Before the penultimate mountain stage of the Giro d'Italia was completed, there was some mountain biking happening in the Czech Republic. In Nove Mesto, the Short Track races provided excitement: Alessandra Keller won after Puck Pieterse fell in the women's race, and Victor Koretzky claimed victory in the men's event.
At 10:30 AM, the women started their short race, lasting about twenty minutes. In the early laps, the group stayed close together until it was suddenly disrupted by a fall from Puck Pieterse. The Dutchwoman seemed to touch the rear wheel of a rider in front and tumbled, sliding back to the last positions.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider didn’t panic and swiftly made her way back to the front, where she couldn't really make a difference anymore. The Swiss Keller pulled away from her competitors and left world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot behind, while Pieterse still managed to finish a strong fifth. Anne Tauber finished ninth.
"I felt very strong," Keller said after the race. "I opened up a gap, but I had to grit my teeth towards the end. I wasn't aware of the crash, so it wasn't the reason I attacked," added the winner from Switzerland.
Then it was the men's turn. In the men's race, Tom Pidcock started from the back row. The British rider observed the field calmly before making his move in the second lap, advancing to the front by the fourth lap.
From that point onwards, the competition was alert, with world champion Sam Gaze briefly going shoulder to shoulder with Pidcock. As the tension increased towards the final lap, with Nino Schurter leading, Pidcock took over on the uphill section but couldn't keep it up the pace. In the final straight, it was Koretzky who emerged as the best, ahead of Christopher Blevins. Pidcock finished seventh.
Results 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Nove Mesto - Short Track for Women and Men
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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