Mairiposã mayhem: Blevins shines in XCO World Cup season-opener showdown
Canada's Carter Woods impresses in his first elite outing
The elite men’s XCO season opener turned into a thrilling battle of speed and strategy on Sunday in Mairiporã, Brazil. The course was new to World Cup racing and, in its debut, delivered a sensational showdown. After an exciting three-way battle in the women’s race, Christopher Blevins of the United States finessed a stunning strategic victory in the elite men’s race.
Young guns lead off the line
Off the start, it is Chile’s great XC home, Martin Vidaurre (Specialized Factory Racing), putting himself on the front of the race. Canada’s Carter Woods (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) makes sure the maple leaf jersey is right up there, riding just outside the top-10 over a tightly packed start loop.
The first hint of how tactical this race could be comes when Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Deceunenick), XCC World Cup winner 24-hours before, bobbles near to top of the same steep uphill that forced every field to foot all weekend. That briefly splits the front of hte race. More chaos follows on the next steep climb, though slightly futher back in the field. Pivot Cycles-OTE’s Raphael Auclair is among the riders forced to run briefly in that mess.
Vidaurre’s pace up front starts to create splits. A front group of eight forms. Woods sits in the second group, holding the wheels of Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM) and Gaze, in around 12th position as the start loop concludes.
A quartet, briefly
On the first lap, the groups come back together. Adrien Boichis (Trinity Racing), Woods’ rival in last year’s u23 racing, takes over the lead briefly. Victor Koretzky (Specialized) took over. With Joshua Dubau (Decathalon Ford) joining, there are three French riders on the front. Like in the women’s race, there is a race to qualify for the Paris Olympics that is animating the racing in Brazil.
On lap two, Pressure from Vidaurre starts to spread out the field. Woods is still clinging to the back of the top 20. Up front, though, it’s Dubau just holding on to a front group of four led by Vidaurre, with Filippo Colombo (Scott SRAM) and Koretzky.
That quartet continues to blow the field apart, with groups splintering around the course behind them. By lap four of seven, as their lead grows and they start looking around at each other, the U.S.A.’s Chris Blevins (Specialized), Alpecin-Deceunick’s Sam Gaze and another French rider, Jordan Sarrou (BMC) re-join the front of the race.
A sextet? Two two trios?
That makes a front group of six comprised of both three French riders, competing for two Olympic spots, and three Specialized Factory Racing teammates as the race passes the 50 minute mark. Three laps remain.
Gaze bobbles again on the steepest, loosest pitch of the Mairiporã course. This briefly creates a split between in the front group. Dubau takes that as an opportunity to lift the pace again, perhaps hoping to rid the front group of Saturday’s XCC winner. That moves comes to naught, though, and the six start the penultimate lap together.
Colombo’s the next to put in an accelleration. That does succeed in putting Gaze and Sarrou in trouble, if only briefly. Those two are joined by Giant’s Jens Schuermans, with a long line of riders reconnecting to the front with him. With less than two laps to go, the race is all back together. Have the Frenchmen mis-calculated? Theres a few dangerous sprinters that are now sitting in the group. Dubau tries again to lift the pace, but the group barely thins.
All together now
On the final lap, there’s 13 riders crossing the line within 10 seconds. 18 riders within 20 seconds. Unfortunately, the big Canadian, Carter Woods, isn’t still among that front group. He’s back in 28th. Gunnar Holmgren (KMC Ridley), the next-best positioned Canuck, is in the low 40s.
Koretzky tries to lift the pace but looks back and doesn’t see much open space. Vidaurre’s the first to really push on but, still, no separation. Colombo, then Koretzky take turns. Chris Blevins just sits in the wheels and waits.
When he does go, the U.S. champ quickly goes clear. Perhaps having learned from what Rissved’s did to his Specialized teammate and fellow American in the women’s XCO hours before, Blevins looks like he’s timed this attack to perfection.
Colombo is close, though with Koretzky digging deep to close. But Colombo falters in a flat corner. That slight slow-down might be enough to see Blevins ride free.
Blevins wins in Brazil
Christopher Blevins wheelies, then posts up as he crosses the line to win the first elite men’s XCO World Cup of 2024. It’s the U.S. champions first World Cup XCO win since Snowshoe back in 2021.
Koretzky outsprints Colombo for second. Sarrou surges to take fourth while Vidaurre gives Specialized Factory Racing a remarkable 1-2-5 finish in Mairiporã. The teammates are thrilled as they celebrate in the finish area.
“I came through the start loop 30th or something. I was just going to ride my own race,” Blevins said of his come-from-behind win in Brazil. “It just goes to show if you push your body, you can always get more out of it.”
After a slow XCC the day before, Blevins’ race started with a chase back through the field.
“I didn’t expect the race to slow up that much,” The U.S. racer said. “It really played in my favour.”
Canadians in Mairiporã
Woods finishes 27th, holding steady in the field after fading off the front in on the third lap. It’s an impressive showing for his first elite World Cup, after riding with the top elites for the opening laps. Gunnar Holmgren is 41st. Leandré Bouchard finishes 10 spots back in 51st. His Forresco Holdings ProCo RL teammate Victor Verreault places 60th. Raphael Auclair is 81st, two laps down.
World Cup racing keeps right on rolling with a second Brazilian venue next weekend. Araxá serves up another fresh World Cup course for the second round of racing before the series heads back to Europe.
