Posted by Editoress on 10/4/20
The pandemic-shortened Mountain Bike World Cup concluded on Sunday in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, with the second of two back-to-back cross-country races. Henrique Avancini (Cannondale Factory) became the first ever Brazilian rider to win an XCO World Cup, with his victory in the elite men's race. Leandre Bouchard (Pivot Cycles-OTE) was the top Canadian in 31st place. His team mate Marc Andre Fortier was 48th, Peter Disera (Norco Factory) was 64th, Andrew L'Esperance (Norco Factory) was 78th and Raphael Auclair (Pivot Cycles-OTE) was 88th.
Leandre Bouchard
After already racing two Short Tracks and an XCO in the previous five days, riders were likely pleased with the slight reduction in the lap length; especially the cut to one of the climbs. The weather was also the best of the week, with the course hard and fast. The men did a shortened start lap before seven full laps.
On the long climb
A group of seven got a gap by the end of the start lap - Avancini, world champion Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM), Milan Vader (KMC-Orbea), Victor Koretzky (KMC-Orbea), Alan Hatherly (Specialized) and XCO #1 winner Simon Andreassen (Specialized). Yo-yoing behind were Jordan Sarrou (Absolute-Absalon-BMC) and Stephane Tempier (Trek Factory).
The group split up and regrouped on every lap, with Schurter, Avancini, Vader and Koretzky gapping the others on the climbs, and the rest rejoining on the descending back into the end of the lap. On the last lap, Schurter and Avancini got a gap on the main climb, with only Vader able to respond. Vader went to the front before the descent and Avancini looked to be dropped, but on a double track section he came back and managed to get in front before the final rock garden and pump track section. Coming into the final long asphalt finish straight, four more riders rejoined the leaders - Koretzky, Hatherly, Sarrou and Tempier, setting the stage for a bunch sprint. Avancini led out the sprint from the front, winning by over a bike length, with Vader beating Schurter for second. Schurter, who has been looking to match Julien Absalon's record of 33 World Cup wins, will have to wait another year.
Avancini was emotional after his win, crying and being congratulated by his rivals. "For two or three years now I have been close to winning, but this is a dream that has been inside me for ten years. I know how much work I have put in to get here and it is such a special moment for me, for my country."
"I want to tell people to fight for their dreams, because I am more than happy today. I was really motivated because I saw that Nino had the legs today, and I didn't want to just win, I wanted to beat him because he is the most pure talent in this sport, and prove to myself that I was capable of beating him and I did it. I left everything that I had today on the course."
Bouchard, starting on the third row, had a strong first half of the race, riding around 20th in a small group. On Lap 4 he started to slowly slide back.
"I was a fighter today and I am very proud of it," said Bouchard. "I'm very happy with my race and the effort I put into it. I was always chasing the peloton in front of me to give my best and I tried to hang in there as much as possible, but I lacked the energy to be able to go play with them. I knew I could compete with the others up front and that I had my place. The gap with the riders who finished ahead of me is not that big, less than 30 seconds with several and a minute to 17th, so it's encouraging for the future."
Results from the Elite Men's XC race, World Cup #2 in Nove Mesto na Morave in the Czech Republic
Elite Men, 30 km (start loop +7 laps) | |
1 Henrique Avancini (Bra) Cannondale Factory Racing | 1:25:03 |
2 Milan Vader (Ned) KMC - Orbea | at 0:01 |
3 Nino Schurter (Sui) Scott - SRAM MTB Racing | 0:01 |
4 Victor Koretzky (Fra) KMC - Orbea | 0:02 |
5 Alan Hatherly (RSA) Specialized Racing | 0:03 |
6 Jordan Sarrou (Fra) Absolute - Absalon - Bmc | 0:03 |
7 Stephane Tempier (Fra) Trek Factory Racing XC | 0:04 |
8 Thomas Griot (Fra) Massi | 0:16 |
9 Maximilian Brandl (Ger) Lexware Mountainbike Team | 0:23 |
10 Filippo Colombo (Sui) Absolute - Absalon - Bmc | 0:42 |
11 Maxime Marotte (Fra) Cannondale Factory Racing | 0:54 |
12 Lars Forster (Sui) Scott - SRAM MTB Racing | 1:06 |
13 Simon Andreassen (Den) Specialized Racing | 1:16 |
14 Luca Braidot (Ita) CS Carabinieri - Cicli Olympia Vittoria | 1:19 |
15 Titouan Carod (Fra) Absolute - Absalon - Bmc | 1:22 |
16 Gerhard Kerschbaumer (Ita) Torpado Ursus | 1:24 |
17 Mathias Flueckiger (Sui) Thömus Rn Swiss Bike Team | 1:33 |
18 Ondrej Cink (Cze) Kross Racing Team | 1:41 |
19 Thomas Litscher (Sui) KMC - Orbea | 1:44 |
20 Maximilian Foidl (Aut) JB Brunex Felt Factory Team | 1:44 |
21 Sergio Mantecon Gutierrez (Esp) Kross Racing Team | 1:45 |
22 Marcel Guerrini (Sui) | 1:57 |
23 Anton Cooper (NZl) Trek Factory Racing XC | 1:59 |
24 Mirko Tabacchi (Ita) Ktm Protek Dama | 1:59 |
25 Pablo Rodriguez Guede (Esp) BH Templo Cafés UCC | 2:09 |
26 Keegan Swenson (USA) | 2:10 |
27 Bartlomiej Wawak (Pol) Kross Racing Team | 2:19 |
28 Lukas Flueckiger (Sui) | 2:27 |
29 Daniele Braidot (Ita) CS Carabinieri - Cicli Olympia Vittoria | 2:30 |
30 Vlad Dascalu (Rom) Team Trek - Pirelli | 2:32 |
31 Leandre Bouchard (Can) Pivot Cycles - OTE | 2:33 |
32 Julian Schelb (Ger) | 2:36 |
33 Matthias Stirnemann (Sui) Moebel Maerki Mtb Pro Team | 2:37 |
34 Andri Frischknecht (Sui) Scott - SRAM MTB Racing | 2:37 |
35 Nadir Colledani (Ita) MMR Factory Racing Team | 2:57 |
36 Martin Loo (Est) Trinx Factory Team | 3:14 |
37 Luca Schwarzbauer (Ger) Lexware Mountainbike Team | 3:26 |
38 Sebastian Fini Carstensen (Den) CST Postnl Bafang MTB Racing Team | 3:36 |
39 Jan Vastl (Cze) Pushbikers XC Team | 3:39 |
40 Daniel McConnell (Aus) Primaflor Mondraker Xsauce | 3:51 |
41 Antoine Philipp (Fra) Giant Factory Off - Road Team | 4:12 |
42 Simon Vitzthum (Sui) JB Brunex Felt Factory Team | 4:19 |
43 Samuel Gaze (NZl) Alpecin - Fenix | 4:21 |
44 Carlos Coloma Nicolas (Esp) BH Templo Cafés UCC | 4:23 |
45 Manuel Fumic (Ger) Cannondale Factory Racing | 4:26 |
46 Reto Indergand (Sui) Giant Factory Off - Road Team | 4:40 |
47 Krzysztof Lukasik (Pol) JBG - 2 Cryospace | 4:40 |
48 Marc Andre Fortier (Can) Pivot Cycles - OTE | 4:48 |
49 Shlomi Haimy (Isr) | 4:53 |
50 Filip Helta (Pol) Volkswagen Samochody Dostawcze Mtb Team | 4:55 |
51 Jan Skarnitzl (Cze) Cyklostar Trek Mercedes - Benz Praha | 4:58 |
52 Nicholas Pettina' (Ita) CS Carabinieri - Cicli Olympia Vittoria | 4:59 |
53 Guilherme Gotardelo Muller (Bra) Cannondale Brasil Racing | 5:00 |
54 Frazer Clacherty (GBr) | 5:02 |
55 Jose Gerardo Ulloa Arevalo (Mex) A.R. - Efideporte Pro Cycling Teams | 5:08 |
56 Karl Markt (Aut) Moebel Maerki Mtb Pro Team | 5:08 |
57 Hugo Drechou (Fra) Massi | 5:16 |
58 Andrin Beeli (Sui) | 5:17 |
59 David Valero Serrano (Esp) MMR Factory Racing Team | 5:18 |
60 Martin HARING | 5:26 |
61 Pierre De Froidmont (Bel) BH - Wallonie MTB Team | 5:28 |
62 Andrea Tiberi (Ita) Santa Cruz Fsa Mtb Pro Team | 5:31 |
63 Fabian Giger (Sui) Pushbikers XC Team | 5:46 |
64 Peter Disera (Can) Norco Factory Team XC | 5:57 |
65 Florian Chenaux (Sui) | 6:16 |
66 Martin Gluth (Ger) Pushbikers XC Team | 6:25 |
67 David Rosa (Por) Massi | 6:25 |
68 Gregor Raggl (Aut) Moebel Maerki Mtb Pro Team | 6:32 |
69 Joris Ryf (Sui) | 6:35 |
70 Maxime Loret (Fra) Scott Creuse Oxygene Gueret | 7:05 |
71 Dmytro TITARENKO | 7:10 |
72 Alessio Agostinelli (Ita) Ktm Protek Dama | 7:13 |
73 Lukas Kobes (Cze) Gapp System - Kolofix Mtb Racing Team | 7:13 |
74 Noah Blochlinger (Sui) Fischer - Bmc | 7:25 |
75 Luiz Henrique Cocuzzi (Bra) | 7:28 |
76 Anton Sintsov (Rus) Primaflor Mondraker Xsauce | 7:29 |
77 Gioele De Cosmo (Ita) Team Trek - Pirelli | 7:29 |
78 Andrew L'Esperance (Can) Norco Factory Team XC | 7:31 |
79 Fabio Hernando Castaneda Monsalve (Col) | 7:54 |
80 Tomas Paprstka (Cze) | 8:05 |
81 Pierre-Geoffroy Plantet (Fra) | 8:47 |
82 Guy Sessler (Isr) | 9:03 |
83 Fabian Costa (Aut) | 9:12 |
84 Matej Ulik (Slo) Expres Cz - Tufo Team Kolín | 9:27 |
85 Zsombor Palumby (Hun) | 9:31 |
86 Moritz Bscherer (Aut) | 9:40 |
87 Grant Ferguson (GBr) | 9:48 |
88 Raphael Auclair (Can) Pivot Cycles - OTE | 9:59 |
89 Kevin Krieg (Sui) | 10:00 |
90 Joshua Dubau (Fra) Sunn Factory Racing | 10:05 |
91 Florian Wimmer (Aut) | 10:05 |
92 Edson Gilmar De Rezende Junior (Bra) Cannondale Brasil Racing | 10:05 |
93 Martins Blums (Lat) CST Postnl Bafang MTB Racing Team | 10:06 |
94 Michal Topor (Pol) | 10:37 |
95 Lucas Dubau (Fra) Sunn Factory Racing | 11:26 |
96 Georg Egger (Ger) Lexware Mountainbike Team | 11:26 |
97 Thibault Daniel (Fra) | 12:20 |
98 Nicolas Delich Pardo (Slo) | -1 lap |
99 Rob Vanden Haesevelde (Bel) | -1 lap |
100 Jaime Miranda Jaime (Mex) | -1 lap |
101 Zdenek Vobecky (Cze) | -1 lap |
102 Cyril Bourdon (Fra) | -1 lap |
103 Jaroslav Kulhavy (Cze) | -1 lap |
104 Jesus Torres Perez (Esp) | -1 lap |
105 Tomas Sevcu (Cze) | -2 laps |
106 Arthur Tropardy (Fra) Team Cycles Darnanville - Adris | -2 laps |
107 Lucian Logigan (Rom) | -2 laps |
108 Armin Embacher (Aut) | -2 laps |
109 Ede-Karoly Molnar (Rom) Dinamo - Bikexpert - Superbet | -2 laps |
110 Oleksandr Koniaiev (Ukr) Kharkov Biscuit - KA Engineering - Victory Team | -2 laps |
111 Tumelo Makae (Les) | -3 laps |
112 Ingvar Omarsson (Isl) | -3 laps |
113 Carlos Miranda Jaime (Mex) | -4 laps |
114 Lukas Mihalkovits (Aut) | -4 laps |
DNF Clement Berthet (Fra) | |
DNF Ismael Esteban Aguero (Esp) | |
DNF Jhonatan Botero Villegas (Col) | |
DNF Jose Aurelio Hernandez De Jesus (Mex) | |
DNS Kevin Panhuyzen (Bel) Cube Pro Fermetures Sefic | |
DNS Maciej Jeziorski (Pol) | |
DNS Matej Prudek (Cze) | |
DNF Nicola Rohrbach (Sui) Goldwurst - Power | |
DNF Rok Naglic (Slo) | |
DNF Volodymyr Kozlovskyy (Ukr) | |
DNS Wout Alleman (Bel) |
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