August 27/23 11:31 am - Gunnar Holmgren Finishes 20th at World Cup #5
Posted by Editoress on 08/27/23
Gunnar Holmgren (Pivot Cycles - OTE) had the best World Cup XCO result of his career on Sunday at Round 5 in Pal Arsinal, Andorra, finishing 20th, two days after his best XCC finish, in 12th place. Mathias Flückiger (Thomus Maxon) took his first World Cup win of the season, on a cold, wet and muddy day at altitude [1551 metres], holding off a late surge by Thomas Griot (Canyon Collective); world champion Thomas Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) was third. In the Under-23 men's race, Carter Woods (Giant Factory) was a disappointing 21st and the only other Canadian finisher, Alexander Woodford, was 71st. Woods remains third in the overall standings.
"Really happy with my first top 20 in the XCO," said Holmgren. "The forecast indicated cold and rain all week so I was prepared for that. I didn't have the best start but I knew it would be a long battle out there so I kept my cool and trusted my form from the short track. I was on my own halfway through the race so I could focus on riding clean lines and emptying the tank. It was great to have lots of Canadians out there cheering us on!"
Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon Collective), winner of the XCC on Friday, had his trademark fast start to open a gap on the rest of the field early in the race, however, Flückiger bridged up to him by the start of Lap 2, and then dropped the German rider to take solo possession of the lead. Flückiger opened a gap of 24 seconds on Schwarzbauer by the end of the lap, with a chase group containing Jordan Sarrou (BMC), World Cup leader Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM), Griot, Pidcock and others at 40-plus seconds.
Schurter rear flatted on Lap 2, dropping him back to 16th by the time he had visited the pits; he would eventually recover to finish 12th. Sarrou took up the chase, catching a fading Schwarzbauer, only to be caught and dropped by Griot. Griot came within eight seconds of catching Flückiger by the start of the last lap, but the Swiss rider upped his tempo to win by 23 seconds. A late surge from Pidcock on the last lap saw the Brit hunt down and pass Sarrou for third in the final kilometre of the race. Sarrou held on for fourth, just ahead of Schwarzbauer.
"My goal was just to go as deep as possible," said Flückiger. "I still can't believe it, but it's a World Cup win. I felt the pressure [from Griot behind], but I knew I had some time so I could just ride my race, and that was probably the key. One year ago I won my last World Cup, in the short track here, then I got COVID and had other troubles [accused of a positive doping result, which was eventually overturned]. I'm so happy to be back just racing, and winning a World Cup again ... that's amazing."
Schurter continues to lead the overall standings with 998 points, but Flückiger has jumped from fifth to second and is only 29 points back. Schwarzbauer (up to third from fourth) is a further 31 points behind and Sarrou (dropping to fourth from second) is another 12 points in arrears - the top four riders are within a 74 point spread.
Holmgren, starting on the second row after his strong XCC, dropped back to the mid-30s on the first lap, following the same tactic as the XCC and the world championships - conserve in the early laps and then move up in the second half of the race. By the end of Lap 2 he had moved up to 24th, then 21st a lap later, and then moved into 20th and held it from the fourth lap on.
In other Canadian results, Sean Fincham (Berria Vittoria Factory) had a strong ride up from the eighth row to finish 45th. Tyler Orschel (Zerouno Factory) was 68th, Victor Verreault (Foresco Holding RL) finished 74th after a flat, Raphael Auclair (Pivot Cycles - OTE) was 76th, one spot ahead of team mate Peter Disera. Quinton Disera (Pivot Cycles - OTE) was 96th and Leandre Bouchard (Foresco Holding RL) 103rd.
Overall, Holmgren jumps to 36th from 41st. Bouchard drops to 55th from 51st, Fincham moves up one spot to 60th, and Peter Disera drops four places to 78th.
| Elite Men, 27.4 km (Start loop + 7 laps) | |
| 1 Mathias Fluckiger (Sui) Thomus Maxon | 1:28:03 |
| 2 Thomas Griot (Fra) Canyon Cllctv | at 0:23 |
| 3 Thomas Pidcock (GBr) INEOS Grenadiers | 0:44 |
| 4 Jordan Sarrou (Fra) Team BMC | 0:54 |
| 5 Luca Schwarzbauer (Ger) Canyon Cllctv | 1:17 |
| 6 Lars Forster (Sui) Thomus Maxon | 1:23 |
| 7 Titouan Carod (Fra) Team BMC | 1:41 |
| 8 Thomas Litscher (Sui) Lapierre Mavic Unity | 1:50 |
| 9 Vlad Dascalu (Rou) Trek Factory Racing XC | 1:57 |
| 10 Vital Albin (Sui) Thomus Maxon | 2:11 |
| 11 Luca Braidot (Ita) Santa Cruz Rockshox Pro Team | 2:18 |
| 12 Nino Schurter (Sui) Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team | 2:18 |
| 13 Marcel Guerrini (Sui) Bixs Performance Race Team | 2:33 |
| 14 Jose Gerardo Ulloa Arevalo (Mex) Massi | 2:45 |
| 15 Martins Blums (Lat) KMC MTB Racing Team | 2:55 |
| 16 David Domingo Campos Motos (Esp) Orbea Factory Team | 3:45 |
| 17 Joshua Dubau (Fra) Rockrider Ford Racing Team | 3:51 |
| 18 Mathis Azzaro (Fra) Rockrider Ford Racing Team | 3:55 |
| 19 Juri Zanotti (Ita) Team BMC | 3:57 |
| 20 Gunnar Holmgren (Can) Pivot Cycles - OTE | 4:02 |
| 21 Julian Schelb (Ger) Stop&Go Marderabwehr MTB Team | 4:30 |
| 22 Antoine Philipp (Fra) Giant Factory Off-Road Team - Xc | 4:43 |
| 23 Sebastian Fini Carstensen (Den) Lapierre Mavic Unity | 4:47 |
| 24 Bartlomiej Wawak (Pol) KTM Factory MTB Team | 5:13 |
| 25 Victor Koretzky (Fra) Specialized Factory Racing | 5:28 |
| 26 Filippo Colombo (Sui) Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team | 5:33 |
| 27 Joel Roth (Sui) Bixs Performance Race Team | 5:34 |
| 28 Mats Tubaas Glende (Nor) | 5:35 |
| 29 David List (Ger) Lexware Mountainbike Team | 5:36 |
| 30 Simon Walter (Sui) | 6:04 |
| 31 Cameron Orr (GBr) Wilier - Pirelli Factory Team XCO | 6:27 |
| 32 Martin Vidaurre Kossmann (Chi) Specialized Factory Racing | 6:36 |
| 33 Charlie Aldridge (GBr) Cannondale Factory Racing | 6:43 |
| 34 Jofre Cullell Estape (Esp) Bh Coloma Team | 6:52 |
| 35 Ulan Bastos Galinski (Bra) Caloi Henrique Avancini Racing | 7:06 |
| 36 David Valero Serrano (Esp) Bh Coloma Team | 7:11 |
| 37 Andri Frischknecht (Sui) Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team | 7:16 |
| 38 Jens Schuermans (Bel) Giant Factory Off-Road Team - XC | 7:28 |
| 39 Loan Cheneval (Fra) Scott Creuse Oxygene Gueret | 7:33 |
| 40 Christopher Blevins (USA) Specialized Factory Racing | 7:53 |
| 41 Anton Cooper (NZl) Trek Factory Racing XC | 7:58 |
| 42 Hugo Drechou (Fra) | 8:02 |
| 43 Fabio Spena (Sui) Team Pedale Simplon | 8:10 |
| 44 Knut Rohme (Nor) | 8:41 |
| 45 Sean Fincham (Can) Berria Vittoria Factory Team | 8:48 |
| 46 Bradyn Lange (USA) | 8:56 |
| 47 Pablo Rodriguez Guede (Esp) Bh Coloma Team | 8:56 |
| 48 Georg Egger (Ger) | 9:09 |
| 49 Timon Ruegg (Sui) | 9:38 |
| 50 Sven Strahle (Ger) Cube Next Generation XC | 9:46 |
| 51 Daniele Braidot (Ita) CS Carabinieri - Cicli Olympia Vittoria | 10:09 |
| 52 Maxime Loret (Fra) Massi | 10:16 |
| 53 Jan Skarnitzl (Cze) Gapp System - Kolofix MTB Racing Team | 10:38 |
| 54 Mickael Brunello (Fra) | 10:39 |
| 55 Fabio Puntener (Sui) Bike Team Solothurn | 10:52 |
| 56 Simon Andreassen (Den) Cannondale Factory Racing | 10:56 |
| 57 Emil Hasund Eid (Nor) | 10:57 |
| 58 Filippo Fontana (Ita) CS Carabinieri - Cicli Olympia Vittoria | 12:11 |
| 59 Jan Vastl (Cze) Rouvy Specialized | -1 Lap |
| 60 Niklas Schehl (Ger) Stop&Go Marderabwehr MTB Team | -1 Lap |
| 61 Georwill Perez Romon (Pur) Pan-American Union Racing | -1 Lap |
| 62 Ben Oliver (NZl) | -1 Lap |
| 63 Lukas Baum (Ger) | -1 Lap |
| 64 Ursin Spescha (Sui) Ka Boom - Krapf | -1 Lap |
| 65 Silas Graf (Ger) | -1 Lap |
| 66 Maximilian Foidl (Aut) KTM Factory MTB Team | -1 Lap |
| 67 Nick Burki (Sui) Bike Team Solothurn | -1 Lap |
| 68 Tyler Orschel (Can) | -1 Lap |
| 69 Anthony Zaragoza (Fra) | -1 Lap |
| 70 Gil Ly Gonen (Isr) | -2 Laps |
| 71 Jan Sommer (Sui) Ka Boom - Krapf | -2 Laps |
| 72 Clement Horny (Bel) Bh- Wallonie MTB Team | -2 Laps |
| 73 Ever Alejandro Gomez Diaz (Bol) | -2 Laps |
| 74 Victor Verreault (Can) Foresco Holding Proco Rl Pro Team | -2 Laps |
| 75 Nathan Celie (Fra) | -2 Laps |
| 76 Raphael Auclair (Can) Pivot Cycles - OTE | -2 Laps |
| 77 Peter Disera (Can) Pivot Cycles - OTE | -2 Laps |
| 78 Mario Sinues Mico (Esp) | -2 Laps |
| 79 Lukas Kobes (Cze) Gapp System - Kolofix MTB Racing Team | -2 Laps |
| 80 Philip Buys (RSA) | -2 Laps |
| 81 Leo Bartoletti (Fra) | -2 Laps |
| 82 Mario Costa (Por) | -2 Laps |
| 83 Alessio Agostinelli (Ita) KTM Protek Elettrosystem | -3 Laps |
| 84 Thibault Daniel (Fra) Creuse Mainsat Evaux | -3 Laps |
| 85 Alex Bregenzer (Ger) | -3 Laps |
| 86 Jaime Miranda Jaime (Mex) | -3 Laps |
| 87 Loris Rouiller (Sui) | -3 Laps |
| 88 Manuel Sanchez Aldeguer (Esp) | -3 Laps |
| 89 Eugenio Carlos Miranda Jaime (Mex) | -3 Laps |
| 90 Cameron Ivory (Aus) | -3 Laps |
| 91 Jose Miguel Ramirez De Arellano Pascual (Esp) La Nucia Bh Coloma Academy | -3 Laps |
| 92 Cristofer Bosque Ruano (Esp) X-Sauce Factory Team | -3 Laps |
| 93 Xavier Jove Riart (And) | -3 Laps |
| 94 Zdenek Vobecky (Cze) | -3 Laps |
| 95 Amando Martinez Galvan (Mex) | -3 Laps |
| 96 Quinton Disera (Can) Pivot Cycles - OTE | -3 Laps |
| 97 Hugo Boulanger (Fra) | -3 Laps |
| 98 Jan Misse Xandri (And) | -3 Laps |
| 99 Micah Schmidt (Ger) | -4 Laps |
| 100 Vincent Jonatan Beckmann (Ger) | -4 Laps |
| 101 Kilian Folguera Diaz (And) | -4 Laps |
| 102 Kirill Tarassov (Est) | -4 Laps |
| 103 Leandre Bouchard (Can) Foresco Holding Proco Rl Pro Team | -4 Laps |
| 104 Jose Manuel Meza Bucio (Mex) | -5 Laps |
| DNF Alan Hatherly (RSA) Cannondale Factory Racing | |
| DNF Ondrej Cink (Cze) Primaflor Mondraker Genuins Racing Team | |
| DNS Pierre De Froidmont (Bel) Orbea Factory Team | |
| DNF Nadir Colledani (Ita) Santa Cruz Rockshox Pro Team | |
| DNF Jose Gabriel Marques De Almeida (Bra) | |
| DNF Maximilian Brandl (Ger) Lexware Mountainbike Team | |
| DNF Sam Fox (Aus) Lapierre Mavic Unity | |
| DNF Roberto Ferreira (Por) |
Jenn Jackson 26th at World Cup #5, Emilly Johnston 6th in U23
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