Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) and Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) recorded weekend doubles as they won the Cross-country Olympic (XCO) disciplines at the UCI World Cup in Lake Placid Olympic Region, New York (USA). Both riders won the UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) on Friday and won the XCO in very different styles.
American rider Blevins secured the overall XCC title earlier in the weekend and knew victory would also secure him the XCO honours. The men’s Elite category saw a large leading group dominate proceedings and eight riders come into the final lap together. Blevins escaped with teammate Adrien Boichis and had to enough power to beat the youngster in a sprint finish. With it Bevins became the first American male Elite since 1991 to win the overall XCO title.
Meanwhile, Rissveds produced a dominant performance in the women’s Elite category after pulling clear on the first lap and establishing an unassailable margin.
Lake Placid Olympic Region, New York (USA) hosted XCO riders for the second season with a varied course which tested physical and technical abilities. The shorter climbs and fast descents made for exciting racing in the penultimate round of this year’s WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series.
In the Under 23 categories, Finn Treudler (Cube Factory Racing) also achieved a weekend double after riding clear of the men’s field, while Vida Lopez De San Roman (Trinity Racing) clinched an exciting victory in the women’s race.
BLEVINS SHOWS POWER TO BEAT TEAMMATE BOICHIS
Christopher Blevins led a one-two for Specialized Factory Racing as he rose to the occasion to wrap up the overall XCO standings. The American was without a UCI XCO World Cup win since the third round in Nové Město na Moravě (Czechia) in May and pressure was mounting on him coming into the penultimate round.
However, Blevins thrived on the fast course and controlled the front positions before matching the last lap attack of teammate Adrien Boichis and sprinted to victory.
Racing up the gravel start, competitors were keen to get into the uphill rock garden first. Those outside the top 20 positions were held up as some riders were forced to get off and run. Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing) was one of the biggest losers as he slipped back from a front row start to 24th on the opening start loop.
After returning to form in Friday’s XCC, Blevins led the Specialized Factory Racing challenge in the opening lap, along with teammates Boichis and Victor Koretzky. The short climbs of the Lake Placid Olympic Region course resulted in tight racing early on as 24 riders were closely grouped on the second lap.
Specialized Factory Racing used their XCC expertise to hold the front positions and put their rivals under pressure in the opening 20 minutes. The pace rose in the third lap and Luca Schatti (BIXS Performance Race Team) suffered an untimely puncture, resulting in going from the lead to out of contention.
After 30 minutes of racing, Fabio Püntener (Scott-Scram MTB Racing Team) charged clear at the front and took with him Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division), Boichis, Blevins, and Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing). After getting caught in a close pack on the opening lap, British rider Aldridge missed the front split and led a large chasing group just 11 seconds back.
Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team) was also thriving on the powerful course and had enough ability on the fast descent to bridge across to the leading group. As the pace slowed, the leading group swelled to nine riders with three laps remaining and Azzaro slid out on the loose terrain but maintained his position.
Blevins was at the forefront throughout the race and exposed weaknesses in his opponents with a penultimate lap attack which reduced the leading group to five riders – including three Specialized Factory Racing teammates. However, the race pace slowed again as riders took the bell, allowing several riders to get back into contention.
Looking for a home victory, Blevins again powered up the climb and was closely followed by teammate Boichis. The youngster made his move going into the single-track wooded climb and distanced Azzaro in third. Specialized Factory Racing dominated the final proceedings and Martin Vidaurre Kossmann controlled the chasing group’s pace in third.
Coming into the finish, Boichis and Blevins prepared for a sprint as the chasing group closed in. Blevins led out the sprint and had enough power to fend off Boichis, while Azzaro finished just two seconds behind in third after coming around Vidaurre.
“I love this sport and everything about it,” said Blevins. “It was a beautiful race. Adrien [Boichis] and I for the sprint. I looked back and smiled. It has been an amazing year with the team.”
“It was all on instinct, it was very narrow and each lap I was in a good space. I controlled the race from the front. I knew Adrien (Boichis) would make that attack on the last lap and it would be really hard.”
“I just had to stick on his wheel and try and go for the sprint.”
Talking about his return to form for the weekend, Blevins added: “I had to believe in myself again. You have to show up with what you have every weekend, regardless of if you think you have it or not. You have got to come back to ground zero and start a fresh. I’ve had a big dip in the middle of the year and I’m just grateful to be finishing strong.”
RISSVEDS IN FAULTLESS FORM TO TAKE CLEAR VICTORY
Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) was the most convincing winner of the weekend as she led the women’s Elite event from the first lap to finish. The UCI XCO World Champion has hit formidable form and was quickly out of sight of her rivals before riding away to victory. The Swedish rider was lapping faster than any of her rivals throughout the event before sitting up on the last lap to enjoy her victory by over two minutes.
A chaotic start to the women’s Elite saw a collision in the rock garden which resulted in riders outside the top 20 being held up and early gaps created. Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) stayed out of the mayhem and charged into a slender lead on the starting loop. The asphalt finish allowed the field behind to condense, and riders jostled for position before Rissveds closed the gap.
The Canyon CLLCTV XCO rider then took advantage of hesitation through the rock garden and the following technical section to edge out a small margin. After gaining the advantage and being out of sight, Rissveds continued to grow out her margin on the opening lap. Following the first full lap, Rissveds had an advantage of 24 seconds from nine riders chasing and she would not look back.
Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing – Pirelli) finished runner-up in Friday’s XCC and pushed the early pace for the chasers. Behind, overall leader Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) slid out on the dusty and loose terrain, resulting in her losing some time. Meanwhile, American Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) sensed an opportunity to grab a home podium position and took over the pace setting from Richards before pulling out a small margin in second.
Ronja Blöchlinger (Liv Factory Racing) was also thriving on the short climb and fast descent to join Richards in the medal battle. British rider Richards paced her ride well to pull back Blunk to form a three-rider chasing group 1:17 behind the lone leader. By the end of the third lap, Rissveds was given a psychological boost by being able to see the chasing trio descending into the finishing area as she climbed out – such was her 1:38 margin.
After pacing their early effort well in the hot conditions, Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) and Maxwell pulled their way back into contention in the closing stages. As the battle for the podium position hotted up, Blochlinger fell away, while Keller and Maxwell joined Richards and Blunk to form a chasing quartet. Keller was the first rider to be distanced as Richards forced the pace with the three riders competing for two medals.
Taking the last lap bell, Rissveds had maintained her consistent pace to lead by 2:40 from the trio behind. No.1 plate Maxwell had kept out of trouble during the middle section of the race and came through strong on the final lap. However, Richards was in determined form and responded on the short and punchy climb to dispatch Blunk from the medal fight. The British rider continued her last lap effort on the final ascent and also gapped series leader Maxwell.
UCI XCO World Champion, Rissveds, had time to celebrate the victory with her team as she finished 2:16 ahead of fast-finishing Richards, while Maxwell held on for third. Ahead of the final round next weekend, Maxwell leads overall by 183 points ahead of Rissveds.
Following her victory, Rissveds said: “The most important thing is to be healthy, I’ve realised it’s very important to enjoy the journey. You’re going to have hard moments too, but it’s okay. Trying to do sport in a sustainable way is important.”
TREUDLER PROVES TOO STRONG FOR MEN’S UNDER 23 COMPETITORS
Finn Treudler (Cube Factory Racing) continued his domination of the men’s Under 23 category and took another UCI World Cup win to add to his growing collection. Treudler had already sewn up the overall standings coming into Lake Placid Olympic Region, New York, and was in the mood for more success as he added the XCO to his XCC win on Friday.
The Swiss rider made his move on the first full lap and took with him Spanish rider Thibaut Francois Baudry (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) and Paul Schehl (Lexware Mountain Bike Team). However, a third lap crash for Schehl ended his hopes of victory.
Not daunted by his companion, Baudry took the race to the series winner and had a slender lead through the third lap. Treudler responded in style by passing his rival and recording the fastest lap of the race to pull out an advantage of over 10 seconds. The Cube Factory Racing rider continued to grow out his advantage over the following lap and came home victor by 28 seconds.
Ren Teunissen van Manen (KMC Ridley MTB Racing Team) narrowly missed a podium in Friday’s XCC event. The Dutch rider again had a battle on his hands for bronze from Canadian Owen Clark and Dane Heby Gustav Pedersen (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team). Pedersen flew out of the starting blocks before suffering for his early effort, allowing Van Manen to edge clear of Clark for third.
Following his win, Treudler said: “I’m pretty tired from the season, it has been a really long season and I’m feeling the efforts from this year.”
“I had to be smart with my energy today. I managed it quite good so I’m pretty happy about the win. I just went with the flow and saw where the others were at with their speed today. Paul [Schehl] was really pushing in the beginning and then he crashed. Then we were two riders left at the front so I tried to focus on my speed. I struggled a bit in the downhills and Thibaut [Francois Baudry] was really fast there. I really had to manage my effort today.”
LOPEZ DE SAN ROMAN TAKES DRAMATIC VICTORY FOR HOME FANS
Vida Lopez De San Roman (Trinity Racing) recorded back-to-back UCI XCO World Cup wins after a last lap showdown in the women’s under-23 category. The American took her maiden under-23 UCI XCO World Cup victory the previous week in Bike Kingdom – Lenzerheide in Switzerland last month.
On her home turf, Lopez De San Roman was locked into a close contest with Italian pair Valentina Corvi (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) and Sara Cortinovis (Ghost Factory Racing). Overall series leader Corvi was the first rider to crack, losing a few seconds taking the ball and slipping away to finish third.
Spurred on by her home fans, Lopez De San Roman attacked on the last lap and pulled out a winning margin of 15 seconds from Cortinovis. A third place for Corvi gives her an unassailable 178-point lead heading into the final round.
Following her win, Lopez De San Roman said: “It was a really exciting race which pretty quickly came down to three of us at the front.”
“It was super-dynamic back and forth and came down to the last lap. I put a really big attack in, I wasn’t sure if it was going to hold and just left it all out there on the last lap.”
“It means so much. I definitely had some extra speed on the course today by hearing so many people cheering my name. It was a really special day. It has been a really great season and a lot of learning throughout the season to get to this point. I’m hoping to finish on a high note.”
Tickets for next year's WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Lake Placid Olympic Region, New York are now on sale here.
Meanwhile, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series concludes in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada next weekend with gravity and endurance riders in action between 9-12 October.
