Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Cycling News
Cycling News
Sport
Peter Stuart

UCI MTB World Cup Nove Město: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot wins women's elite race with long-rage solo attack

NOVE MESTO NA MORAVE CZECH REPUBLIC MAY 26 Pauline Ferrand Prevot of France and team Ineos Grenadier rides to the victory during the Cross Country Olympic Race XCO of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Nove Mesto Na Morave on May 26 2024 in Nove Mesto Na Morave Czech Republic Czech Republic Photo by Billy CeustersGetty Images.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) won the elite women’s cross country race at the UCI World Cup in Nové Město na Moravě, riding to a dominant solo victory in her World Champion stripes ahead of US rider Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing) in second and Alessandra Keller (Thomus Maxon) in third

Completing the 26.45km loop in 1:24:44, Ferrand-Prevot was a full 1:02 ahead of Batten following her initial attack on the main climb of the start loop. Behind them, a battle ensued between Saturday’s short track winner Keller and young talent Puck Pieterse - but a rear wheel slip and dismount for Pieterse on the final lap put her out of contention as she settled for fourth.

Ferrand-Prevot’s race was excellently executed, with only a brief dismount on the third lap drawing attention, but failing to make any reasonable dent in her considerable leading margin.

Pieterse has been the only rider to keep pace with Ferrand-Prevot’s initial attack, if only briefly, and the effort was no doubt the reason the young Dutch rider struggled on the final lap.

“It was a great race,” Ferrand-Prevot said after the race finish. “I wanted to go at my own speed. I knew also I wanted to do the first downhill at the front. So I just push at the start and try to maintain this pace.” 

Despite the impressive display, the French World Champion didn’t feel confident of her form in the race. “I can’t say I was feeling good,” she said. “But I was just doing my own race and trying to push as much as possible.

“I think it’s a kind of lap which suits me. It’s quite a steep climb and you can really push and then recover,” she added. “I think it’s my strength, and it’s a nice atmosphere and everything here.”

The win is Ferrand-Prevot’s third on this course, and the win positions her as a clear favourite ahead of the Olympic Games this summer.

Results

Results powered by FirstCycling

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.