Shortly before the end of the season: Frei with first World Cup victory
The women's elite short track began on a dry course and it was Rio 2016 Olympic champion Jenny Rissveds (Team 31 Ibis Cycles Continental) who set the pace. The leader of the short track series, Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon), fought her way to the front but was unable to get a breather from the still double-digit chasing group. Chiara Teocchi (Orbea Factory Team) and Nicole Koller (Ghost Factory Racing) both tried to ride alone, but were caught again before a breakaway group finally formed on the fifth lap, in which Rissveds, Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing), Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) and Koller made up ground. And when Stigger stumbled in the rock garden, Koller, Rissveds and Lecomte were able to pull away.
However, the new UCI Short Track World Champion Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli) was not far off the front and closed the gap in her first race in the rainbow jersey. The Brit had also won her two previous short-track races in the USA and seemed to be preparing for an attack to win her third. But it was not to be. Frei had also fine-tuned her tactics and pulled away together with Rissveds on the final lap. The two were inseparable in the rock garden, but on the final climb the Swiss rider dropped her Swedish rival with a hammer blow.
Rissveds had no answer, and Frei rode solo to the finish. Behind her, Richards beat Lecomte to finish third, while Swiss champion Nicole Koller achieved a personal best with fifth place. After the race, Sina Frei said: "It's wonderful. It's my first World Cup victory on the short track and that's something very special. And this victory is also for Muriel, who passed away at the Road World Championships!"
Overall short track winner Alessandra Keller said: "It's incredible. The overall victory was a big goal of mine. Consistency is one of the goals in my life. Securing the overall win means a lot to me. I had a pretty good race today too, I did make a mistake that cost me the podium, but I'm still very happy to be back and especially that I achieved my goal with one lap to go."
World champion Koretzky's up and go
It was Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) who set the pace at the start of the race. The new cross-country world champion showed that he can also keep up in the shorter format, as he recently proved in Les Gets, Haute Savoie (France). Another Cannondale Factory Racing rider, Simon Andreassen, broke away on the second lap and it was clear that the two were following some team tactics. Then disaster struck for Gaze. At a bottleneck just before the tunnel, the overall leader went down and soon found himself in last place. Koretzky sensed his chance. In the middle of the fifth lap, the Frenchman set a fast pace, but only felt out the competition for the rest of the race.
Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing), Filippo Colombo (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) and Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) took turns at the front, but Koretzky was never far behind. A chase by Chris Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) at the start of the penultimate lap ended prematurely with a heavy crash for the American halfway through the course. At the start of the last lap, a five-man lead group formed with Koretzky, Andreassen, Hatherly, Schurter and Martins Blums (KMC Ridley MTB Racing Team).
On the approach to the rock garden, Koretzky went full throttle and no one else could follow him. As if out of nowhere, the Frenchman built up a huge lead after the technical feature, which stretched all the way to the finish line. Andreassen finished second behind him, while Hatherly overtook Schurter to finish third. Gaze fought his way up to 32nd place and secured 42 points, meaning that the series title remains open until the final race. After the race, Koretzky said: "It was incredible. It was my first race as world champion and I really enjoyed it. It's something special when you wear this jersey. It's only for one year, so you have to enjoy it. And it was a nice day for Specialized today!"
Lillo and Böhm, Punchard and Holmgren
In the U23 riders' short track, Dario Lillo (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) and Kira Böhm (Cube Factory Racing) prevailed over their rivals. Both races remained exciting until the last second on a relentless short-track course.
Kira Böhm and Isabella Holmgren took turns at the front, but on the last lap the German pulled away and left the Canadian behind. At the finish, she celebrated her fourth win of the season and thus the lead in the overall standings ahead of the season finale in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada, next weekend.
The Swiss rider Lillo, meanwhile, left it to an attack on the last lap that no one could match to claim his first short track victory in this series. The men's U23 series will remain exciting until the end, with Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli) and Bjorn Riley (Trek Future Racing) neck and neck ahead of the final lap.
Lillo and Böhm also shone in the cross country, although two others were faster there. Isabella Holmgren was part of a large leading group on the first lap. On the second lap, the Canadian broke away on the main climb and this proved to be decisive. By the end of the second lap she had made up 37 seconds on second-placed Böhm, a lead that grew with every lap.
Behind them, Böhm, Swiss rider Ginia Calouri (Willier-Vittoria Factory Team XCO) and Madigan Munro (USA/ Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli) formed the next group of followers on the course, but the trio seemed more interested in fighting for the remaining podium places than catching the Canadian.
Holmgren's lead allowed her to relax on the final lap and enjoy the admiration of the many Canadians who had made the trip across the border to attend the Mountain Bike World Cup in the USA. As she crossed the finish line, she maintained her incredible 100 percent win rate in all four cross-country races she has competed in as part of the 2024 World Cups and will look to add to a fantastic record of five wins at her home race in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, next weekend. Böhm pulled away from Calouri and Munro on the final lap to finish second, while Switzerland's Calouri overtook the local heroine at the finish line to take third.
Punchard wins for the first time
Just like at the U23 Short Track World Cup, all eyes were on runner-up Riley Amos. But things were not to go in favor of the overall leader. Cole Punchard seized the initiative right from the start. Just like in the women's U23, a large group led by Luke Wiedmann (Thömus Maxon) stayed together as the peloton crossed the line for the first time. But when Punchard attacked, unlike Holmgren's efforts in the previous race, one rider - the previous day's U23 XCC winner Dario Lillo (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) - was able to hold his rear wheel.
The two had a narrow lead over Amos and newly-crowned cross-country world champion Luca Martin (Orbea Factory Team) at the halfway point of the race, but when a puncture thwarted Lillo's efforts, Punchard sensed his chance to attack again. The Canadian took advantage of the Swiss rider's mishap and extended his lead to over a minute. When he crossed the finish line for the last time, he had enough of a lead to enjoy his first U23 World Cup victory. Behind him, Lillo had found himself in a group with Alex Junior Malacarne (Trinity Racing MTB) and Amos, and the rising Swiss star used his short-track skills to sprint into second place, while Malacarne relegated the favored Amos to third.
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.