In what is quickly becoming a cross country tradition, Albstadt and Nove Mesto follow each other for a quickfire kick off to the European World Cup season. As tracks, they are chalk and cheese so every aspect of a racer is tested over the course of two weekends. Albstadt suits the light weight climber with its straight up and down profile, whereas Nove Mesto is a techier affair that undulates through the Czech forest. Here's what to look out for this weekend.
The Track
Nove Mesto is one of the most popular tracks among racers on the circuit and that's not just because of the huge crowds it attracts. It's a track you can't rest for a mont on as you're either breathing through your eyeballs on the brutal climbs or picking your way through techy descents that are just waiting to snatch your wheels away.
Last Time in Nove Mesto
The rain fell hard last time out in Nove Mesto making this challenging track the trickiest it has ever been. Able to rise above the carnage were Loana Lecomte and Tom Pidcock who put down impressive performances and took solo victories.
Previous Winners
Nove Mesto has a history of producing first time winners with Pidcock, Lecomte, Avancini, Andreassen and Van der Poel all breaking their ducks here since 2019. Beyond that, the results list reads like a who's who of 2010s cross country with successes for Pendrel, Neff, Prevot and Kulhavy. One thing to note is how successful Nino has been here, which bodes well as he arrives in the Czech Republic this weekend chasing a record 34th World Cup win.
2011:
Elite Men: Jaroslav Kulhavy
Elite Women: Catharine Pendrel
2012:
Elite Men: Nino Schurter
Elite Women: Catharine Pendrel
2013:
Elite Men: Nino Schurter
Elite Women: Tanja Zakelj
2014:
Elite Men: Nino Schurter
Elite Women: Pauline Ferrand Prevot
2015:
Elite Men: Jaroslav Kulhavy
Elite Women: Jolanda Neff
2016:
Elite Men: Nino Schurter
Elite Women: Annika Langvad
2017:
Elite Men: Nino Schurter
Elite Women: Annika Langvad
2018:
Elite Men: Nino Schurter
Elite Women: Annika Langvad
2019:
Elite Men: Mathieu van der Poel
Elite Women: Kate Courtney
2020 double-header:
Elite Men: Simon Andreassen, Henrique Avancini
Elite Women: Loana Lecomte, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot
2021:
Elite Men: Tom Pidcock
Elite Women: Loana Lecomte
What Happened at the Last Race?
It was only three days ago, but if you need a reminder of what happened in Albstadt then look no further. In the women's race, Rebecca McConnell continued her fine run of form to take a second win on the bounce ahead of Jenny Rissveds with Mona Mitterwallner delivering on the hype in third. In the men's race, Tom Pidcock was the imperious class of the field and cantered to victory with Nino Schurter and Vlad Dascalu settling for second and third respectively.
Current Overall Standings
Elite Women
Unsurprisingly, Rebecca McConnel is on top of the pile after taking 3 of a possible 4 wins so far this year. She's currently on nearly double the points total of second placed Anne Terpstra with Mitterwallner's consistency securing her third.
Elite Men
Nino and the number 1 plate is a familiar sight in XC racing and he continues to hold it after a successful weekend in Albstadt. Marotte is second and Hatherly third. Tom Pidcock's victory last weekend lifted him up to seventh after just one race.
Weather Forecast
Friday, May 13 - Short Track
Clouds and sunshine with a couple of showers and a thunderstorm // 22°C // 88% precipitation // wind 9km/h
Saturday, May 14 - Junior and U23 races
Nice with periods of sun and clouds // 23°C // 1% precipitation // wind 9km/h
Sunday, May 15 - Elite races
Nice with intervals of clouds and sun // 25°C // 1% precipitation // wind 9km/h
Weather forecast as of Wednesday, May 11. Live updates from [L=https://www.accuweather.com/en/sk/nove-mesto-nad-vahom/300916/daily-weather-forecast/300916?day=5[/L].
Schedule
All times CESTThursday, May 12 • 12:00-13:30 // Official XCO Training - Women Under 23 and Elite
• 13:30-15:00 // Official XCO Training - Men Under 23 and Elite
• 15:00-17:00 // Official XCO Training - All including Juniors
Friday, May 13 • 09:30-11:00 // Official XCO Training - Women Under 23 and Elite
• 11:00-12:30 // Official XCO Training - Men Under 23 and Elite
• 12:30-14:00 // Official XCO Training - Junior Women
• 14:00-15:30 // Official XCO Training - Junior Men
• 16:15-17:00 // Official XCC Training - Women
• 17:00-17:45 // Official XCC Training - Men
• 18:00 // World Cup Cross-country Short Track - Women
• 18:45 // World Cup Cross-country Short Track - Men
Saturday, May 8 • 08:00-08:45 // Official XCO Training - Juniors
• 09:15 // XCO Junior Series - Men
• 11:15 // XCO Junior Series - Women, all Juniors awards to follow
• 12:30-13:30 // Official XCO Training - Men Under 23 and Elite
• 13:30-14:30 // Official XCO Training - Women Under 23 and Elite
• 15:00 // World Cup Cross-Country Olympic - Men Under 23
• 16:30 // World Cup Cross-Country Olympic - Women Under 23, all U23 awards to follow
Sunday, May 9 • 09:00-10:30 // Official XCO Training - Men and Women Elite
• 11:20 // World Cup Cross-Country Olympic - Women Elite, followed by awards
• 15:20 // World Cup Cross-Country Olympic - Men Elite, followed by awards
Note: All times are local and subject to change by the UCI/event organizer.
How to Watch
Tune in to Pinkbike to catch all the Nove Mesto coverage throughout the week.
All the Elite races can be streamed live on
redbull.tv.
Schedule:
(All times in CEST, replay available immediately following the races)XCO
The Men’s Elite final takes place on Sunday, 15 May, at 3:20 pm (CEST)
- Albstadt XCC Women and Men: Friday, May 13 - 6:00pm (9:00am PDT, 12:00pm EDT, 5:00pm BST, 04:00am +day NZST)
- Albstadt XCO Women: Sunday, May 15 - 11:20am (2:20am PDT, 5:20am EDT, 10:20am BST, 9:20pm NZST)
- Albstadt XCO Men: Sunday, May 15 - 3:20pm (6:20am PDT, 9:20am EDT, 2:20pm BST, 1:20pm +day NZST)
Note: These times are subject to change. Please check with your local provider.
Two very different achievements.
Back problems as well.
Wonder if she can tweak her riding position a little. Her bad back has been a bother for a while now.
Yet Rebecca destroyed her on the descents.
Likewise, Mona had Loana right on her tail and had a coming together with her on the descent because she was demonstrably slower there.
Being good at descending gives you an edge in XC
They are already as fit as they can practically be. getting 5 extra seconds on a climb for them means running past their red line which could be game over if they cannot recover for the next climb.
Lucky when I got to the bottom of my race run last weekend I expended no additional energy and all the time I had was "free" time....
Descending is hard and you are not spinning legs so lactating.
- You can catch on the descents if you have that extra skill over others and can stay within your catch range on the climbs, I guess there is some energy management (I know these folks spend the whole time on the red line!) and there will always be examples of people with vast descending differences (that overtake at the weekend or that otb last year on the rock drop).
We will never see Pod v Pid in an XC, Road is where the big money is and Pod would never risk that to take part in an XC race. Maybe doesnt interest him either.