The French cross-country mixed relay team secured their fifth world championship title in the team competition at the start of the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships presented by Mercedes-Benz in Leogang, their first since 2016. The young Austrian team caused a stir, as they were even on course for gold at one point and achieved the best world championship result in their history with sixth place. The German sextet with the youngsters Luisa Daubermann and Louis Kraus, the U23 duo Leonie Daubermann and Alex Bregenzer as well as Nadine Rieder and Julian Schelbe finished in eighth place, almost six minutes behind.
Schurter, Marotte, Courtney: Many big names not at the start
For the first time in the history of the relay race, six athletes per team competed at the World Championships in Leogang. The French team secured victory for the fifth time after 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016, this time with Mathis Azzaro, Luca Martin, Loana Lecomte, Lena Gerault, Olivia Onesti and Jordan Sarrou. On the final lap, the French elite rider showed why he is a regular on the podium in the World Cup, beating the U23 rider Juri Zanotti, who was placed in the final position by the Italians, by 1:27 minutes. "We're super happy to start the week like this. The others set the pace perfectly, I just had to finish the job. We love difficult conditions and tough courses like this and are looking forward to the next races," said Sarrou. Having held on to the team world championship title for the past three years, the Swiss, who are used to success, had to settle for bronze today.
E-MTB: World champion Hatherly not at the start
Nathalie Schneitter (SUI) and Alan Hatherly (RSA) were crowned the first ever E-MTB world champions last year in Monte-Sainte-Anne. Would they be able to defend their titles in Leogang? Things looked bad for the South African Hatherly at least. He was able to after a promising start to the season at the Cross-Country World Cup in Nove Mesto (5th and 6th place) did not even start at the World Championships in Leogang for reasons as yet unexplained. However, Hatherly's title sponsor Specialized had two other strong riders in the race: The newly crowned XC World Cup winner Simon Andreassen (DEN) and the 21-year-old all-round talent Tom Pidcock (GBR).
Pidcock and Andreassen: Young Specialised riders at the top
Would the two young stars be able to hold their own against legends like Julien Absalon and multiple cyclocross world champion Sven Nys? At the start of the race, Andreassen and Pidcock were more likely to be found in the chasing pack. Frenchman Jerome Gilloux set the pace and was able to pull out a 30-second lead by lap three of five.
But then Pidcock passed the Swiss rider Joris Ryf, who had been in second place until then, and took up the chase. The fourth lap was enough for Pidcock to catch up with Gilloux. By the start of lap five, the young Brit was already in the lead and there was no stopping him. He pulled out a 35-second lead over Gilloux on the slippery muddy tracks and crossed the finish line as the second E-MTB World Champion in history. Gilloux had to settle for second place, while Simon Andreassen (23) - also riding a Specialized Turbo Levo - took bronze.
Women's race: Schneitter initially in the lead
In the women's race, defending champion Nathalie Schneitter and her compatriot Kathrin Stirnemann initially took the lead as expected. However, halfway through the race it became clear that E-Enduro World Series winner Melanie Pugin (FRA) would probably have the upper hand in the end. The Frenchwoman took the lead on lap three and forced the Swiss riders Schneitter and Stirnemann into the chasing pack. But there was nothing to be done. In the slippery conditions in Leogang, Pugin was unbeatable and finished the race with a strong lead of 27 seconds. Pleasing from a German perspective: Sofia Wiedenroth from the Cube Action Team finished fourth.
Double victory for Brose - Specialised takes two medals
In addition to the riders themselves, technology also played a major role in the E-MTB World Championships - even more so than in traditional mountain biking. Last year, one gold medal each went to the motor manufacturers Bosch (Nathalie Schneitter/Trek) and Brose (Alan Hatherly/Specialised). reliability problems in the series time and again. The Berlin-based manufacturer has now won both gold medals and can therefore boast the best medal tally. Both Melanie Pugin (BH) and Tom Pidcock (Specialized) were on bikes powered by Brose motors. Simon Andreassen (Specialized) also took bronze, also on Brose.
Bosch came second in terms of medals with two silver medals from Natalie Schneitter (Trek) and Jerome Gilloux (Moustache). Shimano still picked up a bronze medal with the new EP-8which was won by Kathrin Stirnemann (Thömus). The only complete bike manufacturer to win two medals is Specialized with bronze and gold in the men's race.
All results for the World Championships in Leogang are updated daily on the Website of the UCI.
