Keller and Valero triumph in treacherous Snowshoe XCO
First World Cup wins for Swiss and Spanish riders while U.S. shut out of medals at home
Mud and returned to West Virginia, after a brief reprieve for Saturday’s downhill finals, making for treacherous course conditions in Sunday’s XCO racing in Snowshoe.
After matching wins in Friday’s Short Track World Cup, the U.S. riders were denied any elite medals on Sunday. Instead, Alessandra Keller and David Valero Serrano persevered in trying conditions to earn their first World Cup XCO wins.
Alessandra Keller leads before the really bad weather rolled in. Photo: Red Bull Content Pool
Keller finessing some very slippery rocks. Photo: Red Bull Content Pool
Keller goes long
Alessandra Keller (Thomus Maxon) isn’t exactly a stranger to the World Cup podium. The powerful Swiss rider has numerous XCC medals to her name. After showing she could go toe-to-toe with the best over the long-format XCO event at home in Lenzerheide two races ago, Keller delivered her first win on Sunday.
Jenny Rissveds (Team 31 Ibis) and Anne Terpstra (Ghost Factory Racing) finish second and third. In the absence of Loana Lecomte (Canyon) Tersptra’s podium propels her into the World Cup series lead, just eight points ahead of Rebecca McConnell. Keller moves into third, 110 points back but with momentum on her side. Mona Mitterwallner (Cannondale) and Jolanda Neff (Trek) round out the podium.
Savilia Blunk (Orange Seal), newly-minted U.S. national champion led the home country’s women’s results in sixth. Haley Batten (Specialized) followed in seventh and Gwen Gibson (Norco Factory Team), winner in Friday’s XCC World Cup, eighth.
Canadians in West Virginia
Laurie Arseneault (Canyon MTB Racing) put in the top Canadian result in the elite races, finishing 12th, just ahead of early World Cup overall leader Rebecca McConnell (Primaflor Mondraker). Jenn Jackson (Canyon MTB Racing) was close behind in 14th. Sandra Walter finished 24th, Cindy Montambault 27th and Haley Smith 28th with Dana Gilligan rounding out the Canadian results in 28th.
Sean Fincham (Norco Factory Team) led the Canadian effort on the men’s side in 20th. Gunnar Holmgren (Pivot Cycles-OTE) was the next rider across the line in 21st. Léandre Bouchard (Foresco Holdings ProCo RL) squeezed into the top 30, one spot behind Brazilian rider Henrique Avancini (Cannondale)
Valero storms to late race win
The elite men’s race quickly splintered into small groups on Sunday, with a rain-soaked course covering riders in mud – even the ones that stayed upright.
Hot off a win Friday in XCC, Christopher Blevins (Specialized) looked intent on repeating his XCO win at home from 2021, too. Blevins went out on the attack early, and dragging Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) along with him.Both were attacking the sopping-wet Snowshoe track at full pace as if it were dry. First Hatherly, then Blevins suffered flat tires.
That created a small group of four going out onto the last lap. Luca Braidot (Santa Cruz FSA) and Titouan Caron (BMC) led Blevins, who had just chased back from his mechanical. It was Davis Serrano Valero (BH Templo) would make the decisive move. The Spaniard took the lead then pushed the pace all the way to the line, and to his first, very muddy, World Cup XCO win in West Virginia.
Carod finished second. Braidot rallied to out-sprint Blevins for third. Filippo Colombo (BMC) rounds out the podium in fifth.
Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM), who did not start Sunday’s XCO after a big crash in Short Track on Friday, still leads the World Cup overall. He holds a 115-point advantage over Romania’s Vlad Dascalu (Trek Factory Racing)
Elite Women
| 1. |  |
KELLER Alessandra (THÖMUS MAXON)
|
1:24:35 |
| 2. |  |
RISSVEDS Jenny (TEAM 31 IBIS CYCLES)
|
1:25:12 +37 |
| 3. |  |
TERPSTRA Anne (GHOST FACTORY RACING)
|
1:25:25 +50 |
| 4. |  |
MITTERWALLNER Mona (CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING)
|
1:25:42 +1:07 |
| 5. | |
NEFF Jolanda (TREK FACTORY RACING XC)
|
1:26:59 +2:24 |
| 6. |  |
BLUNK Savilia
|
1:27:32 +2:57 |
| 7. | |
BATTEN Haley (SPECIALIZED FACTORY RACING)
|
1:28:07 +3:32 |
| 8. | |
GIBSON Gwendalyn (NORCO FACTORY TEAM)
|
1:29:16 +4:41 |
| 9. |  |
BOHÉ Caroline (GHOST FACTORY RACING)
|
1:29:24 +4:49 |
| 10. | |
COURTNEY Kate (SCOTT-SRAM MTB RACING TEAM)
|
1:29:57 +5:22 |
| 11. |  |
LÕIV Janika (KMC – ORBEA)
|
1:30:02 +5:27 |
| 12. |  |
ARSENEAULT Laurie (CANYON MTB RACING)
|
1:30:38 +6:03 |
| 13. |  |
MCCONNELL Rebecca (PRIMAFLOR MONDRAKER GENUINS)
|
1:31:45 +7:10 |
| 14. | |
JACKSON Jennifer (CANYON MTB RACING)
|
1:32:02 +7:27 |
| 15. |  |
BERTA Martina (SANTA CRUZ FSA MTB PRO TEAM)
|
1:33:12 +8:37 |
| 16. | |
SEIWALD Greta (SANTA CRUZ FSA MTB PRO TEAM)
|
1:33:27 +8:52 |
| 17. | |
DEGN Malene (KMC – ORBEA)
|
1:33:37 +9:02 |
| 18. |  |
BELOMOINA Yana (CST POSTNL BAFANG MTB RACING TEAM)
|
1:33:42 +9:07 |
| 19. |  |
GARCIA MARTINEZ Rocio Del Alba (BH TEMPLO CAFÉS UCC)
|
1:34:11 +9:36 |
| 20. | |
URBAN Kelsey (TEAM 31 IBIS CYCLES)
|
1:34:40 +10:05 |
| 21. | |
OTTO Hannah
|
1:34:56 +10:21 |
| 22. | |
HÄBERLIN Steffi (BIXS PERFORMANCE RACING)
|
1:34:58 +10:23 |
| 23. | |
GUSTAFZZON Linn (TEAM 31 IBIS CYCLES)
|
1:35:03 +10:28 |
| 24. | |
WALTER Sandra
|
1:35:57 +11:22 |
| 25. | |
TEOCCHI Chiara (TRINITY RACING MTB)
|
-1 |
| 26. |  |
GERAULT Léna (KTM VITTORIA TEAM)
|
|
| 27. | |
MONTAMBAULT Cindy
|
|
| 28. | |
SMITH Haley
|
|
| 29. |  |
FERREIRA DE SOUZA Hercilia Najara
|
-2 |
| 30. |  |
RODRIGUEZ SUAREZ Erika Monserrath (ZEROUNO FACTORY)
|
|
| 31. | |
GILLIGAN Dana
|
|
| 32. |  |
MORENO CAMUS Maria
|
|
| 33. | |
CASTRO GONZALEZ Maria
|
|
| 34. | |
WENGER Sydney
|
|
| 35. | |
SNYDER Abigail
|
Elite Men
| 1. | |
VALERO SERRANO David (BH TEMPLO CAFÉS UCC)
|
1:25:11 |
| 2. | |
CAROD Titouan (BMC MTB RACING)
|
1:25:16 +5 |
| 3. | |
BRAIDOT Luca (SANTA CRUZ FSA MTB PRO TEAM)
|
1:25:22 +11 |
| 4. | |
BLEVINS Christopher (SPECIALIZED FACTORY RACING)
|
1:25:22 +11 |
| 5. | |
COLOMBO Filippo (BMC MTB RACING)
|
1:25:31 +20 |
| 6. |  |
SCHWARZBAUER Luca (CANYON CLLCTV)
|
1:25:42 +31 |
| 7. | |
FORSTER Lars (SCOTT-SRAM MTB RACING TEAM)
|
1:25:46 +35 |
| 8. |  |
HATHERLY Alan (CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING)
|
1:25:57 +46 |
| 9. | |
PHILIPP Antoine (GIANT FACTORY OFF – ROAD TEAM)
|
1:26:22 +1:11 |
| 10. |  |
DE FROIDMONT Pierre (KMC – ORBEA)
|
1:26:28 +1:17 |
| 11. | |
LITSCHER Thomas (KROSS ORLEN CYCLING TEAM)
|
1:26:35 +1:24 |
| 12. | |
ULLOA AREVALO Jose Gerardo (MASSI-BEAUMES DE VENISE)
|
1:26:47 +1:36 |
| 13. |  |
DASCALU Vlad (TREK FACTORY RACING XC)
|
1:27:05 +1:54 |
| 14. | |
CARSTENSEN Sebastian Fini (KMC – ORBEA)
|
1:27:43 +2:32 |
| 15. | |
GUERRINI Marcel (BIXS PERFORMANCE RACING)
|
1:27:48 +2:37 |
| 16. | |
BRANDL Maximilian (LEXWARE MOUNTAINBIKE TEAM)
|
1:27:59 +2:48 |
| 17. | |
ZANOTTI Juri (BMC MTB RACING)
|
1:28:25 +3:14 |
| 18. | |
RODRIGUEZ GUEDE Pablo (BH TEMPLO CAFÉS UCC)
|
1:28:37 +3:26 |
| 19. |  |
HÆGSTAD Erik (KMC – ORBEA)
|
1:28:50 +3:39 |
| 20. | |
FINCHAM Sean (NORCO FACTORY TEAM)
|
1:28:57 +3:46 |
| 21. | |
HOLMGREN Gunnar (PIVOT CYCLES – OTE)
|
1:29:06 +3:55 |
| 22. | |
INDERGAND Reto (GIANT FACTORY OFF – ROAD TEAM)
|
1:29:23 +4:12 |
| 23. | |
NORDEMANN David (CST POSTNL BAFANG MTB RACING TEAM)
|
1:29:24 +4:13 |
| 24. | |
FRISCHKNECHT Andri (SCOTT-SRAM MTB RACING TEAM)
|
1:29:25 +4:14 |
| 25. | |
TEMPIER Stephane (ROCKRIDER RACING TEAM)
|
1:29:29 +4:18 |
| 26. | |
SCHUERMANS Jens (SCOTT CREUSE OXYGENE GUERET)
|
1:30:00 +4:49 |
| 27. | |
LIST David (LEXWARE MOUNTAINBIKE TEAM)
|
1:30:07 +4:56 |
| 28. | |
RAGGL Gregor (JB BRUNEX SUPERIOR FACTORY RACING)
|
1:30:26 +5:15 |
| 29. | |
AVANCINI Henrique (CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING)
|
1:30:31 +5:20 |
| 30. | |
BOUCHARD Leandre (FORESCO HOLDING PROCO RL PRO TEAM)
|
1:30:51 +5:40 |
| 37. | |
L’ESPERANCE Andrew
|
1:32:58 +7:47 |
| 39. | |
VERREAULT Victor (FORESCO HOLDING PROCO RL PRO TEAM)
|
1:33:50 +8:39 |
| 43. | |
AUCLAIR Raphael (PIVOT CYCLES – OTE)
|
1:36:19 +11:08 |
| 44. | |
DISERA Quinton
|
-1 |
| 45. | |
BARTON Malcolm
|
-1 |
| 47. | |
BELHUMEUR Felix (PIVOT CYCLES – OTE)
|
-12 |
| 48. | |
ORSCHEL Tyler
|
-2 |
| 58. | |
AUDET Anthony
|
-4 |
