The women's short track race, the World Cup opener in Nove Mesto, starts in an orderly group. It was only when the pace increased in the final quarter of the race that some of the riders broke away from the peloton and things began to get more exciting. Two laps before the end, the leading group is also shaken up. A crash on the pump track tore another hole in the group - also affecting the Swiss rider Nicole Koller and the Italian champion Eva Lechner. The latter had to end the race prematurely with her handlebars falling off.

While Koller is chasing to catch up, there is a battle for positions at the front, with the young Brit Evie Richards right at the front. She is the first to start the long sprint, which initially appears to be an advantage for world champion Pauline Ferrand Prevot. However, Richards is able to increase the horrendous pace once again and wins in the blink of an eye ahead of the world champion. "I would have been happy with a top 10 result - I can hardly believe I won. I'm over the moon," said a delighted Richards, her voice almost bubbling over.
Frenchwoman Loana Lecomte landed another surprise with third place.

Sina Frei narrowly missed out on the podium, but her fourth place secured her a place on the front row. With tenth and eleventh place, Linda Indergand and Jolanda Neff will have to make do with the second starting line in the cross country on Thursday. After all, Nicole Koller's race to catch up paid off and she snatched the last place on the second row of the grid.

Surprise and consequences of a crash

After Bartlomiej Wawak from Poland took the lead for a good lap, it was Henrique Avancini who brought about the first increase in speed on lap two. Nino Schurter is no longer at the front. Not because of the faster pace: the world champion is involved in a crash shortly after the start of the third lap and drops back to 28th position and Lars Forster also suffers the same fate. But Avancini also crashed on the pump track shortly afterwards.

Now it is the Frenchmen Victor Koretzky and Jordan Sarrou, among others, who are dictating the pace. Mathias Flückiger and Filippo Colombo follow in the slipstream, but Matthias Stirnemann and Andri Frischknecht are also in the lead.

The pace remains high and after numerous changes of position, it is Colombo who increases the pace on the penultimate climb - Flückiger takes over on the final climb. But again it is Koretzky who attacks again, then also takes the sprint, but is unable to pull through like Richards. The Mexican Jose Gerardo Ulloa Arevalo is stronger in the sprint and makes the second surprise of the day perfect.
Ulloa Arevalo, who was at the front throughout the race, was overjoyed but almost serene about his victory: "I've been working towards this race for a long time and I'm very happy to have won here in Nove Mesto. As the first Mexican Mountain Bike World Cup winner, I am also making my family and my country proud!"

Frenchman Maxime Marotte came third and a Swiss rider also finished in fourth place. Filippo Colombo from Ticino will therefore start from row one in the cross-country race on Thursday in his first elite year.
Mathias Flückiger secured the last place on the front row, while Nino Schurter finished a distant 29th.

Results short track men

1. Jose Gerardo Ulloa Arevalo (MEX)
2. Victor Koretzky (FRA)
3rd Maxime Marotte (FRA)
4th Filippo Colombo (SUI)
5th Maximilian Brandl (GER)
6th Alan Hatherly (RSA)
7th Daniele Braidot (ITA)
8. Mathias Flückiger (SUI)
9th Titouan Carod (FRA)
10th Anton Cooper (NZL)
21st Lars Forster (SUI)
22nd Matthias Stirnemann (SUI)
26th Reto Indergand (SUI)
29th Nino Schurter (SUI)
30th Andri Frischknecht (SUI)

Results short track women

1. Evie Richards (GBR)
2. Pauline Ferrand Prevot (FRA)
3. Loana Lecomte (FRA)
4th Sina Frei (SUI)
5th Elisabeth Brandau (GER)
6th Kate Courtney (USA)
7th Maja Wloszczowska (POL)
8. Anne Terpstra (NED)
9th Annika Langvad (DEN)
10. Linda Indergand (SUI)
11th Jolanda Neff (SUI)
16th Nicole Koller (SUI)
29th Ramona Forchini (SUI)

Full rankings