Wloszczowska wins Val di Sole World Cup

Maja Wloszczowska (Kross Racing) won her first World Cup since 2012, the fourth of her career, in a thrilling round 4 of the UCI Mountain Bike XCO World Cup in Val di Sole, Italy. A start loop crash taking out World Cup leader Annika Langvad (Specialized) out of the race, allowing Jolanda Neff (Kross Racing) to move into the leader's jersey, after finishing third in Val di Sole.

A crash in the first 200 metres, at the front of the race, took Langvad out of the race with a wrist injury, as well as Linda Indergand (Focus XC). Fourth-ranked Anne Tauber (CST Sannd American Eagle) and Annie Last (KMC-Ekoi-SR Suntour) were both also delayed by the incident, although Tauber had a strong ride back up from the mid-30s to finish 10th.

A group of five formed on the first lap, which stayed together for all but the final lap and a half of the six-lap race. Neff shared the early pace setting with Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Canyon Factory). Canadian champion Emily Batty (Trek Factory) followed them without much problem, while Wloszczowska and Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Team Merida Gunn-Rita) would get gapped on the climbs but re-join the front of the race before the end of each lap.

Halfway through the penultimate fifth lap, Wloszczowska attacked hard on the second climb, opening a gap as Neff wouldn't chase her teammate and the others hesitated. Batty finally took up the chase, marked by Neff, as Ferrand-Prevot and Dahle Flesjaa dropped back for good. Neff gapped Batty slightly before crashing, and was then dropped on the final lap by Batty, who was chasing Wloszczowska hard, but could not close the gap, finishing nine seconds back, followed by Neff at 30 seconds, then Ferrand Prevot and Dahle Flesjaa.

"Winning here means that I am still young and powerful," said Wloszczowska. "I've been so many times second and third, and last year I was second overall, but there was always something missing. Today I had an okay start, but not in the leading group. I managed to chase up, but Jolanda, Pauline and Emily looked like they were stronger than me, but as the race went on I was feeling better and better, and I knew that I needed to make a move, and wait to the end. So, I tried with two laps to go and it worked."

Langvad drops to second in the standings after not finishing, 52 points behind new leader Neff who has 975 points. Ferrand-Prevot remains in third at 806 points, with Wloszczowska moving up to fourth from sixth with her win.

Full Results

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#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Maja Wloszczowska (Pol)1:30:51
2Emily Batty (Can)0:00:09
3Jolanda Neff (Swi)0:00:30
4Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Fra)0:00:38
5Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Nor)0:00:41
6Alessandra Keller (Swi)0:01:39
7Kate Courtney (USA)0:01:41
8Elisabeth Brandau (Ger)Row 7 - Cell 2
9Yana Belomoina (Ukr)0:01:58
10Anne Tauber (Ned)0:02:20
11Anne Terpstra (Ned)0:02:52
12Tanja Žakelj (Slo)0:03:30
13Lea Davison (USA)0:03:34
14Chloe Woodruff (USA)0:03:37
15Barbara Benkó (Hun)0:03:56
16Ellen Noble (USA)0:04:20
17Annie Last (GBr)0:04:45
18Sandra Walter (Can)0:04:55
19Haley Smith (Can)0:05:16
20Julie Bresset (Fra)0:05:32
21Kathrin Stirnemann (Swi)0:05:43
22Eva Lechner (Ita)0:05:55
23Katarzyna Solus-Miskowicz (Pol)0:06:08
24Cherie Redecker (RSA)0:06:15
25Olga Terentyeva (Rus)0:06:30
26Githa Michiels (Bel)0:06:34
27Nadine Rieder (Ger)0:07:19
28Sabrina Enaux (Fra)0:07:33
29Lena Gerault (Fra)0:07:51
30Anna Van Der Breggen (Ned)0:08:20
31Jitka Škarnitzlová (Cze)0:08:39
32Fabienne Schaus (Lux)0:08:46
33Mariske Strauss (RSA)0:09:28
34Irina Kalentyeva (Rus)0:09:46
35Serena Calvetti (Ita)0:10:17
36Marine Groccia (Swi)0:10:38
37Hana Ježková (Cze)0:10:51
38Elisabeth Osl (Aut)0:11:27
39Annemarie Worst (Ned)0:11:38
40Paula Gorycka (Pol)0:11:59
41Maghalie Rochette (Can)0:12:09
42Lotte Koopmans (Ned)0:12:30
43Chrystelle Baumann (Swi)0:12:34
44Agustina Maria Apaza (Arg)0:12:49
45Aleksandra Podgorska (Pol)0:13:11
46Catherine Fleury (Can)Row 45 - Cell 2
47Claudia Galicia Cortina (Spa)Row 46 - Cell 2
48Raiza Goulao Henrique (Bra)Row 47 - Cell 2
49Ingrid Sofie Bøe Jacobsen (Nor)Row 48 - Cell 2
50Janika Lõiv (Est)Row 49 - Cell 2
51Jaqueline Mourao (Bra)Row 50 - Cell 2
52Cindy Montambault (Can)Row 51 - Cell 2
53Elyse Nieuwold (Can)Row 52 - Cell 2
54Elisabeth Sveum (Nor)Row 53 - Cell 2
55Kerry Macphee (GBr)Row 54 - Cell 2
56Rebecca Beaumont (Can)Row 55 - Cell 2
57Linn Gustafzzon (Swe)Row 56 - Cell 2
58Gaia Ravaioli (Ita)Row 57 - Cell 2
59Jovana Crnogorac (Srb)Row 58 - Cell 2
60Faranak Partoazar (IRI)Row 59 - Cell 2
61Joana Monteiro (Por)Row 60 - Cell 2
62Lucie Veselá (Cze)Row 61 - Cell 2
63Alizée Paties (Fra)Row 62 - Cell 2
64Noora Kanerva (Fin)Row 63 - Cell 2
65Luciana Roland (Arg)Row 64 - Cell 2
66Camille Devi (Fra)Row 65 - Cell 2
67Theresia Schwenk (Ger)Row 66 - Cell 2
68Heidi Gould (GBr)Row 67 - Cell 2
DNFJanka Keseg Stevkova (Svk)Row 68 - Cell 2
DNFLaura Terradas Ill (Spa)Row 69 - Cell 2
DNFRamona Forchini (Swi)Row 70 - Cell 2
DNFSabine Spitz (Ger)Row 71 - Cell 2
DNFRebecca Mcconnell (Aus)Row 72 - Cell 2
DNFAnnika Langvad (Den)Row 73 - Cell 2
DNFLinda Indergand (Swi)Row 74 - Cell 2
DNFKarla Štěpánová (Cze)Row 75 - Cell 2
DNFAlaina Casioppo (USA)Row 76 - Cell 2

 

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