Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, Canada, 3 August 2022 : This weekend the Mercedes-Benz UCI MTB World Cup heads to Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada for its penultimate stop of the tour. Last weekend in Snowshoe, USA, the American riders were able to use their home track advantage to dominate in Short Track. Now, the Canadian riders will be able to benefit from the same energy, as Finn Iles will be looking to grab his first Elite World Cup victory in front of his home crow.
Live finals schedule on Red Bull TV:
Cross-Country Short Track (XCC)
The Women’s and Men’s Elite final will broadcast on Friday, 29 July, at 11:20pm (CEST)
Downhill (DHI)
The Women’s Elite final will broadcast on Saturday, 30 July, at 6:25pm (CEST)The Men’s Elite final will be broadcast on Saturday, 30 July, at 7:45pm (CEST)
Cross-Country Olympic (XCO)
The Women’s Elite final will be broadcast on Sunday, 31 July, at 6:00pm (CEST)The Men’s Elite final will be broadcast on Sunday, 31 July, at 8:30pm (CEST)
XCO/XCC.-
In Snowshoe, USA, Short Track cross-country saw surprising winners with American Gwendalyne Gibson in the women's category (ahead of Anne Terpstra (NED), Jenny Rissveds (SWE), Alessandra Keller, (SUI) and Jolanda Neff (SUI)) and Christopher Blevins in the men's category (ahead of Vlad Dascălu (ROU) and Luca Braidot (ITA)). The heavy rainfall and muddy conditions lead to many riders falling and Blevins had to fight hard to secure the win. The absence of some champions, such as the French Loana Lecomte and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, or the Swiss Flückiger, gave the race an exciting edge of unpredictability.
On Sunday the Olympic distance also took an unexpected turn. In a close race, Jenny Rissveds thought she had her first XCO victory of the season until she was passed at the end by Alessandra Keller for the win. This would be Keller’s first win of the season.
Australia’s Rebecca McConnell (AUS), who finished 13th, lost control of the overall rankings as Anne Terpstra took the lead. It’s a close season, with Terpstra and McConnell only separated by 8 points. Alessandra Keller and Jenny Rissveds are still within striking distance as well. They all will be looking for good results as Mont-Sainte-Anne could change up the overall yet again before they head into the final race weekend this September in Val di Sole, Italy.
On the men's side, the 33 yrs. old David Valero (ESP) raced to his first victory in the elite World Cup.
Unfortunately, Nino Shurter (SUI) saw his dream of becoming the rider with the most Cross Country World Cup wins in history postponed yet again after a crash on Friday in the Short Track left him unable to start in the XCO. Currently, it is unclear whether he will be for Mont Sainte-Anne. If Schurter is unable to compete, it is likely there will be a lead change as Vlad Dascalu, Titouan Carod (FRA), and Luca Braidot will be looking to capitalize on his absence. One thing is for sure. This season is far from over!
DHI.-
The leaders are in a good position to win the overall point race with only two World Cup races left.
Snowshoe saw no major upsets as Camille Balanche (SUI) celebrated her third victory of the season with five podiums altogether. Myriam Nicole (FRA) finished second with five podiums this year, while Nina Hoffmann (GER) added her third podium appearance this year as she finished third.
Will Balanche be able to hold onto the lead until the end of the year? In mountain biking, anything is possible. With two races left, the motivation and desire to win are palpable. All riders will be scrambling to collect every point they can. Myriam Nicole who won previously in Mont-Sainte-Anne in 2019, will be looking to stop Balanche and move up into first position.
In Men's Downhill, the French remain dominant as Amaury Pierron took his fourth World Cup win in six races at Snowshoe; who could stand in his way on the Quebec track? Finn Iles (CAN) certainly plans on stopping Pierron as he goes for his first victory in the elite World Cup. The former World Junior champion has been no stranger to the podiums this year (second in Lourdes and Lenzerheide, 3rd in Andorra) and will be looking to use the fuel from the Canadian fans to reach the top spot.
With one more race after Mont-Sainte Anne, the pressure is on all the riders to try and dethrone Balanche and Pierron. Although Pierron has a healthy lead in the point race, but it isn't over yet. Finn Iles as well as Loris Vergier (FRA) can prevent him from grabbing top honors.
On the Women's side, Myriam Nicole and Valentina Höll (AUT) can take over the lead with two races left if they can keep Balanche off the top step. It won’t be an easy task, but anything is possible with two races left.
All of the riders will be going their hardest to collect every point available. All the riders know that now is not the time to play it safe. The results from Mont-Sainte-Anne will give riders the ability to change the trajectory of their season.
Watch the entire 2022 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup season live and for free on Red Bull TV and follow us on facebook.com/RedBullBike and youtube.com/RedBullBike for more action.
Current Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup overall standings:
XCO Elite Women Top 5:
- Anne Terpstra (NED) 1430 Points
- Rebecca McConnell (AUS) 1422 Points
- Alessandra Keller (SUI) 1312 Points
- Jenny Rissveds (SWE) 1260 Points
- Loana Lecomte (FRA) 1204 Points
XCO Elite Men Top 5:
- Nino Schurter (SUI) 1342 Points
- Vlad Dascălu (ROU) 1227 Points
- Alan Hatherly (RSA) 1210 Points
- David Valero Serrano (ESP) 1116 Points
- Luca Braidot (ITA) 1160 Points
XCC Elite Women Top 5:
- Alessandra Keller (SUI) 1140 Points
- Rebecca McConnell (AUS) 1060 Points
- Anne Terpstra (NED) 1034 Points
- Jenny Rissveds (SWE) 950 Points
- Jolanda Neff (SUI) 849 Points
XCC Elite Men Top 5:
- Alan Hatherly (RSA) 1002 Points
- Mathias Flückiger (SUI) 988 Points
- Filippo Colombo (SUI) 830 Points
- Luca Schwarzbauer (GER) 820 Points
- Vlad Dascălu (ROU) 820 points
DHI Elite Women Top 5:
- Camille Balanche (SUI) 1335 Points
- Myriam Nicole (FRA) 1105 Points
- Valentina Höll (AUT) 966 Points
- Eleonora Farina (ITA) 795 Points
- Nina Hoffmann (GER) 743 Points
DHI Elite Men Top 5:
- Amaury Pierron (FRA) 1180 Points
- Loris Vergier (FRA) 758 Points
- Finn Iles (CAN) 746 Points
- Danny Hart (GBR) 624 Points
- Andreas Kolb (AUT) 591 Points
8/4/2022 2:35am
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