WC in mountain biking 2023
Cross-country short track – men’s elite race:
GLASGOW. Slovak cyclist Peter Sagan has completed his first start in mountain biking at the world championship in Glasgow, Scotland.
In the short track discipline, which consisted of eleven 900-meter circuits with an elevation of 33 meters, the native of Žilina finished in 37th place.
The three-time world champion in road cycling did not have an advantageous position. He had to start from the last row, as he had no points in the UCI ranking, but he got from 55th to 32nd place already in the first circuit.
Home Briton Thomas Pidcock was in a similar situation, but while he was able to keep moving forward, Sagan was not. The highest was 29th after the second round.
After the fifth circuit, he was only in 41st place, but then took over. He was faster than the leading group, closing the gap and gaining one position after another.
However, the ninth out of eleven laps was critical for Sagan. He lost a quarter of a minute to the main favorites and fell eight places back from the 31st position. In the next two rounds, he improved a little and reached the finish line 37th in the order.
His compatriot Matej Ulík finished in the final 46th place on the short track, when he was recalled from the track three laps before the end.
In the fight for the gold medal, Samuel Gaze created a small lead at the beginning of the final round and finally kept it. He dropped the finish somewhat unnecessarily, but the second Victor Koretzky couldn’t get past him.
The third place was won by Pidcock, who in the final corner better managed the fight with Luc Schwarzbauer, who ended up on the ground and took the 9th place.
Sagan was originally supposed to appear at the World Championships over the weekend, but he was granted an exemption and the opportunity to compete on Thursday as well. The classic race, where Sagan is fighting for a place at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, is scheduled for Saturday.
In the women’s race, Frenchwoman Ferrandová-Prévotová defended her title. She was joined on stage by Puck Pieterse from the Netherlands and Evie Richards from Britain.
2023-08-10 17:27:57
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