leader Luca Schwarzbauer (GER) launches the first attack, aiming to spread the field out a little. Max Foidl (AUT), who started well, has to pay tribute to the high starting speed and falls far behind. Luca Schwarzbauer suffers a similar fate, also unable to maintain his strong pace and having to let five riders pass him after an attack by Mathias Flückiger (SUI). This new group of five consisting of Flückiger (SUI), Nino Schurter (SUI), Filippo Colombo (SUI), Alan Hatherly (RSA) and Luca Braidot (ITA) was able to pull away for the first time, with the three Swiss riders clearly setting the pace and pulling away further. In the final sprint, Filippo Colombo cleverly holds on to the lead, which he is ultimately able to narrowly save against Flückiger and celebrate his first World Cup victory. The total Swiss party was ultimately prevented by Alan Hatherly, who snatched third place from Schurter with a strong finish. The best German is Luca Schwarzbauer in 7th place, who has to hand over the leader's jersey to Mathias Flückiger. Max Foidl ultimately drops back to 32nd place. Lenzerheide title defender Henrique Avancini had a bad day and had to settle for 23rd place.

"I didn't have the perfect start, missed a pedal stroke and lost a lot of places in the first 50 meters, but then I was able to overtake quite easily in the first few laps. When Heatherly attacked and tried to shake me off, I was able to follow. Mathias then attacked and I was able to follow again. On the last lap it was quite difficult to stay in front. But I knew that I was fast in the sprint and I used that to my advantage and won," said Filippo Colombo, summing up his race.

Mathias Flückiger is extremely pleased with his performance: "It's an overwhelming feeling to have the Leader Jersey. It's pretty cool and surprising at the same time. I'm proud, it was a tough final sprint. I'm happy with my performance and I'm looking forward to Sunday. The altitude training has definitely paid off."

"It's a magical place for me here. Lenzerheide is just great. In the end, I was just a little bit short of victory in the sprint. I had the choice to take the risk and ride on the outside and win with the longer route or try to find a gap on the inside. Unfortunately, I didn't find a gap on the inside and had to settle for third place, but overall I'm very happy," Alan Hatherly also had words of praise for the venue.

Results XCC Men's Top 5

1. Filippo Colombo (SUI) 19:50
2nd Mathias Flückiger (SUI) 19:50
3rd Alan Hatherly (RSA) 19:50
4th Nino Schurter (SUI) 19:51
5th Luca Braidot (ITA) 19:55