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Jenny Rissveds celebrated on the top step of the podium for the second consecutive week, securing a solo victory in the women's elite Cross-Country Olympic (XCO) race at the Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Lenzerheide. Rissveds, representing Canyon XC Racing, finished one minute ahead of Swiss rider Ronja Blöchlinger (Liv Factory Racing), who achieved her first World Cup XCO podium finish.
Meanwhile, Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing) transformed a streak of second-place finishes into a victory in the men's elite race, overcoming a tough battle with Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing), last week's winner in Leogang. The lead pack diminished from six to four participants before narrowing down to Martin and Boichis. As Boichis pushed during the climbs, he attempted a last-lap attack but crashed on the gravel, allowing Martin to pull away and secure the win.
Martin expressed his relief after breaking through for his first World Cup XCO victory of the year, stating, "I’m so happy after three second places, I needed to win. It was a crazy race. In the first part, I tried to stay at the back (of the leading group) and feel my shape. When Adrien attacked, I felt like I could come back in the downhill. He crashed, and once I saw that, I had to go."
Completing the podium behind Martin and Boichis was Bjorn Riley (Scott SRAM MTB), who finished third. In contrast, Rissveds had a more straightforward race, pulling ahead early after initially matching Blöchlinger's aggressive start. Throughout the race, Rissveds maintained her lead, crossing the finish line comfortably ahead.
Rissveds described her race, saying, "I’m really happy about today’s race. I was pretty exhausted to be honest after the short track on Friday. I was just trying to be patient today, but then I realised that I was feeling good."
Blunk, who had previously won the short track event in Lenzerheide, secured third place in the XCO race, finishing 12 seconds behind Blöchlinger. Following this weekend's competitions, the series will continue with events in La Thuile, Italy from July 3-5 and in Pal Arinsal, Andorra from July 10-12.
Fonte: cyclingnews.com.
