Canada’s Catharine Pendrel takes elite women’s third in Albstadt at the second UCI XCO World Cup of 2015

A week after a season of World Cup racing kicked off in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, competing riders barely had a chance to breathe. Last weekend, it was straight from Nove Mesto to the forests of Albstadt, central Germany, the host terrain of this year’s second UCI Cross-Country Mountain Bike World Cup from May 30 to 31.

The spectating crowds were thick and loud, this being one of the best-attended cross country rounds on the World Cup calendar. Its audience appeal isn’t surprising, either: rimmed by forest in the Zollernalbkreis district of Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, the city of Albstadt — the largest in the area — is the only German municipality to host a World Cup event this year. With that blink-and-you-miss-it opportunity for local cycling fans in mind, the event drew a rapt, enthusiastic audience, something that no doubt came as a boost for participating riders.

And considering the terrain of the course, that boost was likely a very welcome one.

Marked by long, precipitous single-track drops and even longer climbs, it’s terrain that can come as a challenge to even the most experienced, race-hardened rider on the schedule.With many of its drops, jumps and other obstacles designed by freerider Guido Tschugg , the Albstadt track’s two year run as a World Cup course has lent it a certain infamy among riders — but like any course so harrowing, its intensity makes conquering it that much more satisfying.

Here’s a look at how last weekend’s battle of the bike titans went down.

Elite Women

Once again, Canada’s female riders turned in an especially strong performance on the long, winding course. With Jolanda Neff of Switzerland, riding for Stoeckli Pro Team, clocking the best time at 1:36:07, Canada’s Catharine Pendrel also turned in a podium-worthy performance with Luna Pro Team, rolling in thirty seconds later in third place. Farther back but coming in a solid fourth, Canadian Emily Batty, riding for Trek Factory Racing, put the track in her dust 0:01:16 behind the lead.

Neff, however, dominated the race. Having just passed through the feed zone on the first climb of lap two, the 22-year-old Swiss rider had already put close to a minute between herself and the next contender. For the rest of the race, it seemed like a matter of riding two races: Neff ahead by at least 48 seconds, trying to maintain that lead, with Pendrel and Norway’s Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa battling it out behind.

By the finish line, Neff’s strategy seemed to work best.

Elite Men

When the elite cross-country men hit the trail, though, Canada’s representation wasn’t so far up front. The day’s best performance came from Raphael Gagné, 0:06:05 behind Julien Absalon’s winning time of 1:30:36. A minute and a half behind Gagné, at 0:07:33, was Leandre Bouchard.

But by far, the most thrilling action of the Elite Men’s circuit was happening right up at the front of the race, where France’s Absalon and Switzerland’s Nino Schurter, riding for Scott-Odlo Mtb Racing Team, battled for the lead. With Absalon considered the favourite going into Germany’s competition, Schurter applied a tactic of gradually matching and then attacking the French cyclist’s pace, trying bit by bit to overcome the latter’s powerful endurance riding. Throughout the course, right up until the last lap, the massive see-saw battle seemed to be working for Schurter, with his momentum undented and Absalon appearing to slow down as the final descent approached. It was the terrain itself, however, that proved decisive, as Schurter went down on that last descent in a dramatic, bloody crash that dropped him too far behind Absalon to recover.

With Absalon claiming his 30th visit to the top of the podium and Schurter in second, Jaroslav Kulvahy, riding for Specialized Racing, came in third.

Under-23 Women

Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds, riding for Scott-Odlo MTB Racing Team, is having a really, really good season so far. Last weekend, Rissveds owned the Nove Mesto podium; this weekend, she followed it up in Albstadt with yet another win, setting the best time for the under-23 women with 1:22:57. Alessandra Keller of Switzlerand, racing for Strueby-Bixs Team, finished second with a time 49 seconds behind Rissveds.

In third place, riding for Specialized Racing, was Kate Courtney of the United States. Like the elite women’s race, the under-23 run, it seemed, was a battle between two leading competitors with the terrain slowing down the race for the rest. In Courtney’s case, the finish line came three minutes after it did for Rissveds, with the young rider clocking a time of 0:03:04.

Under-23 Men

For the under-23 men, on the other hand, the occupants of the podium all finished within mere seconds of each other. Spain’s Pablo Rodriguez Guede, with a time of 1:21:38, finished first; four seconds later, France’s Roman Seigle, riding for Focus Rotor Ekoi, finished second with 0:00:04. In third, riding for Wheeler-Ixs Team, was Switzerland’s Lars Forster.

In terms of current World Cup standings, though, Forster currently sits in second with 150 points, while Seigle trails somewhat with 120.