The third day of competition at the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Pal Arinsal, Andorra, saw Elite cross-country short track (XCC) titles go to Evie Richards (Great Britain) and Victor Koretzky (France). The first ever Under-23 XCC UCI World titles went to Isabella Holmgren (Canada) and Riley Amos (USA). Viktoria Chladoňova (Slovakia) and Albert Philipsen (Denmark) are the 2024 Junior World Champions for cross-country Olympic (XCO).

WOMEN ELITE XCC: RICHARDS TIMES IT TO PERFECTION

Forty-five riders started, including favourites Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (UCI World Champion and Olympic Champion), 2022 silver medalist Alessandra Keller (Switzerland) and 2023 silver medalist Puck Pieterse (Netherlands).

Ferrand-Prévot set the early pace, matched by 2016 XCO Olympic Champion and 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Jenny Rissveds (Sweden). At half distance, last year’s XCC bronze medalist Evie Richards (Great Britain) passed Pieterse for third and caught Rissveds. As the Swede slipped, the Briton caught the Frenchwoman and the two went clear. 

Ferrand-Prévot attacked on the main climb, but Richards stayed close. The British rider timed her sprint perfectly to take the win in 19:46 and add the XCC rainbow jersey to her 2021 XCO rainbow stripes.

Ferrand-Prévot (FRA) finished 1 second behind, and Rissveds took bronze (+0.18). 

“I really can’t believe it, I wanted to win so badly.” said Richards. “Honestly when she [Pauline Ferrand-Prévot] stayed on my wheel i thought ‘I don’t know if I can stand it’. So I waited for the sprint and I didn’t know if that would be long enough. I’ve been here at altitude for near three weeks doing 20-second sprints!”

MEN ELITE XCC: VICTORY FOR VICTOR

Paris 2024 Olympic XCO silver medalist Victor Koretzky and fellow Frenchman Jordan Sarrou set the early pace amongst the 45 starters with Denmark’s Simon Andreassen and Alan Hatherly (RSA), overall leader of the 2024 UCI XCO World Cup in the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series.

2021 XCC UCI World Champion Chris Blevins (USA) – anchor leg of the successful team relay squad earlier this week – was in the mix, joined at halfway by 2022 and 2023 XCC UCI World Champion Sam Gaze (NZL).

The two Frenchmen stayed out front and Koretzky started attacking on the penultimate lap. Blevins stayed close to them until he was passed by Great Britain’s Charlie Aldridge (2023 XCO U23 UCI World Champion) just before the bell. Sarrou faded but Koretzky had the pace to stay three seconds in front of his chasers to take victory. A three-way sprint for the other medals saw Aldridge take silver, Hatherly bronze and Blevins fourth. Sarrou finished in fifth place, 11 seconds further back.

“I’m super happy about this win,” said Koretzky. “I’ve had lots of wins in UCI World Cups, but never the UCI Worlds, I’m so happy to win this jersey finally ! I think my last short track races were super good, I was in the top 5 all season.”

WOMEN U23 XCC: HOLMGREN TWINS ON THE PODIUM!

Some 31 riders from 13 nations took to the start in a bid to become the first ever Women U23 XCC UCI World Champion.

It was one of the pre-race favourites, Canadian Isabella Holmgren, who built a lead over the chasers that included her compatriot Emilly Johnston, and USA’s Madigan Munro. Britain’s Ella Maclean-Howell joined them after half distance and went clear in 2nd on lap 5, while Holmgren’s twin sister Ava hit the group on the penultimate lap. But Isabella never looked like relinquishing the gold medal position, leaving the fight behind her.

Isabella Holmgren (Canada) won in 20:31; Maclean-Howell (+22-sec) second; Ava Holmgren (Canada) third (+26-sec).

MEN U23 XCC: RILEY AMOS LEADS USA 1-2

Chasing the first Men U23 XCC rainbow jersey were 48 starters, including favourites Riley Amos and Bjorn Riley (both USA).

RSA’s Luke Moir set the early pace with Dario Lillo (Switzerland), Tobias Lillelund (Denmark), Cole Punchard (Canada) and the two Americans looking dangerous as a lead group formed. With Brayden Johnson (USA) and Owen Clark (Canada) in the mix, the race developed a distinctively North American feel.

Lillo suffered a mechanical, leaving the Dane to lead through the final lap. But right at the end, the two Americans took charge, with Amos winning the sprint against his countryman Riley, leaving Lillelund to take the bronze and the Swiss rider to fight bravely for fourth. 

WOMEN JUNIOR XCO: SLOVAKIA’S CHLADOŇOVA WINS IN STYLE

Of the 57 riders who took to the start line, it was the 17-year-old Slovakian Viktoria Chladoňova who soon stretched out a lead over Slovenian Maruša Tereza Šerkezi. She had Canada’s Rafaelle Carrier for company before the Canadian made 2nd her own as Chladoňova managed the gap out front.  Chladoňova won in 1:01:24; second Carrier (+0:36) and third, Šerkezi (+1:31).

MEN JUNIOR XCO: DENMARK’S PHILIPSEN RETAINS HIS TITLE

From a field of 84, 17-year-old defending UCI World Champion Albert Philipsen went out fastest, followed by his fellow Dane Nikolaj Hougs, who led a group including two Spaniards – Alejandro García Vázquez and Hugo Franco Gallego - and two Nicholases: Konecny of the USA and Kalanquin of France.

Philipsen steadily stretched his lead to almost 2 minutes, leaving the others to fight for the other podium spots. Philipsen won 1:01:59; second Gallego (+1:55); third Hougs (+1:56).