Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceunink) proved unstoppable in the women’s race in Val Di Sole Trentino while Swiss maestro Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing) bagged another win to add to his record-breaking total.
Pieterse made it three UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic victories out of four in the 2023 series.
The 21-year-old led for almost the whole of the five-lap race eventually carving out a lead of around a minute going into the final lap. Italy’s Martina Berta (Santa Crux RockShox Pro Team) rode an impressively-consistent race to come in second. Australia’s Rebecca Henderson (Primaflor Mondraker Genuins Racing Team) was third.
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Pieterse leads the overall going into the fifth round in August. Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers) is second and Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) is third.
In the men’s elite race it was a stunning 35th Cross-country Olympic World Cup victory for Switzerland’s Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing). The 37-year-old won his second round of 2023 after pulling away from the field on the fourth of six laps. Schurter’s countryman Matthias Flückiger (Thömus Maxon) battled through the field to take second place, nearly half a minute back. Newly-crowned European Champion Vlad Dascalu (Trek Factory Racing XC) was third.
Schurter leads the standings after four rounds, France’s Jordan Sarrou (Team BMC) is second and South African Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) is third.
In the U23 competition it was a convincing win for Denmark’s Sofie Heby Pedersen (Wilier Pirelli Factory Team XCO) by 38 seconds from New Zealand’s Samara Maxwell. Friday’s Short Track winner Ronja Blöchlinger (Liv Factory Racing) was third.
Pedersen leads Switzerland’s Blöchlinger in the overall and Ginia Caluori (Thömus Maxon) is third.
In the U23 men’s race, a double flat on the last lap saw race leader France’s Luca Martin (Orbea Factory Team) ship an almost 30-second lead to gift the win to Friday’s Short Track victor Carter Woods (Giant Factory Off-Road Team XC). Frenchman Adrien Boichis (Trinity Racing MTB) was second and the USA’s Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing XC) was third despite himself suffering an early puncture. Martin crossed the line in 11th.
Boichis leads the overall from Dario Lillo (Scott Davos MTB Project) and Woods is in third.
Full results from today’s race are available here.
Missed any of the action? Full replays from today’s race are available on GCN+.
The UCI Mountain Bike World Series now takes a break but will be back in action on August 24-27 in Pal Arinsal, Andorra for more cross-country and downhill action.
