The UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) World Cup served up two gripping races and a pair of fairytale victors in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie (France) as Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing) claimed his first elite WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series triumph on a thrilling final lap and Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) ended a 26-month drought with a swashbuckling performance.
Rissveds claimed her first UCI XCC World Cup round since June 2023 years by decisively splintering the field with two laps to go and outkicking Alessandra Keller (Thӧmus Maxon) on the brutally iconic Les Gets climb while the runner-up made major gains on overall leader Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli).
And with all the men’s Elite pre-race focus on Christopher Blevins’ chance to claim the UCI XCC World Cup for Specialized Factory Racing with three rounds to go, Aldridge outduelled teammate Luca Martin and Luca Braidot (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team) to take a famous win.
Meanwhile there were contrasting victors in the Under 23 ranks - Finn Treudler (CUBE Factory Racing) won his fourth consecutive round to put him on the verge of clinching the overall title while Vida Lopez de San Roman joined Aldridge in taking her first ever win.
RISSVEDS STARS IN LONG-AWAITED RETURN TO CENTRE STAGE
With all eyes on the tight top four of Keller, Richards, Nicole Koller (Ghost Factory Racing) and Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Decuninck), Rissveds stole the show looking resplendent on her first WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series outing in the UEC European Champion’s jersey.
Yet it was UCI Cross-country World Champion Richards who set the tone early on, after catching COVID-19 following Rissved’s victory in Portugal she seemed keen to banish any questions over her fitness and went clear with Rissveds and Keller on the opening lap before sitting up and letting the five-second lead go.
Richards was first across the line on four out of the nine laps while Pieterse, after her road racing exploits this summer including completing the Tour de France Femmes, immediately dropped out of the top 10 and eventually finished 11th after a long recovery ride.
Despite leading the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup, Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) is yet to taste XCC victory and appeared determined to change that when she pushed the pace on lap five reducing the pack to only Richards, Keller, Rissveds, Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing) and Jolanda Neff (Cannondale Factory Racing).
Richards was consistently the strongest downhill rider, though not the smoothest she attacked the descent with more aggression than anyone else on the slick surface but eventually those early exertions caught up with her and she was dropped with two laps to go as Rissveds and Keller were the only riders who could live with Maxwell.
That meant it all came down to the final climb and it was Rissveds who took the initiative, kicking clear early and holding off the indomitable Keller to the line.
“I felt quite cool, calm and collected,” Rissveds said. “It was a really good race, I was calm and I tried to play it smart. I keep on learning things every race which is super cool since I’m pretty old in the game now and I feel like I still have a lot to work on and many things I can improve, it’s really nice to learn every time and I’m happy it paid off today.”
Though she missed out on the win, Keller had the consolation of a 60-point gain on Richards in the overall standings meaning she now trails by just 40 but Pieterse and Koller both finishing outside the top 10 means more breathing room from the top two to the rest of the pack.
CANNONDALE IN DREAMLAND AFTER NAIL-BITING 1-2
Blevins arrived in France knowing victory would assure him of the UCI XCC World Cup title and he asserted himself early alongside new German national champion Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV XCO), before his challenge was halted by a dropped chain.
But, with the American’s record of surging to victory on the final lap this season, the pack focused on sapping his legs on the tough climb to start the lap with Simon Andreassen (Orbea FOX Factory Racing), Filippo Colombo (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) and Martin pushed the pace on early.
It looked like the race had opened up for the Cannondale Factory Racing pair on lap seven when Thomas Litscher (Cabtech Racing Team) misjudged a steep uphill hairpin and held up the rest of the pack allowing them to build a nine-second lead across the line, but they couldn’t hold it and the bloated lead group re-formed and stuck together entering the final lap.
It was there that Braidot made his move, dive-bombing Aldridge and Martin on the ascent only for the Brit to repay the favour turning to the top of the climb and the short descent to the finishing straight meant the home favourite had to bide his time for the sprint.
Exiting the final corner, Martin was closing on Aldridge all the way to the line in the final sprint and got alongside his teammate but couldn’t nudge his wheel in front, finishing on the same time as the British national champion who celebrated a milestone win in his career.
“I’m absolutely buzzing, crazy race it went so fast I was at the front with Luca [Martin] and the last lap was a bit of a battle,” Aldridge said. “I wasn’t sure if Luca was going to be faster or me but you kind of work together in these races and 1-2 is a really good way to end.
“Had a little battle on the last few corners which made the heart rate go even higher than it was already but I’m over the moon. You’re so focused on trying to pull it off [on the final lap] then something like that comes, Luca [Braidot] flying down my inside and I went ‘I’m going to get him in the next corner’.”
A rare off-day for Blevins saw the overall leader finish 17th as Aldridge jumps up to second in the standings due to Victor Koretzky’s absence for Specialized Factory Racing, but the American must only pick up 105 points next time out to guarantee UCI World Cup victory next time out.
“When you’re a bit off, short track’s a different kind of pain,” Blevins said. “I was suffering, you go all out on the last climb and you get to the top and you can barely hold onto the bars.
“But first effort in Europe sometimes can go either way, I didn’t really get a good ‘open up’ day this week on the bike so I think my body really needed that to open up after such a long break from racing, it’s like shaking off the cobwebs and jetlag and everything and hopefully Sunday I’m opened up now.”
TREUDLER CONSISTENCY CONTRASTS WITH U23 WOMEN SURPRISE
Vida Lopez de San Roman was unshakable on the way to her maiden victory. Having missed the first part of the season the American had finished 13th and 15th in her last two rounds but was a constant presence at the front of the first race of the day and outkicked Valentina Corvi (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) who closed to within 100 points of absent overall leader Katharina Sadnik (KTM Factory MTB Team) alongside Ella McPhee (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team) and Sara Cortinovis (Ghost Factory Racing).
“I’m definitely in a lot of shock and disbelief,” Lopez de San Roman said. “I don’t think it’s fully processed yet but it definitely means a lot, especially being a first year and spending the whole season getting a lot of experience and learning from every race, I’m in a lot of disbelief but really excited and definitely a big confidence booster one week out from Worlds.”
Treudler could seal the Men U23 UCI XCC World Cup overall title next time out in Bike Kingdom - Lenzerheide (Switzerland) after holding off Benjamin Krüger to win yet another WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round.
Treudler hit the front when he countered Nicolas Halter’s move on the climb and produced a controlled performance from there to extend his overall lead to 234 points.
“It was a pretty smart move [from Halter] to come from behind and pass us with speed, I had to kick to keep up and then went over the top, saw the gap and continued to the finish,” Treudler said.
“I had a super good training period sleeping at high altitude, and I think I saw that today. It’s a really good season so far and I’m really looking forward to the World Championships in two weeks.”
The action is only just getting started in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie with the UCI Downhill World Cup Finals coming up on Saturday before the Cross-country riders take centre stage again on Sunday with the cross-country Olympic (XCO) races.
