Mathieu van der Poel’s hopes of a championship triple in three disciplines in one year were extinguished right at the end of the first circuit, where the star Dutchman fell to the ground precisely on his right hip, which he already bruised in the road race.
The second all-rounder in the field, Tom Pidcock, held his own in the front pack with defending champion Nino Schurter of Switzerland and South African Alan Hatherly. In the middle of the track, Ondřej Cink moved around the 13th place and lost less than a minute.
Olympic champion from Tokyo Pidcock started in the sixth circuit and Schurter could not find an answer to his attack. After the bronze in the short track, the twenty-four-year-old Briton also won the cross country championship for the first time in his career.
Schurter perhaps wasted too much energy in the fight with Pidcock and at the finish line he had to settle for bronze, because New Zealander Samuel Gaze worked his way to silver thanks to a strong finish. As expected, the best of the four Czechs on the track was Ondřej Cink, who finished in 17th place with a loss of 2:45.
Queen Pauline reigns on
Pauline Ferrandová-Prévotová is running for the title of world champion
source: Reuters author: Maja Smiejkowska
The Dutch woman Puck Pieterse started the seven-round Olympic women’s cross country with an aggressive style, which was also successful in the World Cup with this tactic. At the end of the first lap, however, two French women – Loana Lecomteová and Pauline Ferrandová-Prévotová – were leading the race.
The defending champion and winner of Thursday’s short track, Ferrandová-Prévotová, already broke her compatriot during the second circuit and gradually built up a lead of 1:14, with which she arrived for the fifth gold in this discipline at the World Championships. In total, the thirty-one-year-old legend already has twelve senior world titles, including from road racing and cyclocross.
“I’m very happy. I wanted to ride my own pace and I’m very proud of myself that I was able to stick to my plan – go full hill and rest on the descents. I didn’t feel very good about the course when I first looked at it, but I tried to make friends with her,” Ferrandová-Prévotová said.
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Women’s cross country finish at Glentress Forest 00:06:40
Lecomte won the silver in Glentress Forest, and the battle for the bronze was exciting, in which there were four competitors. Switzerland’s Alessandra Keller took the lead during the fifth circuit and briefly held off both Pieterse and Britain’s Evie Richards.
But the Dutchwoman was not going to just give up on the sight of a medal and went back. Meanwhile, Richards was overtaken by Mona Mitterwallner and she was soon within reach of the podium. The fight between the two 21-year-old competitors Pieterse and Mitterwallner offered huge drama in the last round. At first, the Austrian was on top, but in the end the Dutch crossed the finish line earlier for the bronze.
Jitka Čábelická, the only Czech at the start, finished in 33rd place with a loss of almost ten minutes.
Tweed Valley Mountain Bike World Championships (Great Britain) – Cross Country:
Women: 1. Ferrandová-Prévotová 1:24:14, 2. Lecomteová (both Fr.) -1:14, 3. Pieterseová (Netherlands) -1:27, 4. Mitterwallnerová (Austria) -1:31, 5. Keller (Switzerland) -2:23, 6. Richards (Britain) -2:39, …33. Čabelická (Czech Republic) -9:42.
2023-08-12 14:26:46
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