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Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) of Switzerland and South Africa’s Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Manufacturing unit Racing) received 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 yr 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 unit Racing-Pirelli) to take third.
“As World Cup chief, the stress is all the time on my shoulders. After Puck Pieterse pulled away, I needed to focus on second place. However on the second-last lap, I spotted that it could possibly be shut once more,” Keller stated in a workforce 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, conserving Pieterse from successful her third consecutive XCC contest.
“I attacked as quick as I may within the tech zone and pulled away decisively,” she stated concerning the decisive transfer on the final lap. “To win within the chief’s jersey and with the #1 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 unit Racing) shocked the sector along with his greatest 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 most important cost on the day, slipping within the moist grass on the primary lap and taking a fall. The UCI World Champion labored his method from the again of the sector 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 unit Racing). Filippo Colombo (Scott-Sram MTB Racing Staff) and Chris Blevins (Specialised Manufacturing unit 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 fuel when the bell rang for the ultimate circuit. Solely Hatherly may go together with him.
“It’s been a very long time coming and I’m tremendous joyful that it paid off at present,” stated Hatherly after the race. His final short-track victory got here in Brazil in 2022.
“I had the boldness to make it arduous earlier than the final lap to take the sting off the fellows. I saved one thing within the tank to present it that remaining squeeze.”
The cross-country Olympic races will probably 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
