Stigger and Pidcock as well as Blöchlinger and Boichis are the first World Cup winners

Cross Country Weltcup Nove Mesto 2023. ©Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool

Photo: Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool

At the start of the Cross-Country World Cup in Nové Město na Moravě, Laura Stigger (AUT) and Tom Pidcock (GBR) win the short track races in the elite categories. The U23s also rode the short races for the first time, with Switzerland's Ronja Blöchlinger taking victory. Frenchman Adrien Boichis has the fastest legs in the U23 men's race.

In the elite women's race, all the big names are on the start line in the pouring rain. Last year's Short Track World Cup winner Jolanda Neff (Trek Factory Racing XC), defending overall series champion Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) and reigning world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) are among the favorites to win.

Austria's Laura Stigger made a perfect start to the season, crossing the finish line first after an intense race. In a thrilling sprint, she beat Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) and her team colleague Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing).

"I didn't expect that at all. It turned out perfectly. But it's so hard, I had to fight for every position, but then I was in the right place at the right time. It's just great," said a delighted Stigger about her first big win of the season.

World champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot took fourth place, Swiss rider Jolanda Neff finished ninth, Linda Indergand eleventh, Nicole Koller twelfth and Steffi Häberlin rode to 14th place.

Results

A dream start for Tom Pidcock

British rider Tom Pidcock, last year's winner of the World Cup in Nové Město, will start in the short track thanks to the retirement of local hero Ondrej Cink (Primaflor Mondraker Genuins). Likewise short track and marathon world champion Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Deceuninck). Both would have too few points to start, but will benefit from two retirements.

In the race, however, nobody can hold a candle to the two starting riders. Tom Pidcock rides tactically clever and storms to victory from the back of the field. Sam Gaze (NZL) takes silver, while German Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV) finishes third.

"The fact that I worked my way through the field to win makes it all the better. I only found out I was riding the race at three o'clock after training for three and a half hours this morning. I always like riding races here. I've been second on the short course before, so it's nice to win now," Pidcock reveals his unusual race preparation.

Swiss riders Mathias Flückiger and Nino Schurter ride to fourth and fifth place. They secure the front row of the grid for Sunday's cross-country race. Lars Forster rides to tenth place, Vital Albin to 14th and the Germans David List and Max Brandl also finish the race in eleventh and twelfth place, securing the second row of the grid.

Results

U23 premiere

Swiss rider Ronja Blöchlinger (Liv Factory Racing) and Adrien Boichis (Trinity Racing MTB) from France ride to victory in the first cross-country short track event of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Nové Město na Moravě.

In a hard-fought race from start to finish, first place in the U23 women's category went to Blöchlinger, Noëlle Buri (BIXS Performance Race Team) finished second just one second behind, Sofie Pedersen (Wilier - Pirelli Factory Team XCO) completed the podium in third place.

Adrien Boichis (Trinity Racing MTB) beat Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing XC) from the USA to take the first win of the year. Swiss rider Dario Lillo takes fifth place.

Results U23 women

Results U23 men