Puck Pieterse wins elite women's short track event at WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Nove Mesto 2025(Image credit: WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series)
Cross-country world champion Puck Pietrse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) won their respective elite short track (XCC) races at the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round held in Nové Město Na Moravě, Czechia, on Saturday.
The series returned after a six-week break and the Vysočina Arena course with a strong headwind on the finish straight, resulting in close finishes in both men's and women's events.
Pieterse finished with a winning time of 20:22 ahead of runner-up Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli) while Linda Indergand (LIV Factory Racing) finished in third place in the elite women's race.
A large group came into the last lap together with a powerful surge from Pieterse, who was quickest across the finish line, putting an end to Richards' perfect UCI XCC World Cup record coming into the event, and forced to settle for runner-up spot.
“It was a blast. My start was not so good, so the first two laps it took me a while to move up. Luckily, on the road section, because of the headwind, the peloton came to a standstill. I could move up and not leave the top three," Pieterse said.
“It was a bit different [to road racing] with the wide bars because now you are touching literally everybody if you want to move up. Apart from that, I used my race-smart a bit by staying in the wheels on the parts where it was necessary.”
Blevins continues 100% record
Christopher Blevins wins elite men's short track event at WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Nove Mesto 2025 (Image credit: WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series)
Blevins crossed the line just ahead of teammate and World Champion Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) and one second ahead of third-placed Filippo Colombo from Switzerland.
Blevins left it late to snatch a victory from his teammates and become the first rider to win the opening three UCI XCC World Cup rounds.
The American's race didn't go as smoothly as he had hoped, despite the victory, after suffering a dropped chain, which shuffled him down the pack on the last lap.
The lead group also faced a headwind on the finishing straight, but Blevins proved strongest under the conditions to capture his third straight XCC win this season.
“This one was definitely harder than the others. I felt great, but I dropped my chain with a lap to go, right before the last climb, and the mindset just changes," Blevins said.
“It was all out, the strategy out the window, and I just gave it everything. I was really surprised as it was such a long finish into a headwind, which really helped me; it was crazy."
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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