The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series got underway with the first of two races in Brazil on Friday with the UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup U23 events in Mairiporã, in hot and humid conditions.
In the women's event, Germany’s Kira Böhm (Cube Factory Racing) was able to break free from the field to power to a decisive solo victory.
Americans Madigan Munro and Sofia Waite battled it out for second position, with Munro (Trek Factory Racing) winning the sprint for the line. The only rider from the home nation to make the podium was Giuliana Salvini Morgen in fourth, and Canada's Emily Johnston rounded out the top 5.
Böhm said:
I'm really super, super happy. I had a bad start, but in the second lap, I was in the front, and then I just kept going. And then I was alone. I thought I have to keep going hard.
The track was really fast and also tough on the pump track. And a short downhill. But it was a fun track.
I did heat training at home. I think it was a good thing to do. I also drank a lot of water and cooled down. So, in the race, it was good.
The men's race was a much tighter affair, and it was victory for Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli). Amos was able to carve out a small gap between himself and the chasers heading for the line. Swiss Dario Lillo and Norwegian Sondre Rokke finished second and third, on the same time, two seconds behind the American, while Bjorn Riley and Luca Martin completed the podium spots, a few seconds adrift of the leaders.
Amos said:
You don't win very often so when you do, you just treasure it every time and just to start this way. I knew last week I had some good form finally after a long winter and to keep proving it today is great and now to put the legs up and rest for tomorrow's big show.
It's very rare when you don't need to have some sort of patience and save energy in short track. It's always way more work on the front. And when it's high speed, the wind matters a lot more. So yeah. Always having patience. And when you finally decide to go all in, really just believing in yourself and committing everything to it, that’s how you get it.
Thank you, Brazil for bringing us here. It's awesome to see some good crowds and hopefully, even bigger ones tomorrow.
The top finishers bolster their grid allocation ahead of the weekend's Cross-Country Olympic U23 World Cup races which take place on Saturday for the men, and on Sunday for the women.
You can find where to watch all of the racing action live in Mairiporã HERE.
