Before the first race of the day the course seemed to be frozen, which would result in a fast race. As the race got underway it became obvious that the course was getting more muddy. Pre-race favourite Eli Iserbyt (Belgium) struggled most with these changing circumstances. The World Cup winner, European and Belgian champion failed to find traction and dropped back from first to fourth position halfway the race. Meanwhile Andreassen performed flawlessly and showed off his technical skills. The Dane was the only rider who hopped the barriers which were placed on a muddy inclining slope. The UCI Mountain Bike World Champion in the Men's Junior category outclassed the opposition and finished solo. With a wheelie and while waving the Danish flag he celebrated taking his second rainbow jersey. At long distance from the leader Iserbyt battled with Max Gulickx (Netherlands) and Gage Hecht (USA) for the two remaining medals. Every rider had their opportunities in the final lap. Eventually Iserbyt rode away from Gulickx and Hecht, finishing as runner-up at 40 seconds from Andreassen. A little further back Hecht and Gulickx were about to hit the finishing straight and sprint for the bronze medal. Sixteen year-old Hecht was confronted with bad luck, briefly dropping his chain in the final corner. Gulickx didn’t waste any time to grab the bronze medal before a dejected Hecht. More than a minute behind the winner Thijs Wolsink (Netherlands) was fifth ahead of Stefano Sala (Italy) and Jakob Dorigoni (Italy). Before the Women's Elite started their race at 14.00 snow started to come down on the technical course in Tábor. In tough weather conditions the riders fought out a fantastic battle. Straight from the start the riders battled hard for their position. In the first corner in-form Italian champion Eva Lechner slipped away, taking several riders along with her. Lechner was forced to run on to the first pit area, holding a broken rear wheel in her hand. Lechner, the silver medal from last year kept giving everything she had but the Italian was out of contention for a podium result. Meanwhile Lucie Chainel-Lefèvre (France) took the initiative in front, creating a gap on a group that contained all top favourites except for Katie Compton (USA) and Lechner. Halfway the second lap Ferrand-Prévot solely closed the gap on her compatriot. She was later joined by World Cup winner Sanne Cant who was marked by Marianne Vos, Nikki Harris and local favourite Katerina Nash (Czech Republic). Halfway the race Ferrand-Prévot once again punched away from her rivals. Even though the chase group kept her in sight the French champion was still alone in the lead when hitting the penultimate lap. On the asphalted road Nash kept the pace high in the chase group to keep the leader under control. Little later Cant profited as she blasted away on her own towards the French leader. Once in front Cant kept the pace high, putting Ferrand-Prévot under pressure. The duo rode different lines and used different tactics but remained close to each other throughout the final laps. Ferrand-Prévot controlled the race in the final stages and led out the sprint. After nearly fifty minutes of racing the the road World champion proved faster than a disappointed Sanne Cant. Defending champion Marianne Vos (Netherlands) crossed the line in third place at 15 seconds after battling with Nash and Harris in the final laps. Late in the race Nash crashed twice, allowing Harris to take fourth place ahead of the Czech champion. On Sunday racing continuous on www.uci.ch with races in the Men's Under 23 and Elite categories.