Description
September 10, 2023
MTB – XCO – World Cup 2023 – 6 WE – Les Portes du Soleil, France
Cross-country Olympic, named because it’s the only format of mountain biking included in the Olympics,
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September 10, 2023
MTB – XCO – World Cup 2023 – 6 WE – Les Portes du Soleil, France
Cross-country Olympic, named because it’s the only format of mountain biking included in the Olympics, sees a big pack of riders take on laps of a natural, challenging track. The laps themselves can vary from 3km to 10km in length, and the number will vary, but the races will always be around 90 minutes for men and women. The track itself is designed to test the rider’s full range of abilities over a mixture of terrain: singletracks, dirt, grass, sand, rocks and some tarmac. Courses have many obstacles to negotiate – artificial and natural – and often incorporate ramps, berms, jumps, drops and rock gardens. As well as the features, there will be climbs and descents to deal with,
In the last round of the Mountain Bike World Cup in Andorra Mona Mitterwallner (Cannondale Factory Racing) stepped up to take her first World Cup Cross-Country Olympic win in the elite category, and in the searing heat of Les Gets she did it again.
The 21-year-old, who was near unbeatable in the U23 category, clearly demonstrated that she is now a force to be reckoned with in the elite category as well by taking that second victory in a row.
She claimed a front-row start position on Sunday thanks to her solid showing in the short track – a season-best of sixth – then the Austrian was part of a powerful group of three pursuing series leader Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) who had charged off the front in the third lap of six.
“Puck just went and I was just like ‘Oh she wants to get rid of me’,” said Mitterwallner in the televised post-race interview. “But not today.”
Mitterwallner chased with Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers), who had worked her way up to the front of the race despite having to start well back in the grid for her home race after missing the short-track due to illness. Hayley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing), who had been out the front early, was also initially part of the group but fell back before long and it was the remaining duo that this time made contact with Pieterse.
However, Ferrand-Prevot drifted away and the battle then came down to the two 21-year-olds. Once Mitterwallner tasted the front in the fifth lap, the fastest of the race, she wasn’t giving it up, crossing the line with a 38-second winning advantage while Pieterse came second and Ferrand-Prevot held firm in third.
“I can’t really put into words how happy I am and how proud I am because I felt great in the short track on Friday but after the short track my stomach was cramping,” said Mitterwallner, who added that she couldn’t eat properly Saturday but was relieved to have managed a pre-race breakfast and find she was able to still put the power down.
Results :
 stepped up to take her first World Cup Cross-Country Olympic win in the elite category, and in the searing heat of Les Gets she did it again.
The 21-year-old, who was near unbeatable in the U23 category, clearly demonstrated that she is now a force to be reckoned with in the elite category as well by taking that second victory in a row.
She claimed a front-row start position on Sunday thanks to her solid showing in the short track – a season-best of sixth – then the Austrian was part of a powerful group of three pursuing series leader Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) who had charged off the front in the third lap of six.
"Puck just went and I was just like 'Oh she wants to get rid of me'," said Mitterwallner in the televised post-race interview. "But not today."
Mitterwallner chased with Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers), who had worked her way up to the front of the race despite having to start well back in the grid for her home race after missing the short-track due to illness. Hayley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing), who had been out the front early, was also initially part of the group but fell back before long and it was the remaining duo that this time made contact with Pieterse.
However, Ferrand-Prevot drifted away and the battle then came down to the two 21-year-olds. Once Mitterwallner tasted the front in the fifth lap, the fastest of the race, she wasn't giving it up, crossing the line with a 38-second winning advantage while Pieterse came second and Ferrand-Prevot held firm in third.
"I can't really put into words how happy I am and how proud I am because I felt great in the short track on Friday but after the short track my stomach was cramping," said Mitterwallner, who added that she couldn't eat properly Saturday but was relieved to have managed a pre-race breakfast and find she was able to still put the power down.
<strong>Results : </strong>
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