After a week of unsettled weather, the athletes racing the 100 km UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup (XCM) were faced with some gruelling trail conditions coupled with high humidity as they completed the Mont Blanc Ultra Somfy at the first of two weekends of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Haute-Savoie, France.  

Athletes endured an intense course that had over 5,000m of elevation gain to conquer before reaching the 70km mark, including summiting Bellastat. The course consisted of a mixture of climbs and descents, including steep sections like the Chemin des Granges climb and offered a diverse and rugged terrain, making it a suitable battle for even the most experienced of mountain bikers.  

A TOUGH RACE FOR LOOSER

2023 overall winner Lejla Njemcevic started strong alongside 2023 UCI Marathon World Champion Adelheid Morath with the pair leading by two minutes at halfway point, whilst the French National Champion, Margot Moschetti couldn’t keep pace and was a full ten minutes back at the same point. It wasn’t to be for Morath, who dropping out at the 70km mark, or Moschetti, who managed to cross the line in eighth.  

Meanwhile, there was early drama for Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ winner Vera Looser when she suffered a technical problem, which led to a hard push from the Namibian to come back to catch Njemcevic. The pair broke free of the pack, leaving American Hannah Rae Otto in third place, ten minutes behind the duo. 

But the difficult race for Looser didn’t stop there, as she suffered a puncture and dropped crucial time behind Njemcevic, allowing the Bosnian to cruise the remain kilometres to the finish line in Megève, taking the UCI XCM World Cup win. 

Looser somehow managed to hold onto a third-place finish behind Otto, in her first UCI XCM World Cup outing since winning the final round of the 2023 season in Snowshoe, West Virginia (USA).

Speaking to the overall series leader about her thoughts on the race, Njemcevic said:  

I just wanted to ride a steady race from beginning to the end. I was riding with Adelheid, so we were bouncing back and forth, but I was always sticking to my plan. My racing plan wrote my own race, and in the end, everything worked out.

With the final race of the season taking place in Mt Van Hoevenberg, Lake Placid later this year, Njemcevic has her eyes firmly set on the 2024 Overall Series Champion jersey:  

It's really exciting, but I think I'm the best. I know I'm the best. First race, I was better, made a tactical mistake, but this race is the hardest race we ever did.I was the best by far, so I don't expect anything less than winning an overall in the USA. I can't wait for it.

A BATTLE OF THE GREATS 

In the elite men’s field, it wasn’t to be a repeat victory for Fabian Rabensteiner as he finished fifth overall - just behind Roberto Bou Martin (Kilmatiza Toteemi Cabberty) in fourth and Italy’s Samuele Porro in third - enough for him to remain in overall lead of the series.  

Frenchman Basile Allard lipped to finish 22nd whilst Martin Stošek (Canyon Sidi MTB Team) suffered with a rear flat tyre whilst only two minutes from the lead pack. 

Upfront it was the battle of the World Champions, as 2019 and 2020 UCI Cross-country Marathon World Champion Héctor Leonardo Páez stuck like glue to Andreas Seewald (Canyon Sidi MTB Team), the 2021 UCI Cross-country Marathon World Champion. Paez’s strategy to leave enough in the tank for the last crucial uphill allowed him to take the lead and secure the race win by over one and a half minutes.  

Héctor Leonardo Páez said: 

I did a very smart race. I knew it would be a very tough one, and I had to save the energy from the beginning and test the last uphill and take care in the last downhill as there was a lot of mud. 

Race was as I expected and very happy with this win.

The last downhill was perfect for me as I tried it before, so it gave me some confidence to have a gap and win the race.

The final round of the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon (XCM) World Cup event will take place in a new debut venue for 2024, Mt Van Hoevenberg, Lake Placid. This iconic venue in northern New York State is famed for hosting the Winter Olympic Games in both 1932 and 1980. Racing takes place on the weekend of 27 – 29 September 2024.