Andorra MTB World Cup: Keller controls women's XCC, Schwarzbauer outsprints Schurter in men's race

Luca Schwarzbauer wins XCC race at UCI MTB World Cup in Pal Arinsal ahead of Nino Schurter (Image credit: PAL ARINSAL MTB WORLD CUP)

Jump to:

Results (W)
Results (M)

Alessandra Keller (Thömus maxon) won the women’s short track cross-country race and Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV) outsprinted Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM- MTB Racing) in the men’s XCC on the fifth stop of the UCI MTB World Cup at Pal Arinsal on Friday.

Keller dominated the women’s high altitude event in Andorra from the beginning and accelerated away from the all challengers on the home straight on the final two laps. Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing) tried to close the gap on the climb before the last ride in the pumptrack, but fell short finishing six seconds back. Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceninck) was third on the eight-lap race, 17 seconds off the winning pace.

In the men’s race, Schwarzbauer led the front group for a good part of the nine-lap race. He used a final acceleration on the straightaway to capture the victory, his second in row after a win at Val di Sole. Schurter crossed the finish line one second later, while Team BMC’s Jordan Sarrou completed the podium one additional second later. Newly-crowned cross-country world champion Tom Pidcock finished 17th.

Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. She has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast). Her favorite road and gravel rides are around horse farms in north Georgia (USA) and around lavender fields in Provence (France), and some mtb rides in Park City, Utah (USA).