XCC is the new buzzword in the Mountain Bike Cross Country World Cup! Not heard of it yet? Then it's about time, because behind the three little letters lies the biggest rule change in the Cross Country World Cup for many years, which was announced last week in Albstadt came into force for the first time. A so-called short track race, two days before the main race of the elite classes, which only lasts - as it is officially called - "plus or minus 25 minutes", but which has really shaken up the World Cup.
Tactical, tight, spectator-friendly
Olympic cross country should become more tactical, more challenging, more spectator-friendly. These were the goals that were on the agenda at the last meeting of the UCI's top ten thousand last September as part of the Road World Championships in Bergen (NOR). The result was the idea of a race before the race, a kind of qualifying round, the XCC. The highlight: although the short race is not compulsory for all elite riders, a series of new rules make the absence of this extremely unattractive, especially for the world's top riders.
XCC: Half World Cup points, qualification function
Firstly, there are the points themselves. 250 World Cup points are currently awarded for winning a cross-country World Cup race, while the winner of the short track race receives a full 125 points. So if you're aiming for the overall ranking, you can't miss out here. The second is the "qualification function" that the Short Track Race fulfils. The first 16 riders in the XCC, which is held on Friday evening before the main race, will be in the first two rows for the main race on Sunday, regardless of how many World Cup points they have in their account. Only then will the places be allocated according to World Cup points as before.
The XCC race itself is a mixture of the older XCE format and Olympic cross country. As with the XCE, the courses are wide and flowing and only a few minutes long - you won't find any nasty singletrack sections here. The UCI wanted to create a tight and tactical race format. The race is open to 40 men and 40 women who have raced the entire World Cup season. In other words, mainly elite riders, plus the few U23 riders who, with the exception of the U-23 World Championships, no longer race U23 events. The first 16 starting places in the XCC go to the first 16 in the World Cup rankings, the remaining 24 places go to the 24 best riders in the world rankings, excluding of course the riders who have already qualified via the World Cup. (All UCI-qualified events count towards the world rankings, not just World Cup races, but also small races, marathons, stage races, etc.).
UCI requirement: same bike for XCC and XCO
Also decisive: XCC and the XCO main race must be completed on the same frame, parts may be exchanged, but the tyre width is limited to a minimum of 45 millimetres. Especially on technically demanding XCO courses such as Nove Mesto next weekend (25 - 27 May 2018), riders will be faced with a difficult decision. Would it be better to achieve a good position in the XCC race on a hardtail and then fight your way over the tough course of the XCO race on a hardtail, or go for a fully and sacrifice your sprinting strength in the XCC? Not an easy choice. But we will certainly see more hardtails in the XCO than in recent years.
The premiere of the new format at the UCI World Cup in Albstadt was a complete success. Two young riders, cyclocross pro Mathieu van der Poel and Sam Gaze, took victory, followed by Mathias Flückiger from Switzerland. Nino Schurter had to retire with a technical defect and started the main race from row three. But even that couldn't stop the Olympic champion, as it turned out later. Annika Langvad won the women's race ahead of Jolanda Neff and former XCE rider Linda Indergand. Alessandra Keller and the Hungarian champion Barbara Benko completed the XCC podium and were able to secure the best starting positions on Sunday.
The next short track race will take place on Friday evening (25 May 2018) in Nove Mesto and will determine the starting order for the main races on Sunday. This time there will also be a commented Live broadcast of the race on Red Bull TV from 17:50. So it's worth switching on.
Adrian Kaether
Editor
