Neff wins final UCI World Cup in La Bresse, seals overall

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Jolanda Neff (Kross Racing) won her third UCI XCO World Cup title in emphatic fashion on Sunday in La Bresse, France, with a victory in the final round.

After raining for most of the week, race day dawned sunny but cool. The sun gradually dried the sections of the circuit in the open, but it remained muddy and slippery in the woods.

The women's race proved to be one of the most exciting in years, with multiple lead changes as riders flatted and chase back to the leaders.

Neff took an early lead, with Emily Batty (Trek Factory), Annika Langvad (Specialized), Alessandra Keller (Thomus-RN Racing) and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Canyon Factory) chasing.

After Neff flatted on the second lap, Langvad moved into the lead, closely followed by Batty, but when Langvad also flatted on the next lap, Batty moved into the lead for two laps.

Neff was chasing back, but flatted again, although she finally managed to rejoin Batty in the lead at the end of lap 5 with Ferrand-Prévot.

On the final lap, Neff managed to get away by a few seconds and hold it to the finish line, with Batty coming in five seconds later, followed by Langvad at 27 seconds.

"It was pretty unbelievable today," admitted Neff. "It was crazy from start to finish. It is incredible to race in France because there are always so many fans. I raced with mud tyres and maybe not enough pressure, so it was definitely my own fault. Twice I saw the race go away and I thought, 'This is it.' But I kept riding and closing the gaps, and I felt that it was still possible. This was definitely the toughest [overall] title to win, and I had to fight all season."

Neff finished the series with 1,930 points, followed by Langvad, 187 points behind. Batty jumped from fourth to third, 30 points ahead of Keller.

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