Warm, dry weather welcomed the riders for Friday’s cross-country Short Track (XCC) followed by downhill (DHI) on Saturday and Sunday’s cross-country Olympic (XCO).
XCC: Neff and Colombo’s Swiss double
As Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds withdrew with illness, France’s Lena Gerault set a blistering early pace in the Women’s XCC. She was joined by series leader Alessandra Keller (SUI), Rebecca McConnell (AUS), Snowshoe XCC winner Gwendalyn Gibson (USA), Anne Terpstra (NED) and Jolanda Neff (SUI). Neff timed her attack perfectly on the final climb and outsprinted Gibson and Keller.
Keller leads the XCC standings overall with 1300 points from Terpstra who overtook McConnell.
“I knew exactly what I wanted to do,” said Jolanda Neff. “I love this place, it’s my favourite course!”
Beginning on 1002 points, and in the absence of 2nd-placed Mathias Flückiger (SUI), Alan Hatherly (RSA) could claim the overall title if Filippo Colombo (SUI) finished lower than 3rd. It was not to be.
Nino Schurter returned after his nasty crash in Snowshoe (USA) the previous weekend, but faded to finish 32nd. Jose Gerardo Ulloa Arevalo (MEX) then Luca Schwarzbauer (GER) set the pace until lap 8 of 9, when Colombo attacked and held on for his second XCC UCI World Cup win. He was followed by Ulloa Arevalo, Sebastian Fini Carstensen (DEN), Jen Schuermans (BEL), and Hatherly.
It keeps the overall open ahead of the final round: Hatherly leads on 1142 points from Colombo’s 1080 and Flückiger with 988.
“I just tried to stay at the front of the race,” said Filippo Colombo, “And the last lap I went full gas.”
DHI Women: Höll floats to glory
Phoebe Gale (GBR) won the Women Junior race from Izabela Yankova (BUL) and Gracey Hemstreet (CAN). With 355 points the Briton is now just 25 behind the Canadian.
Women Elite series leader Camille Balanche (SUI) dashed her chances of extending her overall lead after crashing in practice and breaking a clavicle. Eleonora Farina (ITA) smashed the early leaders’ times, then UCI World Champion Myriam Nicole, going even faster, punctured shortly before the Stevie Smith Drop. Only Fort William-winner Nina Hoffmann could better the Italian’s mark, before the fastest qualifier, Valentina Höll won by 3.6-sec.
The series is finely poised: Balanche on 1335 points with Höll’s 1216 leapfrogging Nicole’s 1155.
“It’s so crazy,” said Valentina Höll. “I knew I could go faster than in quali, but I did hold a bit back just to be safe.”
DHI Men: Iles’ home win
In the Men Junior competition, Jackson Goldstone (CAN) took the win from Jordan Williams (GBR) and another flying Canadian, Bhodi Kuhn. Goldstone’s total of 400 points is 75 ahead of the Briton.
Amaury Pierrron could seal the Men Elite overall with a top-25 finish, and the locals looked to in-form Finn Iles for the home win, emulating Stevie Smith’s 2013 run.
Britain’s Laurie Greenland – who qualified 23rd – lit up every sector green, pulling an 11-sec advantage. Austria’s Andreas Kolb and French champion Benoit Coulanges both punctured, and 7-time Mont-Sainte-Anne runner-up Greg Minnaar was fast but hit a tree. Quickest qualifier Finn Iles had read the script: even with a dropped chain the Whistler man brought it home by 0.238sec for a dramatic and emotional first Elite UCI World Cup win. Pierron crashed and finished… 26th, leaving the title to be decided in September.
The top 5: Iles, Greenland, Troy Brosnan (AUS), Aaron Gwin (USA) and Bernard Kerr (GBR).
“This is the greatest day of my life,” said Finn Iles. “Nine years after Stevie, as a Canadian I want to cry. This is amazing.”
XCO Women: Neff back to her best
Switzerland’s Noëlle Buri was the fastest in the Women Under 23 race, ahead of Madigan Munro (USA) and Italy’s Sara Cortinovis.
Ahead of the Women Elite XCO race, Anne Terpstra led Rebecca McConnell by 12 points with 3rd-placed Rissveds unable to start.
After crashing in Friday’s XCC, Emily Batty (CAN) crashed in the first corner. McConnell’s early 7-sec lead was overhauled by a Jolanda Neff-led group and the Swiss rider went ahead. As the rain arrived mid-race Hayley Batten (USA) and Terpstra gave chase, followed by Mona Mitterwallner, Alessandra Keller and Martina Berta (ITA). Three-time overall UCI World Cup winner Neff deserved her ‘perfect weekend’. Mitterwallner chased down Batten and outsprinted her for 2nd, almost 1-min behind Neff.
With Keller finishing 5th, Terpstra 7th and McConnell 19th, Terpstra stays top in the overall with 1590 points from McConnell (1526), Keller (1502) and Mitterwallner (1372).
“It’s almost four years to the day since I won [an XCO UCI World Cup race], it’s unreal, it’s amazing!” said Jolanda Neff
XCO Men: Carod’s first UCI World Cup win
Men Under 23 victory went to Martin Vidaurre Kossmann (CHI) from David Campos Motos (ESP) and Canada’s Carter Woods. With seven wins from eight races, the Chilean is series champion.
Into the Men Elite, Nino Schurter led the overall with 1342 points from Vlad Dascalu’s 1227 – not starting, while still recovering from injury – with Hatherly third placed on 1210
French champion Titouan Carod rode away, building a big lead to the chasing group of Snowshoe winner David Valero, Lenzerheide and Vallnord winner Luca Braidot, XCC winner Fillipo Colombo and Pierre De Froidmont (BEL) who were joined by a resurgent Nino Schurter.
Carod soloed to victory with a 1:41 winning margin, and after Schurter slipped on the final lap Colombo and Valero raced away to contest 2nd. The top 5: Carod, Colombo, Valero, Braidot and De Froidmont.
Schurter finished 6th but remains in the overall lead with one race remaining. He has 1483 points, followed by Valero on 1358, Braidot (1343) and Hatherly, who eventually finished 17th in Mont-Saint-Anne, on 1320.
“It was a really good day,” said Titouan Carod. “I felt really good in the uphills and especially the downhills. The rain during the women’s race maybe helped me a lot.”
🥇 Titouan Carod - Men Elite XCO 🥇
— UCI MTB (@UCI_MTB) August 7, 2022
A huge lead and his first elite World Cup win 👏. What a place to do it too 🇨🇦#MBWorldCup pic.twitter.com/bvfSWfD4Pt