Schurter equalizes World Cup record - McConnell takes first victory
McConnell rides to first World Cup victory thanks to great fighting spirit
It seems to be a boring race right from the start. Loana Lecomte (FRA) rides away from her rivals shortly afterwards. But the Frenchwoman was slow to open up a gap. It was just under 20 seconds before the end of the third lap. Rebecca McConnell (AUS), who had been in the chase until then, was caught by Anne Tersptra (NED) and even managed to catch up with Lecomte together with the Dutchwoman. The latter lost time due to a mistake in the Rock Garden, among other things.
The three-rider lead did not last long, however, as Terpstra soon set off on her own and visibly increased her lead. And while McConnell seemed to burst at times, the Australian and Lecomte now kept the gap in the eleven-second range. Towards the end of the penultimate lap, there were suddenly some strange scenes. Two lapped riders, who should no longer be in the race according to the 80 percent rule, do not allow Terpstra to ride clear. The brief obstruction costs the Dutchwoman a few seconds and probably also some concentration.
This has consequences, because after Terpstra makes a mistake on the climb, Rebecca McConnell catches up and takes the lead shortly afterwards, while Lecomte is unable to keep up. Even though the Dutchwoman and the Frenchwoman did not concede defeat, the Australian increased her lead and won a World Cup race for the first time. This comes after many years in which she was always among the front runners but never managed to finish perfectly. "I don't know what to say - it's crazy. I rode the short downhill to the finish line and just thought, what the hell is happening here," McConnell commented on her victory in disbelief. "Over the years I've always been well prepared and pretty consistent, but that never means it's enough to win. It's all the better that it's worked out now. I'm just enjoying it now and not even looking ahead to the rest of the season."
Tyrolean Laura Stigger and Mona Mitterwallner complete the podium behind Terpstra and Lecomte. Caroline Bohe also surprised everyone. In her first Elite World Cup, the Dane immediately rides to sixth place. Linda Indergand was on course for the podium for a long time, but then lost some ground and rode to a strong seventh place, just ahead of Alessandra Keller, who made up ground impressively after a bad start. Kate Courtney makes it back into the top 10 in ninth place, which is completed by Anne Tauber from the Netherlands.
Some well-known names are missing from the cross-country race. Evie Richards and Jolanda Neff have to miss the start due to illness, Pauline Ferrand Prevot is abandoning the race for the same reasons.
33rd World Cup victory in the last meter
Despite a very high pace, the men's field barely dragged on. With Ondrej Cink in the lead, practically all the favorites return after one lap. But on the second lap, the wheat begins to separate from the chaff and Nino Schurter starts to get involved at the front. Meanwhile, Mathias Flückiger crashes and loses touch. He forms the chasing group with Colombo and Braidot on lap four.
At the front, it is short-track winner Alan Hatherly who takes the lead and tries to put Schurter and Co. under pressure. Under the South African's pace dictates, the leading group shrinks to five, and on lap four to three riders, Maxime Marotte (FRA), Nino Schurter and Vlad Dascalu (ROM). Hatherly breaks away and local hero Henrique Avancini also loses contact. One and a half laps later, the three leaders have extended their lead, with the young Romanian in the lead. Behind him, Swiss rider Filippo Colombo has closed in on Avancini and is now in fourth place with two laps to go, but will soon be joined by Sebastian Fini-Carstensen (DEN) and Belgian rider Pierre De Froidmont.
Meanwhile, the leading trio ride into the final lap and appear to remain calm. But then Nino Schurter attacks and tries to shake off his rivals, but can't get away. The sprint is launched on the last climb, but now Marotte passes him before the short descent to the finish, while Dascalu can no longer keep up. Schurter uses his momentum and slipstreaming to snatch victory away from Marotte. The reigning world champion thus equals Julien Absalon's World Cup record.
"It took me three years to realize my 33rd World Cup victory, and in front of this magnificent crowd. When Maxime passed me, I only thought it was lost for a moment, but I didn't give up," says an emotionally shaken Schurter.
Maxime Marotte's words resonate with joy and disappointment in equal measure: "I haven't been on the podium for a few years now and it feels good to be back. But now I was closer to victory than ever before and just didn't make it - I'm a bit lost for words, but that's also part of racing."
Sebastian Fini-Carstensen rides to his best World Cup result with fourth place, as does Filippo Colombo, who secures the last remaining podium place. Thomas Litscher, who was among the front runners at the start, recovers after his slump, catches up again and finishes the race in eighth place. Mathias Flückiger fights his way to the finish in 14th place.
Baumann second behind world champion
In the U23 race, the reigning world champion Martin Vidaurre-Kossman is already pulling away after the starting lap. However, he must not make any mistakes, as Swiss rider Janis Baumann is within striking distance behind him. However, the leading Chilean was able to slightly extend his lead and won the race after five laps. Baumann rides into second place ahead of the Ukrainian Oleksandr Hudyma. Swiss rider Luca Walter surprises with sixth place, ahead of his compatriots Luca Schätti and Dario Lillo in seventh and eighth.
French rider Line Burquier won the U23 women's race ahead of the two Italians Sara Cortinovis and Giada Specia.
With race bike tactics to victory
The women's race remains calm until Sina Frei is looking for a preliminary decision in the middle of the race. But she doesn't find it and ends up eleventh. Before and after that, defending World Cup champion Loana Lecomte (FRA) seemed to control the race
.But then it was Rebecca McConnel who attacked. Just under two laps are possible, but Evie Richards closes the gap and passes the Australian. In the last decisive climb, Ferrand-Prevot (FRA) now comes from behind and brings a narrow lead to the finish in a controlled manner. Laura Stigger (AUT) is second, Richards is third. Alessandra Keller finishes the short track in eighth place.
"I didn't expect things to go so well after the Cape Epic," says the Frenchwoman, even if her start wasn't ideal: "I fell off the pedals and had to catch up first. Fortunately, I was able to recover from this effort and attack at the decisive moment. I benefited from my tactical sense from the road."
Keep your feet still until the end
The men's short track race is dominated at the start by Brazilian national hero Henrique Avancini. He announces his ambitions early on without overdoing it. Halfway through the race, it is Mathias Flückiger who increases the pace again, but without really attacking. The field then remains compact again but with constant lead changes.
Nino Schurter launches the first serious attack, right on time for the last lap. But his rivals don't let him go and it is Avancini who tries his luck. However, Thomas Litscher puts a spoke in his wheel, passes him and pulls away just before the end. Too close, however, because Avancini's team colleague Alan Hatherly, who had been hiding well in the lead group beforehand, used the sprinter's gap to build up momentum and catch the Swiss rider before the finish line. "Incredible" is the word the South African keeps repeating, still a little incredulous about his short-track victory.Nino Schurter nevertheless does well and finishes fifth, Mathias Flückiger rides to sixth place.
New points system
In the 2022 season, the UCI will apply a new points system. The short track will now be counted as a fully-fledged individual World Cup, where the winners will each receive 250 points. However, the respective results will still count towards the starting line-up in cross country. Furthermore, some points from the short track also count towards the cross-country classification. This means that the winners each earn 80 points in the overall standings for the Olympic discipline.
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