August 25/23 12:26 pm - Gunnar Holmgren 12th at Andorra XCC
Posted by Editoress on 08/25/23
Gunnar Holmgren (Pivot Cycles - OTE) had one of the best World Cup short tracks [XCC] of his career on Friday in Round 5 at Pal Arinsal, Andorra. Despite racing at an altitude of 1551 metres, Holmgren was 12th, putting him onto the second row for the start in Sunday's cross-country. Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon Collective) outsprinted Nino Schurter (Scoot-SRAM) for the win, with Jordan Sarrou (BMC) finishing third. Schwarzbauer increased his lead in the overall standings with his third win in five races.
"I'm happy with my first World Cup XCC in Andorra!," said Holmgren. "One of my goals this season was to get in the top 40 to race the short track so I'm stoked to perform highly at my first. I travelled straight to Andorra after Worlds to prepare for the altitude. Excited for the big show on Sunday from a better start position."
Schwarzbauer was the most aggressive rider all race, constantly going to the front on the climbs, and holding off a last lap attack by Schurter for the win. Holmgren, despite starting near the back of the 40 rider field, steadily moved up in the second half of the race as other riders faded. He had the fastest lap split on Lap 7, and the second fastest on three other laps.
"The altitude kicks in even harder," admitted Schwarzbauer, "but a short track is always super intense. I've had the best legs this year, and I felt pretty comfortable from start to the end. After a disappointing short track at the Worlds [finishing ninth after crashing into Tom Pidcock], I'm super happy to win here. This is maybe my nicest win."
| Elite Men, 9 laps | |
| 1 Luca Schwarzbauer (Ger) Canyon CLLCTV | 20:13 |
| 2 Nino Schurter (Sui) Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team | at 0:01 |
| 3 Jordan Sarrou (Fra) Team BMC | 0:02 |
| 4 Alan Hatherly (RSA) Cannondale Factory Racing | 0:02 |
| 5 Mathias Flückiger (Sui) Thömus Maxon | 0:07 |
| 6 Luca Braidot (Ita) Santa Cruz Rockshox Pro Team | 0:11 |
| 7 Joshua Dubau (Fra) Rockrider Ford Racing Team | 0:13 |
| 8 Jose Gerardo Ulloa Arevalo (Mex) Massi | 0:16 |
| 9 Vlad Dascalu (Rou) Trek Factory Racing XC | 0:19 |
| 10 Martins Blums (Lat) KMC MTB Racing Team | 0:21 |
| 11 Lars Forster (Sui) Thömus Maxon | 0:22 |
| 12 Gunnar Holmgren (Can) Pivot Cycles - OTE | 0:23 |
| 13 Victor Koretzky (Fra) Specialized Factory Racing | 0:25 |
| 14 Thomas Griot (Fra) Canyon CLLCTV | 0:25 |
| 15 Thomas Litscher (Sui) Lapierre Mavic Unity | 0:27 |
| 16 Jofre Cullell Estape (Esp) BH Coloma Team | 0:28 |
| 17 Thomas Pidcock (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers | 0:29 |
| 18 Sebastian Fini Carstensen (Den) Lapierre Mavic Unity | 0:30 |
| 19 Ondrej Cink (Cze) Primaflor Mondraker Genuins Racing Team | 0:30 |
| 20 Titouan Carod (Fra) Team BMC | 0:30 |
| 21 Maximilian Brandl (Ger) Lexware Mountainbike Team | 0:31 |
| 22 David List (Ger) Lexware Mountainbike Team | 0:33 |
| 23 Vital Albin (Sui) Thömus Maxon | 0:36 |
| 24 Anton Cooper (NZl) Trek Factory Racing XC | 0:38 |
| 25 David Domingo Campos Motos (Esp) Orbea Factory Team | 0:38 |
| 26 Pierre De Froidmont (Bel) Orbea Factory Team | 0:39 |
| 27 Martin Vidaurre Kossmann (Chi) Specialized Factory Racing | 0:43 |
| 28 Jens Schuermans (Bel) Giant Factory Off-Road Team - XC | 0:44 |
| 29 Simon Andreassen (Den) Cannondale Factory Racing | 0:46 |
| 30 Charlie Aldridge (GBr) Cannondale Factory Racing | 0:47 |
| 31 Cameron Orr (GBr) Wilier - Pirelli Factory Team Xco | 0:48 |
| 32 David Valero Serrano (Esp) BH Coloma Team | 0:51 |
| 33 Daniele Braidot (Ita) Cs Carabinieri - Cicli Olympia Vittoria | 0:58 |
| 34 Ulan Bastos Galinski (Bra) Caloi Henrique Avancini Racing | 1:05 |
| 35 Juri Zanotti (Ita) Team BMC | 1:11 |
| 36 Joel Roth (Sui) Bixs Performance Race Team | 1:21 |
| 37 Gil Ly Gonen (Isr) | 1:44 |
| 38 Maximilian Foidl (Aut) KTM Factory MTB Team | -1 Lap |
| 39 Jose Gabriel Marques De Almeida (Bra) | -1 Lap |
| 40 Knut Røhme (Nor) | -2 Laps |
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