Mathieu van der Poel collects first MTB World Cup win in Nove Mesto
Cyclo-cross world champion and emerging road star drops Nino Schurter on final lap
Mathieu van der Poel (Corendon Circus) finally took his first Mountain Bike World Cup victory on Sunday, at Round 2 in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic.
Van der Poel was at the front from the start on a course that he calls his favourite. However, he was shadowed by his nemesis, world champion Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM). The duo rode away from the rest of the field, with local favourite Ondrej Cink (Kross Racing) following alone in third.
Schurter tried an attack halfway through the race on the longest climb but van der Poel easily covered it. The world champion could not respond when van der Poel launched a searing attack on the final climb of the last lap, opening up a gap of 15 seconds in 300 metres, and riding in to win by 19 seconds, recording the fastest lap of the day.
Round 1 winner Mathias Flueckiger (Thomus RN Swiss Bike) took third. Van der Poel, by virtue of second at Round 1, two short track wins and now his first XCO win, continues to lead the overall standings with 700 points, followed by Flueckiger at 500 and Schurter at 485.
"It was a battle between the greatest mountain bikers, so it was so sweet to win," said van der Poel. "I had that point on the course for my attack in my mind two laps before the finish, and I just went all in. I'm really happy to finally get my first World Cup win. For me, it is one of my biggest achievements, one of the toughest things I can do. I've been trying for three years, so I've been dreaming of a World Cup win."
Brief Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) | 1:21:54 |
2 | Nino Schurter (Sui) | 0:00:19 |
3 | Mathias Flueckiger (Sui) | 0:01:53 |
4 | Henrique Avancini (Bra) | 0:02:01 |
5 | Ondřej Cink (Cze) | 0:02:12 |
6 | Maxime Marotte (Fra) | 0:02:30 |
7 | Gerhard Erschbaumer | 0:02:41 |
8 | Jose Gerardo Ulloa Arevalo (Mex) | 0:02:46 |
9 | Andri Frischknecht (Sui) | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
10 | Jordan Sarrou (Fra) | 0:02:51 |
Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets
After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59
Join now for unlimited access
Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Most Popular
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
No US rounds on compact 2024-2025 Cyclocross World Cup calendar
UCI adds round in Sardinia, 'protected event' status for races outside Belgium, Netherlands -
Road prep and adapting to new rules as Life Time Grand Prix begins at Fuego XL mountain bike event
Lauren De Crescenzo uses The Growler for confidence boost ride ahead of prestigious off-road series -
Juan Pedro Lopez seals Tour of the Alps as Aurelien Paret-Peintre wins final stage
Spaniard comes home in reduced front group in Levico Terme to claim overall victory -
'I feel reborn' - Giulio Ciccone returns at Romandie after saddle sore surgery
Italian to ride Tour de France and Vuelta a España after late start to 2024 season