The sixth round of the UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup offered fast and relentless racing at the UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival Haute-Savoie this evening. 

The Elite Women’s race was a show of strength by Dutch rider Puck Pieterse (Alpecin Deceuninck) who took her first Short-Track win of the season with a characteristically gritty display in the heat and dust of Les Gets.

France’s Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV) led early on but Pieterse, Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing XC) and Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) ended up breaking away from a group of five going into the last of seven laps.

Pieterse dropped the hammer hardest though as the three splintered off the front and the Dutch rider managed to eke out a lead of a few bike lengths which she held to the line. Britain’s Richards passed Keller in sight of the finish straight and consigned the Swiss rider to third place.

France’s Short-Track World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers) was sick and unable to start the race.

Pieterse now leads the Short-Track rankings with Keller in second

In the men’s race it was another hard-fought battle that exploded in the final lap with France’s Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) holding off his countryman Jordan Sarrou (Team BMC) to take the win.

Koretzky’s win was all the more special after the home nation rider had battled through the field from 32nd place on the grid.

Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV) surprised no one by leading for much of the race but the German had to settle for third place after Koretzky’s final-lap punch proved too strong.

Switzerland’s Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) missed the race due to sickness.

Schwarzbauer continues to lead the standings after six rounds of eight.

The U23 race kicked off racing on Thursday evening, with the women first to take the start. Ronja Blochlinger’s (Liv Factory Racing) dominance showed no signs of abating, crossing the line first to take her sixth XCC win of the season. New Zealand’s Samara Maxwell was two seconds back in second place, with Noelle Buri (BIXS Performance Race Team) in third.

There was equally tight racing in the men’s competition, when Adrien Boichis (Trinity Racing MTB) secured the win, just ahead of Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing XC) in second, followed by Carter Woods (Giant Factory Off-Road Team XC) rounding out the podium in third. 

Racing continues on Saturday with the U23 cross-country Olympic and UCI Downhill World Cup tomorrow (Saturday), before the Elite cross-country Olympic on Sunday. Next weekend the action transfers to Morzine-Avoriaz for the third round of the UCI Cross-country Marathon World Cup and Chatel for the final round of the UCI Enduro World Cup. 

Full race results are available here.