Sina Frei takes the lead on the first lap and is alone in front after just two kilometers. She extends her lead to 50 seconds before coming under pressure again on the penultimate lap - Richards has reduced her deficit to 20 seconds.

What was going on? "I dropped the chain," explains Frei. And twice. On the fourth of five laps and then again on the final lap. "I got a bit nervous the second time," admits Frei. However, by this time she had already extended the gap to Richards to 35 seconds. In the end, she completed the dozen U23 World Cup victories with ease. "It's probably my last one," nods Sina Frei. In 2019, she will probably move up to the elite ahead of time in her last U23 year.