UCI MTB World Series Nové Město: Back-to-back wins for Christopher Blevins in elite men's cross-country race

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Mathis Azzaro second and Lars Forster third as Mathieu van der Poel crashes and abandons

Christopher Blevins wins elite men's cross-country race at UCI Mountain Bike World Series Nove Mesto
Christopher Blevins wins elite men's cross-country race at UCI Mountain Bike World Series Nove Mesto (Image credit: UCI Mountain Bike World Series)
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After winning a third-straight short track event, Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) went on to also claim the elite men's cross-country race at the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike Series XCO World Cup in Nové Město na Moravě on Sunday.

The US rider soloed to the victory by seven seconds ahead of runner-up from France, Mathis Azzaro (AVC Aix-en-Provence) and third-placed from Switzerland, Lars Forster (Thömus Maxon), while Frenchman Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) finished in fourth place.

"I have to say Nové Mĕsto means so much to me, means so much to the sport. I’ve been here 11 years now, cried in the woods after bad races at Junior, cried after bad races at U23. I felt all the emotions after winning my first European World Cup in this iconic stadium. It is a beautiful day, and I am really grateful," Blevins said.

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin–Deceuninck), who returned to mountain biking for the first time in nearly two years, was forced to abandon the elite men's race after he crashed twice in the opening laps.

Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) led at the end of the start loop, followed by Koretzky and Blevins, and Alan Hatherly (Giant Factory Off-Road Team-XC). They were later joined by Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division), Filippo Colombo (SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing Team), Mathias Flückiger and Vital Albin (Thömus Maxon), and Fabio Puntener.

A small error caused Blevins to unclip on the fifth lap, nearly crashing. "That hurt in a spot you don’t want to hurt. I looked at Victor, and he kind of shook his head at me as he saw the sketchy moment," Blevins said.

"These roots are pretty slick even when they are dry, and when I am on the limit, I sometimes make mistakes. I am working on that. Thankfully, I kept it up today, but had to just regroup and be as perfect as I can be every lap."

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Kirsten Frattini
Kirsten Frattini
Deputy Editor

Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.

Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.

She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.

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