Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) continues his strong season and, after the short track, also wins the elite men's cross country race in Nové Město. While the American was able to celebrate at the finish line, Mathieu van der Poel's (Alpecin-Deceuninck) comeback was very different: the Dutchman crashed twice on the start lap and abandoned the race early.

Van der Poel started from 32nd position, stumbled in the bunch and flew over the handlebars a short time later. He drops back to 88th place and drops out on lap three. A leading group with Koretzky, Blevins, Hatherly and Schwarzbauer establishes itself at the front early on. 

Alan Hatherly takes the lead with Schwarzbauer after the first lap, followed by Blevins and Koretzky. Vital Albin (Thömus Maxon) comes to the front on lap four, together with Blevins. A duel ensues between Specialized and Maxon.

On lap seven, Blevins attacks on the WHOOP Wall - and no one can follow. He set off on the final lap with a lead of eight seconds. Despite a few attempts to catch up, he stays in front and wins by nine seconds. Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division) sprinted to second place ahead of Lars Forster (Thömus Maxon) and Victor Koretzky. With Fabio Püntener from Bike Team Solothurn and Vital Albin (Thömus Maxon), two more Swiss riders just missed the podium. Filippo Colombo, Thomas Litscher and Mathias Flückiger finished 12th to 14th and Nino Schurter finished the race in 18th place.

Blevins on his victory: "Nové Město means a lot to me. I've already cried here as a junior and U23 rider - after bad races. Winning here today is just wonderful. I'm grateful."

Mitterwallner seizes her chance - bad luck for Pieterse

What began with a victory in the short track for Puck Pieterse on Saturday ended in bitter disappointment 24 hours later. The Dutchwoman was leading the women's race when she suffered a flat tire on the third lap in the Rock Garden. After a long walk to the technical zone, she fell far behind and ultimately finished 13th, almost two minutes behind the winner Mona Mitterwallner (Mondraker Factory Racing XC) from Austria.

At first, Pieterse dominated the race: She secures a good position at the start, leaves her rivals standing on the steep climbs and rides technically strong through Rock Garden and WHOOP Wall. However, a puncture caused her to lose over a minute. While she struggled to fight back, Switzerland's Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon), Candice Lill (Brujula Bike Racing Team), World Cup leader Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Factory Racing Team), and later Henderson and Mitterwallner took command.

On the last lap, Samara Maxwell seemed to force the decision when she passed Mitterwallner. But on a climb, her pedal gets caught in the barrier net - she has to dismount. Mitterwallner seized the opportunity, pulled away on the final downhill and defended her two-second lead to the finish. Candice Lill from South Africa completes the podium in third place.

Mitterwallner said after the race: "I can hardly believe it. My first World Cup win since 2023 - and here in Nové Město, such an iconic place for cross-country. Our team has worked incredibly hard and it feels great to deliver this performance." The best Swiss rider was Alessandra Keller in fourth place. 

MacPhee takes advantage of Holmgren crash - Schehl wins in the final sprint

Ella MacPhee (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team) celebrates her first World Cup victory in the women's U23 XCO race in Nové Město. The Canadian benefited from a crash by the previous series leader Isabella Holmgren (Lidl - Trek), who fell in the Rock Garden, was unable to finish the race and injured her arm.

MacPhee and the Swiss rider Fiona Schibler (Bike Team Solothurn) led the race together for long stretches. On the last lap, MacPhee briefly loses momentum on the climb and has to dismount - and so does Schibler. However, MacPhee is able to recover more quickly, pulls away decisively on the WHOOP Wall and wins by 17 seconds ahead of the Swiss rider Fiona Schibler. Sara Cortinovis (Ghost Factory Racing) completed the podium.

With her victory, MacPhee also took the overall lead. "I am speechless. I didn't even know Bella had dropped out until I rode through the feed. It's a shame, I hope she's okay," said MacPhee at the finish.

In the men's U23 race, the German Paul Schehl (Lexware Mountainbike Team) came out on top in the sprint - after an intense duel with Rens Teunissen van Manen (KMC Ridley MTB Racing Team) from the Netherlands.

Swiss rider Finn Treudler (Cube Factory Racing), double winner in Araxá, set the pace at the start, but had to dismount several times during the race - probably due to shifting problems. Teunissen van Manen and Schehl ride at the front, the decision is only made in the final meters. The German narrowly overtakes Schehl in the final sprint - his first World Cup victory. Treudler saves third place despite problems and thus defends his lead in the overall standings.

"I never expected that," says Schehl. "After my heavy crash on the first lap and weeks of training behind me, it was an emotional rollercoaster ride. Everything just felt right today."

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