Neff finds form with Val di Sole victory

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Two-time overall World Cup champion Jolanda Neff (Kross Racing) has struggled this season, but showed she is returning to form with her victory on Sunday at the final round of the 2017 Mountain Bike World Cup series in Val di Sole, Italy.

Yana Belomoina (CST Sandd American Eagle) had already won the overall title going into the final race, with three wins in the previous five rounds. The women raced a start loop plus six laps of the four kilometre circuit, and Neff showed her form of old with a fast start that put her into the lead by the end of the start loop.

The Swiss rider was initially joined at the front by defending overall World Cup champion Catharine Pendrel (Clif Bar), Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Merida Gunn-Rita) and world champion Annika Langvad, but as those riders fell off the pace, Belomoina moved up to join Neff. The duo rode away from the chasers by Lap 2, and stayed together until Lap 5, when Neff attacked on a climb to solo away for the ninth World Cup win of her career, with Belomoina finishing 21 seconds back.

The chase group was whittled down to Maja Wloszczowska (Kross Racing) and Irina Kalentyeva (Moebel Maerki) by Lap 4, with Wloszczowska attacking on the final lap to finish third.

"I'm so happy about this," said Neff, "to be back racing at the top. I'm thankful to my team, who gave me the time I needed and had the faith that I would come back. I wasn't that confident of beating Yana, because she has won three World Cups this year and is so strong. It was perfect and I'm so happy."

Belomoina wins her first World Cup title with 1250 points, followed by Wloszczowska, jumping from third to second in the standings at 770 points. Langvad, after finishing fifth, moved up from fourth to third, with 744 points, while Neff jumped from 12th to fourth with her win.

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