Val di Sole MTB World Cup: Stigger, Schwarzbauer win short track races

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Pauline Ferrand-Prevot holds XCC series lead after four races, while Schwarzbauer extends lead for men

Laura Stigger
Laura Stigger (Image credit: Getty Images)
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Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CCLCTV) and Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) won cross-country short track races in Val di Sole on Friday. The XCO races opened the fourth round of the 2023 MTB World Cup, with XCC later on the weekend.

Dry and fast conditions prevailed for the 38-rider women’s field as the short track event saw lead change upon lead change throughout the seven-lap race. 

Austria's Stigger surged ahead of Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) for the victory. 

Six seconds behind the duelling duo, Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) was overtaken in the final sprint by World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers). 

Ferrand-Prevot holds the women’s lead in the short track standings, with Stigger moving to second and Pieterse in third.

Schwarzbauer had room to spare as the German crossed the line ahead of Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) for his second victory in four outings. Joshua Dubau (RockRider Ford Racing) outsprinted Pierre de Froidmont (Orbea Factory Team) for third place. 

Schwarzbauer has a solid 200-point lead in the men’s XCC standings, with Jordan Sarrou (Team BMC) in second and Dubau in third.

Results

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Jackie Tyson
Jackie Tyson
North American Production editor

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).

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