July 4/21 12:20 pm - Mathias Flueckiger Has Perfect World Cup Weekend

Posted by Editoress on 07/4/21
 

For the second consecutive XCO World Cup, Mathias Flueckiger (Thomus RN Swiss Bike) completed a perfect weekend of racing in Les Gets, France, winning the Short Track (XCC) on Friday and then the XCO on Sunday. Ondrej Cink (Kross Orlen) finished second to Flueckiger in both races for the second consecutive World Cup, while world champion Jordan Sarrou (Specialized) gave the French fans something to cheer about with his third place. Tom Pidcock (Ines Grenedier), back for his first race after breaking his collarbone, was not a factor, appearing to have crashed in the opening lap by his ripped shorts, and then sliding well back before withdrawing from the race.

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Canadians did not have a good day, with many looking to get caught behind a crash at the start of the race. Leandre Bouchard (Pivot-OTE) was the top rider in 41st place, followed by Peter Disera (Norco Factory) in 45th. Marc Andre Fortier (Pivot-OTE) was 58th, Quinton Disera (Norco Factory) was 61st, Andrew L'Esperance (Norco Factory) was 72nd, Anthony Bergeron was 86th and Raphael Auclair (Pivot-OTE) was 87th.

In the Under Men's race, World Cup leader Carter Woods (Norco Factory) also struggled in the conditions, finishing a distant 43rd. Gunnar Holmgren (Pivot-OTE) was the top Canadian in 28th. Other Canadian results include Victor Verreault in 65th, Charles Antoine St-Onge in 77th and Jeremie La Grenade in 81st. Woods ended the first lap in fourth but then began to drift backwards. He lost the World Cup leader's jersey to race winner Simone Avondette (Trek-Pirelli), and now sits second, 20 points back.

"I had some issues," he admitted. "Mid-race rain and the wrong tire setup made for some slide outs. I couldn't find my rhythm after that."

"I was caught behind the crash," explained Bouchard. "Just two rows behind Tom Pidcock. I just put my foot on the ground but it took a few seconds to get moving again. The course was super slippery. Mostly the grass sections and many of them were off-camber. It was a bit of a mix of CX and MTB! Super fun and challenging to ride. The leg were medium but I made the most of it, so I’m still happy about my effort."

Leandre Bouchard sliding on a grassy corner

The rain that began on Saturday during the Downhill turned the course into a muddy, slippery mess. Almost every rider went down at some point, with the off camber grass descents sending riders sliding out of control.

Cink proved once again that he is currently the best climber on the World Cup circuit, moving to the front on the first climb of the seven lap race. Unfortunately for him, Flueckiger was almost as quick on the climbs and a significantly better descender in the mud. The Swiss champion gap jumped a couple of rollers to pass Cink on the descent and then further opened a gap in the muddy and slippery off camber switchbacks. While others were gingerly going around the corners, Flueckiger railed them, showing off his handling skills, and possibly better tire choice.

Cink rejoined Flueckiger on the first climb of the next lap, only to get gapped again on the first descent, this time for good. Cink was joined by follow chasers Sarrou, Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory), Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM) and Luca Braidot (Santa Cruz FSA). Braidot and Schurter were dropped before the end of the third lap, leaving the remaining chasers to fight for second.

Cink then attacked his fellow chasers on the fourth lap to move into solo position of second place. For the remainder of the race he would whittle Flueckiger's lead down on the climbs, only to see it grow again on the descents; particularly the final one into the finish. The gap would shrink to less then 20 seconds each lap before Flueckiger took it back to 30-plus by the start of the next lap, with the Czech rider eventually finishing 25 seconds back. Sarrou attacked Hatherly on the final lap, urged on by the cheers of the French crowd.

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"I have a lot of confidence from the last World Cup, and just from this season," said Flueckiger. "I was very motivated after winning [the XCC on] Friday and today was very special with the changed conditions from yesterday [training]. It was really tough. I'm happy with how I managed my gap that I made on the second lap. I just had in my mind that if I did a perfect job I could win."

Cink admitted that second was the best he could manage. "I lost much time in the downhills, because everyone knows I don't like these muddy conditions. I tried to risk everything in the climbs and went full gas, so in the end I am very happy with my result today, because this weather was not for me."

Les Gets World Cup: XC race results