Cross-country racing at Nové Mesto Na Moravĕ (NMNM) is a traditional favourite of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, which this year also includes mountain bike formats new to the series.
NMNM’s technically challenging and varied cross-country Olympic (XCO) course, with tough climbs and tricky descents, delights both riders and the fans who pack into the biathlon stadium grandstand. It has witnessed thrilling breakthrough performances from some of the biggest names in cycling – and 2023’s UCI World Cup round was no exception!
History-making Ferrand-Prévot
Turn the clock back to May 2014 and NMNM provided the stage for Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s first Elite UCI Mountain Bike World Cup win, when her relentless climbing saw her pull away from Norway’s six-time UCI World Champion Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå and the season’s UCI World Cup overall winner Jolanda Neff (SUI). Despite still being qualified to race in the Under 23s, the French rider was on her way to the historic achievement of becoming Elite UCI World Champion simultaneously in road, mountain bike and cyclo-cross.
Since then, history has been littered with her achievements, including becoming the first person to win four UCI World Champion titles in the same year: in 2022 she added gravel to her mountain bike golds for cross-country short track (XCC), XCO and cross-country marathon (XCM).
New winners emerge
Fast forward to May 2023 and Ferrand-Prévot was in another thrilling battle at NMNM. Coming through the XCC – won by Austria’s Laura Stigger (another multi-disciplinary talent who in 2018 became the first rider to win Junior UCI World titles in road and XCO in the same year) – in fourth place, confirmed a front-row start for Sunday’s XCO.
A leading pack saw Evie Richards (GBR) take a 15-sec lead as Ferrand-Prévot chased with cyclo-cross star Puck Pieterse (NED). After the Briton suffered a mechanical the experienced Frenchwoman and the Dutch debutant fought it out. Pieterse defied the rankings, having saved enough for the final lap to power away to her first Elite XCO victory.
“I was suddenly racing for the front and I didn't know what to do,” said the 21-year-old. “I just tried to keep calm and it worked out."
Nino Schurter’s home from home
Nino Schurter’s first win at NMNM came in 2012 on a hardtail with 26in wheels. Going head-to-head with UCI World Champion Jaroslav Kulhavý on his home turf and Burry Stander (RSA), on his 26th birthday the Swiss star took off on the final lap to claim his fifth UCI World Cup victory, his first of five – so far – in the Czech Republic. In the process he set himself up for his second UCI World Cup overall title of an unrivalled eight. In 2016, Schurter won the fifth of his astonishing ten UCI XCO World Championships at NMNM, beating his great rival, Frenchman Julien Absalon.
In 2023, sporting a full-sus 29er, Schurter was in the mix in a bunch sprint in the XCC, earning a front-row start for the XCO, alongside his compatriot Mathias Flückiger, German Champion Luca Schwarzbauer, XCC UCI World Champion Sam Gaze (NZL) and Briton’s Tom Pidcock. Aged 37, wearing his familiar rainbow bands, Schurter took 3rd in the XCO, setting up his 2023 campaign.
Hat-trick for allrounder Pidcock
One rider who has the measure of Schurter at NMNM is Tom Pidcock. Emulating his Ineos Grenadiers teammate Ferrand-Prévot, the 23-year-old entertains in many disciplines: 2022 UCI Cyclo-cross World Champion, reigning XCO Olympic Champion, 2020 UCI E-MTB XC World Champion and a Tour de France stage winner on the Alpe d’Huez.
After winning both Under 23 UCI World Cup rounds at NMNM in 2020, the Men Elite UCI World Cup victory was amongst the Yorkshireman’s most anticipated races the following year. He delivered, pulling clear of the field at half distance to beat Dutch superstar Mathieu Van der Poel and a hard-charging Flückiger. In 2022, Pidcock repeated his NMNM UCI World Cup win, this time ahead of Romanian Vlad Dascalu and… Nino Schurter.
And in 2023 Pidcock completed the hat trick. His performance in the XCC was sublime: starting on the last row and invisible for most of the race, he hit the front on the penultimate corner before sprinting away from Sam Gaze.
As the XCO race developed, Pidcock, despite slipping on the wet technical climbs, fought with a surprise adversary, Joshua Dubau. The former French and European Under 23 Champion had the race of his life, pulling a 12-sec lead after Pidcock crashed on a wooded descent on lap 5 of 8. But the British rider returned to enjoy a solo finish line celebration in his European Champion’s jersey.
“Today was a hard race honestly. The conditions were super tricky,” said Pidcock. “I think my tyres were a bit hard and I was struggling a bit on the roots. But yeah it’s nice to win in the end.”
Pidcock’s post-race interview may have been understated, but there’s no doubt he joins the list of legends that are forged at Nové Mesto.