Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV) captured a solo win ahead of a strung out elite women’s field at the WHOOP UCI MTB World Series Olympic cross-country race at Crans Montana.
Second-placed Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) finished 46 seconds back and another 47 seconds later Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Decuninck) took third.
The absence of the overall XCO leader Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing) and third place Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) left opportunities for the field, with Keller positioned to make the most by moving ahead of Batten in the XCO standings.
Lecomte and Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) jumped to the front from the holeshot, but it was Keller who set the pace for the first foray into the woods. Kate Courtney (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing) moved ahead in an off-camber section. Lecomte then struck with speed on a long descent and moved to a 15-second margin at the front.
After the opening circuit, Pieterse joined the front of the chase group, where riders dismounted in a section in the forest headed to a technical climb. Lecomte held her lead, with Pieterse gaining a small margin in her wake and Keller in third place.
On the second lap, the three leaders continued to battle but could not catch each other’s wheels. Well behind Stigger and Jen Jackson (Liv Factory Racing) went back and forth for fourth place.
After dismounting and running a steep, muddy section on the second lap, Pieterse took the lead, briefly. On another uphill where Pieterse used cyclocross skills to run and carry her bike, Lecomte powered across the ascent on her bike and regained the lead, while Keller caught and passed Pieterse.
Once the bell rang for the final lap, the podium had all but been decided, as Lecomte extended her gap with prowess through the many technical parts of the course.
“It’s good to be back. I love this track,” Lecomte said after the win. “Even if we had a dry track, it’s a real mountain bike track, with a lot of technical sections, and very physical. I can’t wait to be back here for the World Championships next year. The secret is just to be happy and have fun on the bike.”
Stigger held on to fourth place, with Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli) taking fifth. Courtney completed her ride in 11th.
With her runner-up position at her home race, Keller took the lead from Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing) in the overall women’s World Cup standings.
“The home crowd was a great motivation. I gave everything I had. I was completely focussed on myself. Because the track was extremely challenging; anything could happen at any time,” said Keller, who finished second to Pieterse in the XCC race on Saturday.
In the women’s U23 Olympic cross-country race, Olivia Onesti (Trinx Factory Team) won by more than a minute over Madigan Munroe (Trek Factory Racing – Pirelli).
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