Even before the race, it was clear that it would be difficult for Jolanda Neff to defend her 20-point lead. Although the European champion does not have a fever, her body feels ill.

After the usual good start, Jolanda Neff was unable to stay in the leading group. She drops back to 19th position and a leading group of seven riders forms at the front. The constant increase in pace at the front meant that the gap to Neff grew to over a minute after just three laps and her chances were dwindling. "On the second lap I was still thinking that maybe it would be enough if I was only two places behind her, but in the end the gap was too big."

Only when Courtney lost contact with the leading group was there a slight glimmer of hope. However, the US-American fought back and ultimately took fifth place after Nino Schurter to secure the second overall victory for Thomas Frischknecht's Scott-Sram team.
"I can be really happy with the season. I finished eighth twice and usually always second. Today I wasn't in the condition I'm normally in. I tried to make the very best of it and fought until the very last meter. In the end, I came second overall. In the end, it makes sense with all the second places," commented Neff on the result and the season.
"I'm proud of how I got through the season, how I handled everything, even if it wasn't always easy. I'm taking a lot of good things from this season. Kate has three wins and that's why she won in the end."

Meanwhile, Linda Indergand achieved her second-best result of the season with ninth place, after sixth place in Nove Mesto. She started the race well and was then able to settle in ninth position behind former world champion Catharine Pendrel (Canada). She usually has a gap of 20 meters. "We pushed each other, she had strengths and I had mine," said Indergand.

In the fifth lap, however, she was able to close the gap and finally leave Pendrel behind in the finish. She crossed the finish line 2:47 minutes behind Pauline Ferrand Prevot (1:17:51).
"It was super cool to ride with so many fans at the side of the course. I like the course because it's super fast. The fact that I can deliver such a good result a week after the World Championships makes me very happy," explains Indergand.

In the battle for victory in the last World Cup race of the season, Anne Terpstra from the Netherlands attacks on the penultimate lap. She takes advantage of a technical passage and leaves her three remaining companions behind. Lenzerheide winner Jenny Rissveds (Swe) loses her chances due to a rear wheel defect, British rider Annie Last is unable to keep up, but world champion Pauline Ferrand Prevot continues to fight for the lead.

The eight-second gap that Terpstra has going into the final lap is not enough. Just over a kilometer before the finish, Ferrand Prevot closes the gap and passes her. Andorra winner Terpstra can no longer react and finishes second, four seconds behind Annie Last (+0:27).

For Ferrand Prevot, it is his fifth World Cup victory in the cross-country discipline - plus one in the short track.

Full results