Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing) and Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) were victorious in the UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) World Cup in Mont-Sainte Anne, Quebec (Canada) taking the American’s team win tally to six in a row. Alessandra Keller’s (Thömus Maxon) eighth position cements her UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup overall series before Sunday’s final race, while Koretzky claims UCI XCC World Cup overall title.
Less than a week on from the all-out sprint finishes in Mt Van Hoevenberg – Lake Placid (USA), the Endurance Elites were at it again in Mont-Sainte-Anne for the final UCI XCC World Cup of the season.
It was a carbon copy of the week before’s results, Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing) and Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory) making it two wins from two in North America – the Swiss and French riders once again launching explosive attacks on the last lap to leave everyone else in their dust.
The results also saw Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) build an unassailable lead in the women’s XCO series, while Koretzky added the UCI XCC overall series to his UCI XCC World Championship win.
FREI FINDS LATE-SEASON FORM, KELLER CROWNED UCI XCO WORLD CUP OVERALL WINNER
While the women’s UCI XCC World Cup overall title had been decided the week before – Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) clinching the crown – there was still pride on the line in Mont-Sainte-Anne, with many riders targeting a strong finish to a long season.
The Canadian course is renowned for being fast and furious, and the tempo was high from the start – Chiara Teocchi (Orbea Factory Team) setting the early pace. The Italian had a big bunch of riders on her wheel, and despite creating some gaps on the course’s singletrack section, she wasn’t able to cut the chasing pack loose.
When her flame finally faded, Loane Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV XCO), Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli) and Sina Frei were constantly at the front or in the second or third wheels. The trio had a rotating cast of new additions as the laps ticked by – Jenny Rissveds (Team 31 Ibis Cycles Continental) and Keller surging to the lead group before falling away – but they were the only constants throughout.
As the race entered its final lap, it was these three who would finally break away from the rest. Lecomte led the charge – the French XCC national champion showing her performances last weekend were a sign that she’s back to her best – and only Frei could hold her wheel, with Richards a few bike lengths further back.
The UCI XCC World Champion dug deep to stay in touch but had to burn through her matches to try and bridge the gap. Frei meanwhile sat in Lecomte’s wheel and conserved energy before overtaking the Frenchwoman on the penultimate asphalt straight. The Swiss star then launched an attack up the final hill that Lecomte simply couldn’t follow, allowing Frei to roll over the line without the need for a full-on sprint finish. Lecomte was a close second, while Richards came home third.
Speaking after the race, Sina Frei said: “It’s amazing. I can’t believe it. It’s exactly how I would like to finish the season. It’s just so nice. In our team, we have a very good atmosphere and vibe. It helps a lot. Even Haley [Batten], who couldn’t race today, was watching and cheering for us. It’s an amazing vibe and I have amazing teammates. I just try to have good positions until the finish. I knew that with that finish, I was thinking I needed to be first otherwise it would be difficult, so I tried to push a little bit harder.”
Keller meanwhile finished eighth, securing the UCI XCO World Cup overall title ahead of Sunday’s final round. Speaking after the race, she said: “Unfortunately I didn’t have the power until the finish, but it was another good race and another good front row [for Sunday] and to win the overall makes me happy. We always race to win the day, but in general I had a pretty good season. That makes me really happy. I think it’s a reward for the whole team. I’m very proud of them, I’m very thankful for them.”
KORETZKY CRUSHES THE COMPETITION
Unlike the women’s UCI XCC World Cup, the men’s title was still to play for going into the last round. The UCI XCC World Champion, Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing), was in cruise control, but a handful of riders – including Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Deceuninck) could still mathematically pounce if the Frenchman didn’t have a strong race.
If the preceding race was fast, the men somehow found another gear – Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) setting a blistering pace from the very start to string the whole pack out from the off.
The South African had an underlying motive – he could clinch the UCI XCO World Cup overall by winning the XCC – but it seemed an audacious attempt to try and attack from the off.
When Hatherly eventually tired, Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) ramped things up even further, causing pained faces on the riders behind who were just trying to hold his wheel. The big German’s diesel engine sustained the pace for lap after lap, whittling the lead group down as he went.
Sam Gaze was one of the first to be dropped – the New Zealander eventually succumbing to some sort of off-screen issue to finish 32nd.
The German’s pure power didn’t appear to be letting up, and as the group continued to get shuffled behind – Mathis Azzaro (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) joining the fun; Chris Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) crashing out – the Canyon CLLCTV rider led entering the final lap. And then Koretzky went. His rainbow stripes were a blur as he pulled alongside Schwarzbauer and launched himself off the front on the first climb, creating a gap that made it look like his opponents were riding through thick mud.
Only Azzaro could go with him, with Hatherly picking up the pieces many meters back. As the race entered its final throws, it was clear that it was going to be contested by one of the Frenchmen, but would it be the UCI World Champion (Koretzky) or the up-and-coming French champion (Azzaro)?
Koretzky led his compatriot throughout, and when he threw the final hammer to blow up the last climb, Azzaro simply couldn’t respond.
Crossing the line, Koretzky had done it – winning back-to-back UCI XCC World Cups, the UCI XCC overall series, and breaking Mathieu van der Poel’s (Alpecin-Deceuninck) record for UCI XCC World Cup podiums in the process. Azzaro meanwhile finished second, with Hatherly third.
Speaking after the race, Koretzky said : “The pace was super high compared to a normal short track. I couldn’t ride on the front the whole race. But I think, compared to the others, I’m comfortable when it’s a change of pace. It was super-fast, and when you’re on a wheel like this [Azzaro] it’s way easier, it’s why I tried to make a gap on the feed zone. To win another UCI World Cup is crazy, and I secured the overall too. It’s amazing, and now I can’t wait for Sunday’s race because it’s the last race of the season and the last UCI World Cup. I’m really excited and I just want to race again.”
BÖHM AND LILLO ALSO MAKE IT NORTH AMERICAN U23 XCC DOUBLES
Dario Lillo (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) and already-crowned series winner Kira Böhm (Cube Factory Racing) were victorious in the Men’s U23 and Women’s U23 respectively, while Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing – Pirelli) narrowly beat Bjorn Riley (Trek Future Racing) to the Men’s U23 series title.
Leading from the start, Böhm remained in the front pack throughout, riding in a controlled and commanding way before pulling away in the last lap to win her fourth U23 UCI XCC World Cup of the 2024 season.
Lillo meanwhile showed that his performance last weekend was no fluke. Taking the bell at the start of the last lap, the 22-year-old held off a surge from Bjorn Riley (Trek Future Racing) and sprinted across the line for his second consecutive U23 XCC win.
In the men’s U23 overall series, Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing – Pirelli) was able to claim the overall series with his seventh-place finish, holding onto the series lead by just 40 points from Riley.
Tomorrow sees the turn of the Gravity athletes, while the Endurance competitions will return for the final UCI XCO World Cup on Sunday, October 6. Find out how to watch all the racing here.
