For the first time in the World Cup season, the short track race is decided after only 5 laps of the race for the women’s race, 1.6 kilometers in length and 70 meters of altitude difference for each lap. Riders and teams rated the courses as Crans Montana extremely physical and technical. Compared to the weather forecast of the last few days in which rain was predicted as falling during the week, today the rain did not further influence the already heavy ground.
ITALIANS AT THE START
Among the 40 starters, the four fittest Italians of the moment Chiara Teocchi, Greta Seiwald, Martina Berta, and the Italian discipline champion Giada Specia.
PHYSICAL PATH
Conflicting choices among the athletes after seeing the conditions of the track, Prevot decided to skip the Crans Montana test. Not even Jolanda Neff and Jenny Rissveds present at the start.
For other athletes, however, this short track is also useful for viewing the conditions of what tomorrow’s start loop represents.
TEOCCHI AND BERTA IN FRONT
The two Italians are accustoming us to a wise management of race tactics, Chiara Teocchi and Martina Berta immediately moved to the front of the group to take the first descent in front and avoid the risks of remaining behind other riders and incurring falls, as happened to Koopmans in the first descent.
PIETERSE OPENS HALFWAY
In Val di Sole, Puck Pieterse tried with 3 attacks to win the while the two Orbea athletes, Chiara Teocchi and Anne Tauber, catch up on the third climb of the race.
GROUP OF 5+1
On the penultimate lap Pieterse finds herself passing under the arch with Loana Lecomte, Alessandra Keller and Anne Tauber but just after the arch Gwendalyn Gibson, the athlete who had suffered a bad injury in Brazil, returns.
BACK TO BACK BY PIETERSE
On each climb of the Swiss tour the Dutch tried with progressive accelerations to go away on her own. On the last lap she did it definitively by taking advantage of a hook from Anne Tauber who had attempted to increase the pace in the lead. Pieterse’s sprint leaves a big void behind him, also taking a big risk on the last descent.
Puck Pieterse wins his second consecutive XCC race after Val di Sole, the sprint of the chasing group led by Keller on Tauber and Lecomte. Great return for Gibson, fifth across the finish line.
Puck Pieterse’s comment: “The race was very tactical, in the final part of the climb I tried to sprint, then on the asphalt we looked at each other, Alessandra, Loana and Anne were going very fast today and I tried to take advantage of an attack by Anne. I didn’t want to take big risks downhill that weren’t necessary, so I tried to accelerate uphill to gain a margin.”
First Italian, Martina Berta finished in 20th position, Chiara Teocchi 24th, Greta Seiwald 26th, Giada Specia 31st.
OFFICIAL RANKING
1. PIETERSE Puck | ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK | 7.03pm
2. KELLER Alessandra | THÖMUS MAXON | +4
3. TAUBER Anne | ORBEA FACTORY TEAM | +4
4. LECOMTE Loana | CANYON CLLCTV XCO | +8
5. GIBSON Gwendalyn | TREK FACTORY RACING – PIRELLI | +33
6. STIGGER Laura | SPECIALIZED FACTORY RACING | +45
7. HENDERSON Rebecca | PRIMAFLOR MONDRAKER RACING TEAM | +51
8. COURTNEY Kate | SCOTT-SRAM MTB RACING TEAM | +51
9. LILL Candice | +53
10. WIEDMANN Tamara | +58
The men’s XCC race started with crazy speeds, the group of 40 tackled the 1.6 kilometer track with 70 meters of altitude difference immediately after the women’s race. The large group did not include Maxime Marotte who preferred to skip the test to dedicate himself only to tomorrow’s XCO. Anton Cooper and Victor Koretzky were also absent following physical problems after Val di Sole. The two European champions Simone Avondetto and Simon Andreassen were also absent.
PIDCOCK IMMEDIATELY TO THE GROUND
The most dangerous of the athletes Tom Pidcock once again started from the back of the downhill he fell on a counter slope which forced him to restart the chase.
6 LAPS SCHEDULED
The first to try the attack were Luca Schwarzbauer followed by Nino Schurter. The two took a few seconds lead but from behind the group was pulled by Thomas Litscher, the Swiss XCC champion who brought the group back together again. Also in the main group is Luca Braidot who continues to grow in condition.
Despite the 6 laps and the very tough course, the men faced the Crans Montana XCC in a compact group as in the previous tests.
PIDDERS WITHOUT LIMITS
On the 4th lap the silhouette of Tom Pidcock appears in the first part of the group, he takes the climb in third position and at the end of the descent he moves to the front, remaining only with Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo who entered on the fifth lap.
LUCA RETURNS
In the fifth climb Luca Braidot takes charge of closing on the group in front, with an infernal pace the Friulian athlete brings the group over the pair of Scott Sram and Pidcock. Luca has dusted off his good leg and on the descent he also overtakes Schurter who made a line error.
PIDCOCK NO CHANCES
With another superb performance, Tom Pidcock, after starting from last on the grid, returned to the front until he was alone on the final lap. Lap after lap, attack after attack he managed to stay alone to go on to win the Crans Montana XCC race alone.
Luca Braidot was immense as he took off on the last climb following Luca Schelb, both very careful in trying to get ahead of the group. The German’s error-free descent resulted in second place for Schelb, but an incredible and well-deserved third place for Luca Braidot who will start from the front row of the XCO tomorrow.
The statements of Tom Pidcock, winner of the to take them as far forward as possible. I returned to the first group, I was really suffering but I tried to keep going to try to win.
Luca Braidot’s comment: “I’m super happy, I’m growing day after day and my form is improving. Today I did one of my best XCCs so I’m happy and confident for Sunday.” The other Italians: 18. Daniele Braidot, 23. Juri Zanotti, 28. Filippo Fontana.
OFFICIAL RANKING
1. PIDCOCK Thomas | INEOS GRENADIERS | 7.31pm
2. SCHELB Julian | STOP&GO MARDERABWEHR MTB TEAM | +2
3. BRAIDOT Luca | SANTA CRUZ ROCKSHOX PRO TEAM | +6
4. BLEVINS Christopher | SPECIALIZED FACTORY RACING | +9
5. BRANDL Maximilian | LEXWARE MOUNTAINBIKE TEAM | +10
6. SCHURTER Nino | SCOTT-SRAM MTB RACING TEAM | +12
7. COLOMBO Filippo | SCOTT-SRAM MTB RACING TEAM | +13
8. GUERRINI Marcel | BIXS PERFORMANCE RACE TEAM | +14
9. DE FROIDMONT Pierre | ORBEA FACTORY TEAM | +15
10. ALDRIDGE Charlie | CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING | +16
