There was no doubt that the excitement levels were high for the return of last year's series winner Sammie Maxwell to the WHOOP UCI MTB World Series at Les Gets and, while it was a challenging start in the short-track (XCC), her performance in Sunday's cross-country Olympic (XCO) race made it clear that nine months away wasn't going to stand in the way of the young rider from New Zealand.
After her first highly successful season in the elite ranks, Maxwell decided to take some time away from the sport, returning with a win at the Swiss MTB World Cup in Lostorf last week before once again joining the top-tier series in France.
