Picture 1 of 2
Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) of Switzerland and South Africa’s Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Manufacturing facility Racing) gained the cross-country brief observe races on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Collection cease on Friday in Les Will get, France. That is the third 12 months MTB World Cup races have been held within the French Alps.
Keller, the general chief within the MTB World Cup XCC and XCO standings, held off prime rival Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) by 4 seconds for her second brief observe victory of the season. Rebecca Henderson (Primaflor Mondraker Racing) completed one other two seconds down, going away from Evie Richards (Trek Manufacturing facility Racing-Pirelli) to take third.
“As World Cup chief, the stress is at all times on my shoulders. After Puck Pieterse pulled away, I wished to focus on second place. However on the second-last lap, I noticed that it could possibly be shut once more,” Keller mentioned in a crew assertion.
Pieterse had a 10-second hole over the trio of Keller, Henderson and Richards earlier than all of them regrouped for the ultimate lap. That’s the place Keller accelerated for the victory, maintaining Pieterse from successful her third consecutive XCC contest.
“I attacked as quick as I might within the tech zone and pulled away decisively,” she mentioned in regards to the decisive transfer on the final lap. “To win within the chief’s jersey and with the number one is good.”
Within the males’s XCC contest, Hatherly made his second podium within the collection rely along with his first victory. Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Manufacturing facility Racing) shocked the sphere along with his finest end of the season, sprinting to the road to take second place forward of recent XCC collection chief Samuel Gaze (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV XCO), who’s fourth within the XCC standings, completed fourth in Les Will get.
Gaze made the largest cost on the day, slipping within the moist grass on the primary lap and taking a fall. The UCI World Champion labored his manner from the again of the sphere into the highest 20 by the mid-point of the race, whereas Schwarzbauer set the tempo with Litscher, Hatherly, Aldridge and Martín Vidaurre (Specialised Manufacturing facility Racing). Filippo Colombo (Scott-Sram MTB Racing Crew) and Chris Blevins (Specialised Manufacturing facility Racing) quickly made it seven riders on the entrance.
By the ninth lap, Aldridge rode on Schwarzbauer’s again wheel and Gaze was now in sixth place, and Aldridge hit the gasoline when the bell rang for the ultimate circuit. Solely Hatherly might go along with him.
“It’s been a very long time coming and I’m tremendous joyful that it paid off at this time,” mentioned Hatherly after the race. His final short-track victory got here in Brazil in 2022.
“I had the boldness to make it laborious earlier than the final lap to take the sting off the fellows. I saved one thing within the tank to present it that ultimate squeeze.”
The cross-country Olympic races might be held in Les Will get on Sunday. Then, the UCI MTB World Collection for cross-country occasions take a break till August 28-September 1 in Andorra, with a pause for the Paris Olympic Video games.
Outcomes – ladies XCC
Outcomes – males XCC
