Podium: l to r - Maxime Marotte, Mathieu van der Poel, Henrique Avancini
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Chloe Woodruff (Team USA) wins
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Mathieu van der Poel (Corendon-Circus) sits in the bunch
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Haley Smith (Norco Factory Team) at the front
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Haley Smith (Norco Factory Team) leading Anne Terpstra (Ghost Factory Racing)
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Nadine Rieder at the front
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Malene Degn (KMC-Ekoi-Orbea), Yana Belomoina (CST Sandd Bafang MTB Racing Team)
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Chloe Woodruff (Team USA)
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Kate Courtney (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing), Nadine Rieder, Annie Last (KMC-Ekoi-Orbea), Anne Terpstra (Ghost Factory Racing)
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Kate Courtney (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing), Anne Tauber (CST Sandd Bafang MTB Racing Team), Rebecca McConnell (Primaflor Mondraker Rotor)
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Chloe Woodruff (Team USA) attacks
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Chloe Woodruff (Team USA) checks to see who is chasing
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Chloe Woodruff (USA) well out in front with 1 lap to go
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
The bunch start the last lap
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Annie Last (KMC-Ekoi-Orbea) takes 2nd, Jolanda Neff (Trek Factory) 3rd
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
The women's short track start
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Henrique Avancini (Cannondale Factory Racing) takes the lead
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Chloe Woodruff (Team USA) took a gamble and it paid off with victory in the XCC (Short Track) at the second round of the Mountain Bike World Cup on Friday, in Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic.
The fast track at Nove Mesto led to a race of attrition, with a few riders getting shed every lap due to the high intensity. Woodruff stole off the front of the women's race and nobody was willing to take up the chase, allowing her to roll in for the best World Cup result of her career. Annie Last (KMC-Ekoi-Orbea) won the field sprint ahead of Jolanda Neff (Trek Factory) and World Cup leader Kate Courtney (Scott-SRAM). Courtney continues to lead the women's standings, with Neff second and Woodruff moving up one spot to third.
"I was inspired by Kate [Courtney, Round 1 winner] last week," said Woodruff, "so this means a lot. I race short track all the time and I love it. I knew my best bet was to go early, but I didn't know how big a gap I had until the last corner."
Mathieu van der Poel (Corendon Circus) proved once again that he is the best XCC (short track) racer on the Mountain Bike World Cup circuit with his second win in a row, in Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic, on Friday night.
The men's race saw multiple riders take a turn at the front, with van der Poel biding his time until four laps to go, when he accelerated away. He quickly opened a nine second lead, with Peter Disera (Norco Factory Team) leading the chase at the front of the field. The Dutchman eased up at the line, crossing just ahead of the field sprint, led by Maxime Marotte (Cannondale Factory) and Henrique Avancini (Cannondale Factory). Van der Poel padded his lead in the overall standings over Mathis Flueckiger (Thomus RN Swiss Bike), with Marotte moving up to third from fourth.
"Last year, this was a really nervous race," explained van der Poel, "so I didn't really want to take a chance with a sprint. It was really painful, but eventually I got a gap and just went full gas to the finish."
Brief Results
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