After a six week break, the Mountain Bike World Cup resumed on Friday in Vallnord, Andorra, with the XCC (Short Track). While the XCC is always an intense effort, Vallnord is particularly hard, with the 2000 metre altitude making this the highest World Cup of the season.
Jolanda Neff (Trek Factory) finally won the first XCC of her career, outkicking Alessandra Keller (Thomus RN) and world champion and World Cup leader Kate Courtney (Scott-SRAM). Keller, the defending XCC winner in Andorra, is in her first World Cup of the season, coming back from injury. A large group were still together at the start of the last lap, when Ramona Forchini (JB Brunex Felt) attacked. Keller countered, and was only caught in the final half lap. Over the final steep bridge, Neff attacked and held on for the win.
In the overall standings, Courtney still leads Neff, with Rebecca McConnell (Primaflora Mondraker Rotor), moving up to third from fourth.
"It's amazing, my first Short Track win," said Neff, "I've been trying for so long. I stayed patient until the last 50 metres, I think that was key. It didn't hurt at all, because I could see the finish line."
Avancini repeats
After a six week break, the Mountain Bike World Cup resumed on Friday in Vallnord, Andorra, with the XCC (Short Track). While the XCC is always an intense effort, Vallnord is particularly hard, with the 2000 metre altitude making this the highest World Cup of the season.
Henrique Avancini (Cannondale Factory) repeated as the winner, leading for the entire final lap to finish ahead of world champion Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM). Maxime Marotte, Avancini's team mate, took third.
Mathieu van der Poel (Corendon Circus), the overall World Cup leader and winner of the first two rounds of the XCC this season, decided to skip Vallnord, citing his lack of time off following both the Cyclo-cross and early Road season, plus the first two rounds of the Mountain Bike World Cup. He says he will be back for the next round in Les Gets, France, next week.
Mathias Fluckiger (Thomus RN) took control of the race for the opening half of the race, but the altitude took its toll. Gerhard Kerschbaumer (Torpado Ursus), winner of the cross-country in Vallnord last year, attacked with two laps to go, but Avancini took control on the last lap, holding off Schurter over the final bridge.
Van der Poel remains the overall World Cup leader with 700 points, but Schurter has closed to within 115 points, and will likely take the lead after the Cross-country on Sunday.
"I just feel so connected to the mountains here," said Avancini. "So, it feels less hard to push. I was fifth in the first round, third in the next one, so now a win. It's unbelievable, to be able to beat such a legend like Nino. The dust was quite tricky today, so that was the main reason why I tried to be in the front."
Results
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jolanda Neff | 0:22:40 |
| 2 | Alessandra Keller | 0:00:01 |
| 3 | Kate Courtney | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
| 4 | Ramona Forchini | 0:00:02 |
| 5 | Anne Terpstra | 0:00:08 |
| 6 | Pauline Ferrand Prevot | 0:00:14 |
| 7 | Catharine Pendrel | 0:00:16 |
| 8 | Linda Indergand | 0:00:20 |
| 9 | Emily Batty | 0:00:27 |
| 10 | Sina Frei | 0:00:30 |
| 11 | Chiara Teocchi | 0:00:33 |
| 12 | Eva Lechner | 0:00:35 |
| 13 | Annie Last | 0:00:36 |
| 14 | Anne Tauber | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
| 15 | Githa Michiels | 0:00:37 |
| 16 | Elisabeth Brandau | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
| 17 | Yana Belomoina | 0:00:41 |
| 18 | Daniela Campuzano Chavez Peon | Row 17 - Cell 2 |
| 19 | Sandra Walter | Row 18 - Cell 2 |
| 20 | Mariske Strauss | 0:00:43 |
| 21 | Rebecca Ellen Mcconnell | Row 20 - Cell 2 |
| 22 | Lea Davison | 0:00:44 |
| 23 | Candice Lill | 0:00:45 |
| 24 | Haley Smith | 0:00:48 |
| 25 | Tanja Zakelj | 0:00:54 |
| 26 | Barbara Benko | 0:01:01 |
| 27 | Janika Loiv | 0:01:05 |
| 28 | Kathrin Stirnemann | 0:01:14 |
| 29 | Agustina Maria Apaza | 0:01:16 |
| 30 | Sofia Gomez Villafane | Row 29 - Cell 2 |
| 31 | Paula Gorycka | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
| 32 | Jovana Crnogorac | Row 31 - Cell 2 |
| 33 | Elisabeth Osl | Row 32 - Cell 2 |
| 34 | Jitka Cabelicka | Row 33 - Cell 2 |
| 35 | Aleksandra Podgorska | Row 34 - Cell 2 |
| 36 | Raiza Goulao Henrique | Row 35 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Nadine Rieder | Row 36 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Cindy Montambault | Row 37 - Cell 2 |
| DNS | Julie Bresset | Row 38 - Cell 2 |
| DNS | Fabienne Schaus | Row 39 - Cell 2 |
Elite Men Results
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henrique Avancini | 0:21:06 |
| 2 | Nino Schurter | 0:00:01 |
| 3 | Maxime Marotte | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
| 4 | Gerhard Kerschbaumer | 0:00:02 |
| 5 | Titouan Carod | 0:00:04 |
| 6 | Jordan Sarrou | 0:00:06 |
| 7 | Victor Koretzky | 0:00:08 |
| 8 | Mathias Flueckiger | 0:00:09 |
| 9 | Anton Cooper | 0:00:12 |
| 10 | Ondrej Cink | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
| 11 | Daniele Braidot | 0:00:13 |
| 12 | Reto Indergand | 0:00:15 |
| 13 | Florian Vogel | 0:00:18 |
| 14 | Jose Gerardo Ulloa Arevalo | 0:00:21 |
| 15 | Nadir Colledani | 0:00:22 |
| 16 | Bartlomiej Wawak | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
| 17 | Matthias Stirnemann | 0:00:30 |
| 18 | Peter Disera | 0:00:34 |
| 19 | David Valero Serrano | 0:00:35 |
| 20 | Lars Forster | 0:00:36 |
| 21 | Stephane Tempier | 0:00:37 |
| 22 | Jens Schuermans | 0:00:39 |
| 23 | Alan Hatherly | 0:00:40 |
| 24 | Joshua Dubau | Row 23 - Cell 2 |
| 25 | Thomas Litscher | 0:00:44 |
| 26 | Manuel Fumic | 0:01:01 |
| 27 | Jan Skarnitzl | 0:01:06 |
| 28 | Hugo Drechou | 0:01:15 |
| 29 | Ben Oliver | 0:01:17 |
| 30 | Karl Markt | 0:01:19 |
| 31 | Keegan Swenson | 0:01:24 |
| 32 | Georg Egger | 0:01:28 |
| 33 | Andri Frischknecht | 0:01:33 |
| 34 | Anton Sintsov | 0:01:40 |
| 35 | Kevin Panhuyzen | 0:01:50 |
| 36 | Milan Vader | 0:01:51 |
| 37 | Gregor Raggl | 0:01:52 |
| 38 | Sergio Mantecon Gutierrez | Row 37 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Sebastian Fini Carstensen | Row 38 - Cell 2 |
| DNS | Carlos Coloma Nicolas | Row 39 - Cell 2 |
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