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2014 UCI MTB World Cup XCO & XCE Men & Women Action Clip – Nove Mesto

By White Lotus Sports on May 26, 2014 • ( 0 )

Video by Red Bull TV

XCO Men

Third win for Schurter in Nove Mesto – he attacks from outset.

The men’s race was expected to be a showdown between Julien Absalon (BMC), winner of the first two rounds, and World Champion Schurter, who flatted in the first round and skipped the second for a stint on the road. Schurter threw the gauntlet down by attacking immediately, and was in the lead by the first lap.

XCO Women

The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano returned to Europe for Round 3 of the cross-country series under almost perfect weather conditions in Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic, and the riders responded with superb racing. Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Liv Pro XC) took the first Elite victory of her career in the women’s race.

Ferrand Prevot, an Under-23 rider who is competing in the Elite category, charged to the front on the opening start loop from back on the fifth row in the start order, and had a slight gap on Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Multivan Merida), World Cup leader Jolanda Neff (Liv Pro XC) and Alexandra Engen (Ghost Factory) as they started the first of five laps. Her gap steadily increased through the race, as she consistently laid down the fastest lap times on every lap.

XCE Men & Women

The second Eliminator round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano had a bit of everything: beautiful sunny conditions for the start and torrential rain, thunder and lightning for the men’s Final.

Alexandra Engen (Ghost Factory), the World Champion in the discipline, was clearly in control of the women’s field, qualifying first and then only working as hard as necessary to make it through each round on her way the Final.

Miha Halzer, the number one qualifier for the men, followed the same strategy as Engen – conserving his strength by finishing second in the first two rounds before winning his semi-final heat to make the Final. He was joined in the Final by defending World Cup champion Daniel Federspiel (Oetztal-Scott), World Champion Paul van der Ploeg of Australia and Fabrice Mels (Salcano Alanya). Missing was World Cup leader Samuel Gaze of New Zealand, who didn’t make it past the quarterfinals after suffering a mechanical.