Ferrand-Prévot and Carod win short track events at Val di Sole MTB World Cup

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Alessandra Keller and Alan Hatherly secure overall series titles

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L to r: Loana Lecomte, Pauline Ferrand Prevot, Alessandra Keller
L to r: Loana Lecomte, Pauline Ferrand Prevot, Alessandra Keller on the podium at short track event at Val di Sole MTB World Cup(Image credit: Rob Jones)

The final round of the first-ever World Cup season in the cross-country Short Track (XCC), saw world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (BMC) win the women's race and her BMC teammate Titouan Carod win the men's on Friday, in Val di Sole, Italy. 

The first overall series titles went to Alessandra Keller (Thomus Maxon) and Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory).

The women's 20-minute race quickly came down to four riders - Ferrand-Prévot, Keller, Loana Lecomte (Canyon Collective) and Olympic XCO champion Jolanda Neff (Trek Factory).

The group stayed together until the final lap, when Lecomte launched an attack on the climb. Only Ferrand-Prévot could stay with her, and then passed her in the final corner to take the win by a bike length. 

Keller took third, to give her 1,470 points, 190 ahead of early season series leader Rebecca McConnell (Primaflora Mondraker Genuins), who finished second overall, 21 points in front of Neff.

The battle for the men's title was expected to be between Hatherly and second place Filippo Colombo (BMC), who was only 62 points back going into the final round. 

However, when Hatherly attacked aggressively in the early laps, Colombo faded, to eventually finish 15th. Carod was the only rider to go with Hatherly, attacking on the final lap to win, with Hatherly securing his title by finishing second, ahead of Luca Braidot (Santa Cruz FSA). 

Colombo held onto to his second in the overall standings, but Carod jumped from fifth to third with his win, his first in XCC.

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