Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing XC) is the one who takes an early lead in the elite women's race and seems to have a safe advantage. However, a flat tire on the fourth lap set her back, allowing the competition to pull away.

With an attack on the last lap, Dutch rider Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) secured victory in Nové Město. Notabene it is her first Elite World Cup victory, in her first Elite World Cup race. French world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) had to settle for second place, while her compatriot, European champion Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV), completed the podium in third place.

"I don't know what happened. Pauline and I kept changing positions and after a few laps Evie had a flat tire. Suddenly I was in the lead and I didn't know what to do. So I tried to stay calm and it worked," says the stunned Puck Pieterse.

Evie Richards can keep the damage from the puncture to a minimum with fourth place and keep Alessandra Keller at bay. The Swiss champion takes fifth place.

Results

Pidcock almost surprised by Dubau

British rider Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) said that he had never lost a cross-country race in Nové Město na Moravě - quite a statement. But it won't be quite that easy for the Olympic champion. The young Frenchman Joshua Dubau (Rockrider Ford Racing Team) gave Pidcock a run for his money and led the race. Partly solo, after the Brit made another driving mistake and even crashed. But Pidcock is able to catch up again, attacks on the last lap and wins again. Reigning world champion Nino Schurter (Scott SRAM MTB Racing Team) prevails in the final sprint against BMC rider Jordan Sarrou and finishes third.

"It was a tough race today, to be honest. The conditions were super tricky and I struggled a bit on the roots. To still win in the end is very nice," said a delighted Tom Pidcock about his hard-fought victory.

Second-placed Joshua Dubau is a little disappointed at first: "I was so close to winning, so it's a bit of a shame that it didn't work out. But Tom was very strong in the final, so I'm still very happy. My best result in the World Cup so far was tenth place. I can only be happy with second place!"

The German Luca Schwarzbauer, who was in the lead at the start, put in a strong performance after his small slump and finished sixth. Mathias Flückiger finished right behind him. After his tenth place in the short track, Lars Forster finished eighth in the cross country. His team colleague Vital Albin also put in a strong performance.

Results

Danish double victory, Swiss double silver

The two Danish riders Oliver Sølvhøj and Heby Sofie Pedersen win the first round of the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-Country World Cup. Pedersen wins ahead of the Swiss Ginia Caluori and Emily Johnston, Sølvhoj wins against the Swiss Dario Lillo. Dutchman Tom Schellekens comes third.

In an exciting race, the lead group formed early on before Sølvhøj, Riley Amos and Dario Lillo (Scott Davos MTB Project) were able to break away on the fourth lap. After several lead changes, the Dane Sølvhøj took the lead on the sixth lap and did not relinquish it until the finish. Lillo was close behind in second, with Tom Schellekens in third.

"Yes, it was just incredible. I still can't quite believe it. When we were riding up the Expert Climb, Riley made a mistake on the descent. I then took the descent a little slower and pushed a little harder on the climbs to force a mistake from Dario," says Oliver Sølvhøj, explaining his race tactics.

Lillo said after the race: "It was a good and tough race. The course here is very physical. At the beginning we were quite a big group at the front, then the three of us guys managed to open up a gap. From then on, it was an all-out sprint with Oliver to the finish, where he was a bit faster than me."

Results

In the U23 women's race, Ronja Blöchlinger (LIV), Heby Sofie Pedersen (Wilier - Pirelli Factory Team XCO) and Ginia Caluori (Thömus Akros - Youngstars) pulled away from the field early on. Blöchlinger retires from the battle for victory on the fourth lap with a defect. Then it was Pedersen's turn to dominate the rest of the race. The Swiss rider Caluori crosses the finish line in second place. Third place went to Emilly Johnston (Trek Future Racing) from Canada.

"I just tried to go full gas from the start. I think I was strong on the descents, so I was able to gain time and then go full gas on the climbs. But it was also a shame that Ronja had a mechanical problem, she was very strong," says Pedersen.

Second-placed Ginia Caluori: "I can't believe it, I feel like I'm in a movie. Today I felt really strong, I was able to ride the descents in a controlled and focused way and also push on the climbs."

Results