Tom Pidcock continued to rule supreme in the Nové Mesto Men's Elite XC event of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, collecting his fifth top title in the race in as many starts.
Meanwhile in the women's equivalent event, Austrian star Laura Stigger - a road racer for a year with SD Worx-Protime in 2025 - claimed victory by nearly a minute, her first in MTB for 2026.
The battle for the podium in the technical woodlands circuit in the Czech Republic was much more intense, with Sina Frei, Jenny Rissveds and Nicole Koller fighting for two spots. Finally Koller fell off the pace, with Rissveds outsprinting Frei for the silver, 47 seconds down on Stigger, while Koller crossed the line in fourth, 56 seconds down.
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Meanwhile in the men's race, Pidcock opened up a good gap early on, only for France's Luca Martin, the winner at Les Gets last year, to fight back. Eventually, Pidcock crossed the line for yet another win, but only by 18 seconds. Third was Switzerland's Filippo Colombo, 1:18 down.
"I didn't make it easy for myself, the level rises each year and i can't rest on my laurels," Pidcock, second the previous day behind France's Mathis Azzaro in the XCC event, said in a statement reported by Sporza.
“I had a really good start and I was probably a bit too keen in the first laps” he added in a press release from Pinarello-Q36.5, adding he'd used his strength on the climbs to make the difference.
"When Luca went in front, I knew that was a point where everyone was kind of showing themselves a little bit and I thought, I will test the water and see what happens. But it's a long way. Luca was pushing me all the way. He kept coming close and I had to kick again a few times.
“My fitness is good, but when I haven't done many races, I need to be a bit more cautious than perhaps in another part of the season” he continued.
“I think it shows everyone is pushing, everyone is getting better and stronger. The level of the sport keeps getting higher and higher. It keeps me on my toes because I can't rest on my laurels. These guys are working just as hard.”
