Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup: first win for McConnell, 33rd for Schurter

Rebecca McConnell (AUS) and Nino Schurter (SUI) won the first Elite cross-country Olympic (XCO) races of the 2022 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Petrópolis, Brazil, after Line Burquier (FRA) and Martin Vidaurre Kossmann (CHI) had claimed the U23 races.

At the first UCI World Cup XC round at the new Brazilian course at the ‘Imperial City’ the world’s best riders took on an impressive new course – with steep climbs, fast descents, technical sections including rock gardens, berms, rollers and jumps – as well as the heat and humidity of the rainforest.

Short Track Superstars

In Friday’s cross-country Short Track (XCC) Rebecca McConnell set the pace before fading to fourth on the final lap as the highly experienced Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (FRA) won the sprint from the younger Laura Stigger (AUT) and Great Britain’s Evie Richards. 2021 UCI World Cup overall winner Loana Lecomte (FRA) settled in 5th for a front row start in Sunday’s XCO race.

In the men’s race, home favourite Henrique Avancini delighted the crowd by leading before South Africa’s 2018 U23 UCI World Champion, Alan Hatherly powered through for the win with Thomas Litscher (SUI) and Maxime Marotte (FRA) right behind. Avancini took fourth with nine-time UCI World Champion Nino Schurter earning a place beside him on the front row for the XCO.

Solo victories for Men and Women Under 23 winners

With 2021’s “perfect season” overall winner Mona Miterwallner (AUT) stepping up to women Elite ranks, it was France’s Line Burquier who set the pace in the weekend’s Under 23 competition, completing the four laps in 1hr, almost a minute ahead of Italian Sara Cortinovis whose compatriot Giada Specia came in third. Sofie Pedersen (DEN) finished fourth, but the biggest cheer was reserved for Brazil’s Giuliana Salvini Morgen in fifth.

The Men Under 23 competition saw Chile’s Martin Vidaurre Kossmann carry on where he left off last year, winning the last two races and the overall. He was 30sec ahead of Switzerland’s Janis Baumann, who in turn was followed another 30sec back by a group comprising Oleksandr Hudyma (UKR), Riley Amos (USA) and Andreas Emanuele Vittone (ITA).

Women Elite: Aussie attrition

With the overnight rain met by sun the track on Sunday was mostly dry, despite a few damp patches.

UCI World Champion Richards and Olympic Champion Jolanda Neff (SUI) were unable to start the XCO race due to illness. On the first of six 4.5km laps, 22-year-old Lecomte was the first to attack, pulling out a 9sec gap from McConnell and 19sec from Dutchwoman Anne Terpstra.

Stigger and the Swiss pair of Sina Frei and Linda Indergand (2nd and 3rd behind Neff at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics) were in touch, with Mitterwallner (2021 UCI U23 World Champion), closing in on the group, reflecting her 6th place in Friday’s XCC, along with Denmark’s Caroline Bohé – who had pushed Mitterwallner hard all last year – also in the mix in her first Elite UCI World Cup.

Even expert riders were finding the technical Mercedes-Rock garden a challenge, with Ferrand-Prévot amongst those slipping, finding herself sliding down from 20th position and withdrawing while wearing no 1.

As she got hung up on the rock garden on Lap 4 Lecomte was glad of her 27sec advantage over McConnell, but that lead was starting to diminish, and 31-year-old Terpstra was also closing in on the Australian. The pair worked together to reel in the leader, and on the hour mark they crossed the line to start lap 5 three-abreast.

Terpstra, who won her first UCI World Cup race in Andorra, 2019, pulled away, starting the last lap with a 10sec advantage. But a tired slip let McConnell catch her and hit the front. And after three 2nd-place finishes, the adrenaline took the 30-year-old to her first UCI World Cup win. Terpstra 2nd, Lecomte 3rd followed by Stigger grabbing 4th from fellow Austrian Mitterwallner.

“So special. So crazy!” said Rebecca McConnell. “Everyone’s been like ‘it’s coming, it’s coming’, I’ve been on the podium more often than not but it doesn’t mean the win is coming… I’m lost for words!”

Men Elite: Schurter makes it 33!

Third overall in the 2021 UCI World Cup, Ondrej Cink (CZE) started the 7-lap race at a hard pace, followed by Titouan Carrod (FRA) and 2nd fastest qualifier Litscher, with Avancini running in 4th place on the course designed by his father, watched by 35,000 eager fans.

The leading group stayed tight into the 2nd lap, with Nino Schurter hitting the top 3, and joined by Hatherly and the USA’s Christopher Blevins – winner of the last 2021 UCI World Cup race at Snowshoe, USA, – followed by Marotte, Vlad Dascalu (ROM), 2021 World Cup overall winner Mathias Flückiger and his fellow Swiss Filippo Colombo.

Late in lap 2, seven-time UCI World Cup overall winner Schurter attacked and pulled out an advantage, but Avancini led the group back to him early on lap 3 as the Swiss took a cautious B-line around the rock garden. Hatherly pushed to the front and 2019 U23 UCI World Cup overall winner Dascalu jumped the Brazilian, moving into third.

Cink dropped to 6th and Flückiger slipped on the hard packed surface in 7th as the group of five began to pull away. The front three – Marotte and Schurter (both aged 35) and Dascalu (24) – looked a strong unit. Avancini and Hatherly tried hard to ensure the elastic didn’t snap but drifted 30sec back on lap 5.

Colombo reeled in the South African and then the Brazilian early on the penultimate lap and was followed by Sebastian Fini Carstensen (DEN) and Pierre de Froidmont (BEL) who formed a group to decide positions four to six.

With the Swiss chasing a record-equalling 33rd Elite UCI World Cup win and both the Romanian and the Frenchman both looking for their first, the three lead group riders were within 1sec as they started the last lap. Schurter injected pace out of the corners on the course’s steepest climb, and Marotte clawed a lead into the last descent only to be pipped by Schurter on the line. He equalled Julien Absalon’s record while Marotte took his fifth 2nd place, the win still eluding him. Avancini’s 13th place finish received huge home cheers!

“It took me about three years to get this (33rd) UCI World Cup victory,” said Nino Schurter through tears of joy and relief. “It’s even better in front of this crowd… and after such a tight battle with Maxime.”