Wloszczowska wins Val di Sole World Cup
Batty second, Neff third


















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