MTB – XCC – World Cup 2024 – 8 – Mont-Sainte-Anne [FULL RACE] (ladies)

October 4, 2024

MTB – XCC – World Cup 2024 WE – 8 – Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada 🇨🇦

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.

While the women’s UCI XCC World Cup overall title had been decided the week before – Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) clinching the crown – there was still pride on the line in Mont-Sainte-Anne, with many riders targeting a strong finish to a long season.

The Canadian course is renowned for being fast and furious, and the tempo was high from the start – Chiara Teocchi (Orbea Factory Team) setting the early pace. The Italian had a big bunch of riders on her wheel, and despite creating some gaps on the course’s singletrack section, she wasn’t able to cut the chasing pack loose.

When her flame finally faded, Loane Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV XCO), Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli) and Sina Frei were constantly at the front or in the second or third wheels. The trio had a rotating cast of new additions as the laps ticked by – Jenny Rissveds (Team 31 Ibis Cycles Continental) and Keller surging to the lead group before falling away – but they were the only constants throughout.

As the race entered its final lap, it was these three who would finally break away from the rest. Lecomte led the charge – the French XCC national champion showing her performances last weekend were a sign that she’s back to her best – and only Frei could hold her wheel, with Richards a few bike lengths further back.

The UCI XCC World Champion dug deep to stay in touch but had to burn through her matches to try and bridge the gap. Frei meanwhile sat in Lecomte’s wheel and conserved energy before overtaking the Frenchwoman on the penultimate asphalt straight. The Swiss star then launched an attack up the final hill that Lecomte simply couldn’t follow, allowing Frei to roll over the line without the need for a full-on sprint finish. Lecomte was a close second, while Richards came home third.

Speaking after the race, Sina Frei said: “It’s amazing. I can’t believe it. It’s exactly how I would like to finish the season. It’s just so nice. In our team, we have a very good atmosphere and vibe. It helps a lot. Even Haley [Batten], who couldn’t race today, was watching and cheering for us. It’s an amazing vibe and I have amazing teammates. I just try to have good positions until the finish. I knew that with that finish, I was thinking I needed to be first otherwise it would be difficult, so I tried to push a little bit harder.”

Keller meanwhile finished eighth, securing the UCI XCO World Cup overall title ahead of Sunday’s final round. Speaking after the race, she said: “Unfortunately I didn’t have the power until the finish, but it was another good race and another good front row [for Sunday] and to win the overall makes me happy. We always race to win the day, but in general I had a pretty good season. That makes me really happy. I think it’s a reward for the whole team. I’m very proud of them, I’m very thankful for them.”

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