MTB – XCC – World Cup 2023 – 7 – Snowshoe [FULL RACE]

September 29, 2023

MTB – XCC – World Cup 2023 – 7 – Snowshoe, USA 🇺🇸

As the name suggests, these races take place on shorter versions of the XCO tracks, and are usually around 20 minutes in length. It’ll have fewer big features than the main XCO course, and is an all-out race from start to finish. The XCC kicks off the weekend of racing, taking place on the Friday evening. Short track was initially introduced to the World Cup series in 2018, when it was used to determine the start grid for the XCO race, and fed into the overall points. From 2022, the short track still determines Sunday’s start and there are points available for the XCO overall, but it also has its own overall competition.

On the green light, Schwarzbauer led the pack across the grass and onto the first uphill, the World Cup cross-country leader Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB) on his back wheel. Headed across the narrow bridge after the opening loop, Schwarzbauer set the pace. Briton’s Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) had moved into ninth place, with USA’s Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) in 18th.

Koretzky then took the lead on the first full lap across the first pass of the rock garden, pulling Schwarzbauer and Swiss duo of Schurter and Mathias Flückiger (Thömus Maxon) and French rider Sarrou to set the top five.

Across the second lap, the long line of 40 racers seemed to settle in and no major gaps opened. Schwarzbauer went back to the pacemaking at the front on the big climb and he led Sarrou, Koretzky and Schurter through the start/finish for a third lap, other riders beginning to go adrift of the fast pace.

Only seven riders matched the pace of Schwarzbauer as the fourth lap began, others trailing by 12 seconds or more. Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing) moved into fourth position, Vlad Dascalu (Trek Factory Racing XC) in fifth, as Joshua Dubau (Rockrider Ford Racing) moved into sixth and Schurter in seventh. Tagging on the back in eighth was Sebastian Fini Carstensen (Lapierre Mavic Unity).

Aldridge attacked at the start of the fifth and final lap, then Koretzky countered just before the bridge, taking the lead onto the rocky descent. Schwarzbauer was on his back wheel. Koretzky accelerated in the woods and onto the final climb, creating a small gap and holding on for the victory.

“I’m super happy about the race. It’s my [third] win in a row, so it’s super good. With a big uphill in the middle, it was tough to manage, but in the end it was the strongest who won. It was a little bit less strategy compared to a normal short race,” the Frenchman said after the finish.

“At the beginning of the last lap, I was not in good position, I think I was third with a big fight with Luca [Schwarzbauer] and Charlie [Aldridge]. You need to push a lot to finish and cross the line first.”

Pidcock finished 13th and Blevins, the only US rider in the event, faded to 28th.

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