The conditions at the women's race in Snowshoe are difficult and nasty. Swiss champion Alessandra Keller is able to establish herself in the leading group and repeatedly takes the lead. The leading group became smaller and smaller and at the halfway point of the race consisted of the Swede Jenny Rissveds and the Dutchwoman Anne Terpstra alongside Keller.

With the onset of rain, the course became more and more challenging to ride. Rissveds used the slippery descents to open up a small gap, which Keller closed again thanks to a great effort of will on the climbs. The duo head into the final lap. A little later, Rissveds slips, falls and can't get going again. Keller, on the other hand, pushes the pace and is able to extend her lead. She wins her first cross-country World Cup victory with a lead of over 30 seconds. Jenny Rissveds comes second, Anne Terpstra third. Jolanda Neff grabs the final podium spot after a strong race.

"It was a crazy race day. The number of laps was increased before the start. Rain set in mid-race, changing the track and making it extremely challenging to ride, which suits me. My goal was to ride consistently and without mistakes. I have now won my first World Cup in the elite category. I'm over the moon and can hardly believe it," explained the beaming Keller at the finish line.

Despite the mishap, Jenny Rissveds is satisfied: "I lost my concentration for a moment because I thought Alessandra was already on my back wheel. I slipped and crashed. Quite apart from that, Alessandra was also very strong and fought for this victory wherever she could. I'm very happy for her."

Results

A Spaniard fastest in the American mud

Without Nino Schurter and Mathias Flückiger, the men's race starts quickly, contrary to the conditions. However, a leading group soon forms, which seems to decide the race among themselves. Christopher Blevins attacks early on and breaks away easily. But he is caught again. A flat tire set the American back. Luca Braidot and Titouan Carod (FRA) then pull away.

The race remains fast and the two escapees are not alone. Blevins caught up again and shortly before the end of the penultimate lap, Luca Schwarzbauer (GER), David Valero Serrano (ESP) and Swiss rider Filippo Colombo also joined the leading group. However, Colombo's presence at the front did not last long. The Swiss rider slipped out of a bend shortly after crossing the finish line.

Now Blevins attacks, but his lead is wiped out again. With the maps reshuffled, the Spaniard makes his move shortly before the finish and now his rivals have run out of energy. Valero Serrano pulls off the long attack and wins his very first World Cup after many years in the circus. "I'm over the moon, it's incredible, and even more so in these difficult conditions," says Valero Serrano and adds: "Now I'm looking forward to the World Cup in Canada all the more. I really like the course in Mont Saint Anne."

Titouan Carod finished second, also celebrating his best result, while Braidot sprinted to third place against Blevins. Colombo was also able to catch up and finished fifth. Lars Forster celebrates a small comeback in the top 10 with seventh place, eleventh place goes to Thomas Litscher and Marcel Guerrini cracks the top 15.

Results

Buri wins for the first time

In the U23 women's race, Luisa Daubermann (GER) and Noëlle Buri (SUI) break away on the first big lap and continue the race together. Buri, who has so far failed to break into the top three, pulls away from Daubermann on the last lap and wins her first World Cup race.

After Martin Vidaurre-Kossmann's winning streak, the U23 men's race finally seems to be getting exciting. Right up to the last lap, Björn Riley (USA), Mathis Azzaro (FRA), Luca Martin (FRA) and Carter Woods (CAN) are trying to saw at the World Cup leader's chair. Vidaurre-Kossmann and Björn Riley survive the elimination race in the final lap, Azzaro drops out of the decision shortly before the finish, which is now held in a sprint. This time it is close, but the victory goes to Martin Vidaurre-Kossmann again.

Results

Balanche takes the doubles

The conditions in Snowshoe are anything but easy. The rain softened the track massively. On race day, however, the good weather dried out the track again in places or made it slippery. The rides through the technically demanding sections in the forest are like a ball in a pinball machine.

As a result, no rider mastered the course without making mistakes. Monika Hrastnik (SLO) is the first woman to set a serious mark with a ten-second lead. But to her surprise, it doesn't last long. Nina Hoffmann (GER) undercuts Hrastnik's time again by a good ten seconds. The following Eleonora Farina (ITA) and Valentina Höll (AUT) are unable to beat Hoffmann's 4:34.692.

With her eyes fixed on world champion Myriam Nicole, her split times glow green. The Frenchwoman extends her lead, rides almost flawlessly, but then crashes in the forest and loses around ten seconds. She then manages the feat and catches up again. Despite a few more stumbles, she set the fastest time.

The fastest qualifier, Camille Balanche, is the last skier on the course and is soon in front. However, she also makes a few mistakes, but never comes to a complete stop. With a time of 4:28.585, she wins her third World Cup race of the current season. "You can see the time on the display before the finish, when I turned around it was green. That was a great relief after this race. The track was really difficult, even though I really like these conditions. Now I'm doing everything I can to win the overall classification, but it's not finished until after the last race and Myriam Nicole is playing a dangerous role right up to the end," Balanche added.

"Oh this Snowshoe, it annoys me that it wasn't enough again. I crashed about five times in the morning and then again in the race, and every other mistake after that took away my momentum. For that, I'm very happy with second place, but the crash really grinds my gears," Nicole summed up grudgingly.

Results

Kerr almost creates a sensation

The greasy conditions seem to be slowly fading in the men's race. But even here, "pinball box rides" are still the order of the day. It is then one of the big mud specialists who takes the lead with a convincing ride. Britain's Danny Hart became a father for the second time just a few days ago, and he shoots through the extremely demanding Snowshoe course with his wife and newborn in mind.

Hart's time of 3:38.314 minutes seems to be an announcement, as the following riders are slower. Then world champion Greg Minnaar takes to the track. The South African doesn't seem to have had the best day, as he is in tenth position at the first split time. But Minnaar is getting faster and faster and displaces Danny Hart from the top position. But even this best time is not set in stone, as it is once again undercut, first by Austrian Andreas Kolb, then Irishman Ronan Dunne also slips between Minnaar and Kolb.

Loris Vergier and Loic Bruni show that the track is not as dry as it seems, as they both crash out of the decision and Bruni even has to abandon the race. Bernard Kerr's ride is also wild - wild and very fast. The Brit rides right at the front for the first time and brings his ride to the finish line with the best time. Amaury Pierron is the only one who can spoil his chances. The World Cup leader is behind in the first intermediate times and even slips down to fifth position. But then the Frenchman miraculously caught up and snatched the first victory from under Kerr's nose. This makes Pierron the fourth rider to win four World Cup races in one season.

"Before I left, I wasn't even sure if I would be able to ride at all after the crash in Andorra, everything was still hurting. Here I put everything into it and it worked out, that's so cool! I can't thank those around me enough for their commitment," says Pierron. Bernard Kerr, on the other hand, is almost speechless and says: "I'm so happy. It's taken me 15 years in the World Cup to finally stand on the podium here."

Results

American double victory in short track

The short track race on Friday evening brings surprises. In the men's race, world champion Christopher Blevins takes his first victory in the rainbow jersey. In the women's race, Gwendalyn Gibson moves into the spotlight.

Despite the sticky course, there are always attacks at the front. Switzerland's Alessandra Keller, who was in the leading group, parried them. None of the riders were able to pull away decisively until the final lap. Keller tries to ride an attack at the foot of the last steep climb in order to be in contention for victory right up to the finish line.
However, the high pace over the 20 minutes has left its mark, as her attack is now parried. It is the American Gwendalyn Gibson who, after some good results, suddenly takes the win ahead of Anne Terpstra (NED) and Jenny Rissveds (SWE). Keller finished in fourth place, giving her the lead in the overall short track classification.

"I'm not completely satisfied with the race, but I gave it my all. The fact that I can wear the leader's jersey for the first time thanks to this result two races before the end makes me extremely proud. I will go to the start on Sunday with a lot of self-confidence," Keller sums up.

Results

In the men's race, Romania's Vlad Dascalu is the first to put the pressure on and pulls the field apart. Mathias Flückiger and Vital Albin are not at the start due to illness. On lap four, short track world champion Christopher Blevins is now in the lead. Then a rare picture emerges: Nino Schurter, who otherwise rarely crashes, goes over the handlebars in third position and hits the ground hard. He drops out and has to go to hospital for a check-up, but no serious injuries are diagnosed.

Dascalu and the Dane Sebastian Fini continue to dominate the race, with the other favorites Luca Braidot, Blevins, Avancini, Hatherly and Thomas Litscher also riding for victory. But now the first decisive gaps open up, again shortly before the end of the penultimate lap. Now a quartet rides out, where Vlad Dascalu tries his luck - successfully for the time being.

Gradually, the gap narrows again and now Blevins chases the Romanian, while Braidot drops off. The sprint begins and local hero Blevins dominates it. Filippo Colombo takes eighth place as the best Swiss rider and the front row of the grid for Sunday. With 13th and 14th place, Thomas Litscher and Marcel Guerrini also secure a good starting position in the cross-country race.

Results