Keller triumphs at the short track in Andorra
Alessandra Keller is known for her consistency, and her ability to regularly ride into the top 10 earned the Swiss rider overall victory in both the UCI XCO and the XCC series in 2024. This season, third place at the season opener in Araxá (Brazil) is her best result in the short track. Evie Richards and Puck Pieterse have been the main focus of attention so far, with the first five rounds being decided between them. But in the second half of the season, Keller shows that she wants to have a say in the title defense.
At the beginning of the race, everything looks like another victory for Pieterse. The Dutchwoman leads the field in the first two laps. From lap three, however, there are signs of an exciting four-way battle: In addition to Pieterse, Richards, Jenny Rissveds and Keller also push forward. On lap five, a leading group was formed by these four riders. On lap six, Jennifer Jackson manages to bring the chasing pack back to the front, but Keller takes the lead for the first time on lap seven. Pieterse can no longer follow the pace of Keller, Richards and Rissveds.
On the penultimate lap, Keller and Richards break away. Switzerland's Ronja Blöchlinger seized the moment and caught up with them in third place. As the bell rings for the final lap, Richards opens the attack, but Keller counters on the long climb and takes the lead. She extends her lead over the last few meters, Richards can no longer counterattack and settles for second place. Blöchlinger defends third place, Pieterse is fourth. With Nicole Koller in fifth and Ramona Forchini in tenth, two more Swiss women ride into the top 10.
After the race, Keller says: "Everyone knows how my winter went. Coming back after an injury is never easy, so I can be happy with the start to the season. Andorra just suits me. I'm really looking forward to winning here again. Evie is also very strong. I think I lacked a bit of maximum power after the injury, but I'm slowly coming back. I felt good right from the start and knew that the gentle climb suited me - I just love it. It feels good to be at the top again. I'm very proud."
Martin celebrates first win and Blevins' winning streak snaps
Christopher Blevins has dominated the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series 2025 at will so far, winning all five XCC races to date. In Andorra, a sixth win seems to be just a formality, but things turn out differently.
Mathias Flückiger sets the first exclamation mark at the start of the race. Blevins stays on his rear wheel, but the Swiss soon drops back. A six-man lead group forms with Blevins, his teammate Victor Koretzky, Nino Schurter, Mathis Azzaro, Charlie Aldridge and the young Frenchman Luca Martin. No one was able to pull away decisively.
Aldridge made his first serious attack on lap seven, but a technical glitch forced him to stop. Koretzky shows his ambitions on the next lap, while Martin and Blevins stay in pursuit. But Koretzky doesn't look like the 2024 champion, dropping back to fifth place on lap nine and Blevins takes command again. The American is known for his attacks on the last lap, but this time he already pulls away on the penultimate lap. Martin and Azzaro keep up the pace, while Koretzky goes down with a broken chain and is unable to finish the race. The crash also hinders Schurter.
Blevins goes into the final lap as the leader, but Martin has other plans: he attacks right at the start on the descent, pulls up the climb through the forest and pulls away from Blevins for the first time this season. The Frenchman in the jersey of the newly crowned national champion holds on and brings Blevins to his knees for the first time in 2025. Azzaro secures third place. With the victory, Martin climbs to third place in the overall classification. Blevins remains in the lead with a comfortable 578-point advantage over Koretzky. Filippo Colombo is the best Swiss rider in fourth place and Nino Schurter rides to tenth place despite being hampered by Koretzky.
Sadnik sprints to maiden victory - Treudler wins for the third time in a row
Katharina Sadnik celebrates her first victory in the U23 UCI XCC World Cup in Andorra. She prevails in the final sprint against Valentina Corvi. The Italian initially leads a group of ten riders, which breaks up halfway through the race. Sadnik and Corvi break away together and ride the rest of the race in pairs. Sadnik proved to have the better legs on the home straight and crossed the line first. Sina van Thiel finishes third, almost 30 seconds behind. Elina Benoit was the best Swiss woman in seventh place.
The men's race was tighter. The Swiss Finn Treudler secures his third World Cup victory in a row with a clever attack on the last lap. After a weak start, Treudler was initially only in 12th place, but worked his way into the leading group of seven riders by the third lap. There he initially reacted to attacks from Heby Gustav Pedersen before attacking himself on the penultimate lap. Only Pedersen and Swiss rider Nicolas Halter were able to follow, but Treudler managed to open up a gap and ride safely to the finish. Pedersen beats Halter in the sprint for second place. With his third victory in a row, Treudler extends his lead in the overall standings. Treudler says at the finish: "Races at altitude are very different for the body, my lungs are totally on fire. But I'm very happy with my effort. I didn't burn too much energy and still won. My start was bad, I was a long way back, but I knew it would be a tough race and that I could still get to the front towards the end. I have to defend my European title in two weeks' time, that's a big goal. After that, I'll treat myself to some rest before heading to the World Championships at home."
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.