MTB World Cup 2021 – 3 – Leogang [FULL RACE – XCO] (ladies)

June 13, 2021

MTB World Cup 2021 – 3 – WE XCO – Leogang

The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup is a multi-round mountain bike racing series that is sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale. The first World Cup series – which was composed of cross-country events – was held in 1989. The Downhill World Cup was inaugurated two years later, and the Dual Slalom World Cup was launched in 1998. The dual-slalom format – which involved knock-out heats with two riders on the parallel courses in each heat – evolved into four-cross (with four riders on a single course per heat) in 2002 before being dropped after the 2011 season. Riders win points according to their placing in each event. The reigning series leaders in each class are identified by a special jersey.

Young French revelation Loana Lecomte (Massi) took her third straight cross-country World Cup (XCO) win on Sunday in Leogang, Austria, to solidify her lead in the overall standings, after also winning the Short Track (XCC) on Friday. Lecomte becomes the first women to win the opening three rounds of the World Cup season since the legendary Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa 15 years earlier.

Jenny Rissveds (Sweden) finished second and Laura Stigger (Specialized) third.

Leogang has been a stop on the Downhill circuit for many years, but this is the first time the XCO World Cup has taken place here. Last Fall, it hosted the World Championships, so riders weren’t completely unprepared, but the long, steep climbs in the Austrian Alps quickly tore apart the fields.

The course suited Lecomte perfectly as a climber, and she took the lead before the end of the start loop and the first of five laps, never to relinquish it. Incredibly, she has led every lap of every World Cup race this season. She steadily powered away from the rest of the field to a gap of over two minutes, before slowing slightly on the last lap.

The more interesting race was behind, as five riders battled for the remaining podium spots – world champion Pauline Ferrand Prévot (Absolute-Absalon-BMC), Olympic champion Jenny Rissveds (Sweden), Austrian champion Laura Stigger (Specialized), Swiss champion Jolanda Neff (Trek Factory) and Australian champion Rebecca McConnell (Primaflora Mondraker XSauce).

All five, at various times, led the chase and attacked, before having to back off and recover. Rissveds rode more conservatively and it paid off on the last lap when she rode away to take second with the fastest split of the day, just in front of local favourite Stigger. Neff took fourth, showing a return to form following her serious crash of over a year ago, ahead of Ferrand Prévot.

“I’m very happy to have this shape [fitness],” said Lecomte, “I just prepare the best I can and it is enough. It’s a little strange, because I have now won four World Cups as an Elite, but I never won a [UCI] Junior series race or an Under-23 World Cup.”

Rissveds, who struggled with depression after her Olympic win and left the sport for two years, has now started to show the form that won her the Olympic title in 2016, a little more than a month before she will defend that title at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

“I’ve been struggling with my self-confidence the last couple of weeks, so this was a very good race for me,” Rissveds said. “I’ve been practicing a lot lately to commit fully; it’s very scary to go all-in because it hurts and there is a chance of making mistakes. So I’ve been practicing that, and I did that even today in the race, and I’m very happy with how it turned out.”

Results :
1 Loana Lecomte (Fra) 1:17:03
2 Jenny Rissveds (Swe) 0:01:48
3 Laura Stigger (Aut) 0:01:50
4 Jolanda Neff (Swi) 0:02:02
5 Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Fra) 0:02:30
6 Evie Richards (GBr) 0:02:42
7 Rebecca Mcconnell (Aus) 0:03:17
8 Anne Terpstra (Ned) 0:03:24
9 Rocio Del Alba Garcia Martinez (Spa) 0:03:32
10 Eva Lechner (Ita) 0:04:14
11 Sina Frei (Swi) 0:04:21
12 Linda Indergand (Swi) 0:04:22
13 Lena Gerault (Fra) 0:04:38
14 Janika Lõiv (Est) 0:04:46
15 Daniela Campuzano Chavez Peon (Mex) 0:05:10
16 Haley Batten (USA) 0:05:12
17 Maja Wloszczowska (Pol) 0:05:13
18 Ronja Eibl (Ger) 0:05:17
19 Yana Belomoina (Ukr) 0:05:25
20 Anne Tauber (Ned) 0:05:42
21 Alessandra Keller (Swi) 0:06:04
22 Nicole Koller (Swi) 0:06:53
23 Malene Degn (Den) 0:07:29
24 Jitka Čábelická (Cze) 0:07:32
25 Lotte Koopmans (Ned) 0:07:37
26 Catharine Pendrel (Can) 0:07:41
27 Sandra Walter (Can)
28 Barbara Benkó (Hun) 0:08:01
29 Steffi Häberlin (Swi) 0:08:15
30 Katarzyna Solus-miskowicz (Pol) 0:08:20
31 Hélène Clauzel (Fra) 0:08:44
32 Emily Batty (Can) 0:08:59
33 Lucie Urruty (Fra) 0:09:05
34 Sophie Von Berswordt (Ned) 0:09:11
35 Jennifer Jackson (Can) 0:09:38
36 Karla Štěpánová (Cze) 0:09:57
37 Haley Smith (Can) 0:10:07
38 Kelsey Urban (USA) 0:10:14
39 Martina Berta (Ita) 0:10:15
40 Tanja Žakelj (Slo) 0:10:46
41 Greta Seiwald (Ita) 0:10:58
42 Elisabeth Osl (Aut) 0:11:24
43 Kim Ames (Ger) 0:11:48
44 Nina Benz (Ger) 0:14:41
45 Candice Lill (RSA)
46 Giorgia Marchet (Ita)
47 Paula Gorycka (Pol)
48 Tereza Tvarůžková (Cze)
49 Theresia Schwenk (Ger)
50 Chrystelle Baumann (Swi)
51 Cherie Redecker (RSA)
52 Janina Wüst (Swi)
53 Anna Spielmann (Aut)
54 Charline Fragnière (Swi)
55 Seraina Leugger (Swi)
56 Amelie Laquebe (Fra)
57 Gabriela Wojtyla (Pol)
58 Elisabeth Brandau (Ger)
59 Cindy Montambault (Can)
60 Katharina Kurz (Ger)
DNF Chiara Teocchi (Ita)
DNF Andrea Waldis (Swi)
DNF Ramona Forchini (Swi)
DNF Michelle Vorster (Nam)
DNF Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Ned)
DNF Githa Michiels (Bel)
DNF Mariske Strauss (RSA)
DNS Laurie Arseneault (Can)
DNS Fabienne Schaus (Lux)