Flueckiger finds traction to take win in Les Gets

Heavy rain and thick mud dominated the story line in Les Gets on Sunday. The elite men were covered in mud by the end of the start straight and nearly unrecognizable after the first lap.

Mathias Flueckiger and Ondrej Cink resumed their battle for the World Cup overall title. They were joined by world champion Jordan Sarrou and South Africa’s Alan Hatherly, in a slip-and-slide race to the finish line in France.

Léandre Bouchard and Peter Disera led the Canadian effort in Les Gets. The two Canadians Olympic hopefuls crossed the line within 11 seconds of each other in Sunday’s race.

How the race unfolded: Cink to the front

After another blistering start from Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) it was Czech rider Ondrej Cink (Kross Orlen) pushing the pace on the front of the race. Hatherly, brothers Luca Braidot (Santa Cruz FSA) and Daniele Braidot (CS Carabinieri), and Nino Schruter (Scott-SRAM) were all tucked in his wheels.

Tom Pidcock, after a strong return to mountain biking in Friday’s XCC, was notably absent, riding outside the top 50.

Luca Braidot, the Italian national champion, looking the most comfortable surfing the slippery slops of Les Gets and opened an early lead. Cink chased with Schurter a handful of second behind.

Flueckiger attacks

It didn’t take long for World Cup leader Mathias Flueckiger (Thomus RN) to find his footing in the mud, though. The Swiss rider stormed through the field, flying past Schurter, Cink and then Braidot with little hesitation. Cink tried to chase, but Flueckiger was increasing his advantage on the climbs as well as on the descents.

Pidcock, meanwhile, had worked his way up to 15th by the third lap. Riding with torn shorts and with blood showing signs of a crash, the British phenom wasn’t looking quite in the dominant form that saw him storm to victory in Nove Mesto.

Flueckiger established a lead of 20 seconds, which remained for much of the race’s middle laps. Hatherly chased with Cink, Schurter, Simon Andreassen (Cannondale Factory Racing), and the Braidot’s following close behind.

By the fifth of seven laps, Flueckiger had added eight seconds to his advantage. Behind, it was world champion Jordan Sarrou (Specialized) joining the hunt, with Hatherly and Cink forming a trio of chasers. The Czech rider pushed the pace on the climbs, while Hathlerly and Sarrou pushed hard on the muddy descents.

57 seconds back, Schurter continued to ride in a group with the Braidots and Andreassen.

Pidcock, with an eye on the Olympics and wary of getting caught in a second crash, pulled out of the race. “After the crash I was super motivated and positive I could get back, but after two laps I didn’t have the legs. It was still raining hard and I thought there was a lot more to lose than there was to gain.”

Cink vs. Flueckiger: redux

Going out on to the penultimate lap, Cink had just seen a big push come to naught. Flueckiger still held 26 seconds. Hatharly and Sarrou were distanced slightly, but still chasing. Schurter and Daniele Braidot were 1:08 back, with Luca Braidot sliding – quite literally – across the grass on an off camber and away from the lead group.

Cink wasn’t giving up tough. Attacking again, he pushed up within 16 seconds of Flueckiger’s lead.

After fighting within sight, and within 20 seconds of Flueckiger on the climbs, Cink’s tentative descending meant he ended up exactly where he started going out onto the final lap: 29 seconds off the lead. The effort had shook Hatherly and Sarrou, though, who continued to battle for third.

Flueckeger back-to-back perfect weekends

Despite Cink’s efforts, Mathias Flueckiger crossed the line alone in front and with enough time to take off a vest to show off his World Cup leader’s jersey. Flueckiger wins Les Gets World Cup XCO in wildly different conditions than Friday’s XCC. Added to his double win in Leogang, Austria, that makes four consecutive World Cup wins for the Swiss rider, and two perfect World Cup weekends in a row.

Ondrej Cink crosses the line in second, 25 seconds back. Then, to a massive roar from the French crowd, world champion Jordan Sarrou crosses the line third after escaping from Alan Hatherly. The South African takes fourth, his best-ever elite World Cup finish.

Nino Schurter, having dropped Andreassen and the Braidot brothers, takes fifth. Racing in conditions notoriously unfavourable to his strengths, the podium finish is a strong signal that the multiple-time world champion is back on form three weeks out from Tokyo.

Canadians in Les Gets

Leandre Bouchard (Pivot Cycles-OTE) led the Canadians in Les Gets, placing 41st on Sunday. Peter Disera (Norco Factory Team) followed 11 seconds later, in 45th. Marc Andre Fortier (Pivot Cycles-OTE) was the last Canadian to finish on the lead lap, in 58th.

Quinton Disera followed in 61st and Andrew L’Esperance in 72nd, both for Norco Factory Team. Anthony Bergeron and Pivot Cycles-OTE’s Raphael Auclair placed 86th and 87th, rounding out the Canadian effort.

Cycling Canada is set to finally announce Tuesday which rider is headed to Tokyo. Canada has one men’s spot for the Olympic mountain bike race and two women’s entries.

Results: Elite Women World Cup XCO – Les Gets, France

1.		FLUECKIGER Mathias (THÖMUS RN SWISS BIKE TEAM)	1:27:33
2.		CINK Ondrej (KROSS ORLEN CYCLING TEAM)	1:27:58 +25
3.		SARROU Jordan (SPECIALIZED RACING)	1:28:08 +35
4.		HATHERLY Alan (CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING)	1:28:12 +39
5.		SCHURTER Nino (SCOTT-SRAM MTB RACING TEAM)	1:28:54 +1:21
6.		BRAIDOT Daniele (CS CARABINIERI – CICLI OLYMPIA VITTORIA)	1:28:57 +1:24
7.		ANDREASSEN Simon (CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING)	1:29:05 +1:32
8.		BRAIDOT Luca (SANTA CRUZ FSA MTB PRO TEAM)	1:29:17 +1:44
9.		FORSTER Lars (SCOTT-SRAM MTB RACING TEAM)	1:29:28 +1:55
10.		COLLEDANI Nadir (MMR FACTORY RACING TEAM)	1:29:31 +1:58
11.		VADER Milan (KMC – ORBEA)	1:30:19 +2:46
12.		PHILIPP Antoine (GIANT FACTORY OFF – ROAD TEAM)	1:30:22 +2:49
13.		GRIOT Thomas (MASSI)	1:30:28 +2:55
14.		DASCALU Vlad (TREK – PIRELLI)	1:30:41 +3:08
15.		SCHUERMANS Jens (SCOTT CREUSE OXYGENE GUERET)	1:30:45 +3:12
16.		COOPER Anton (TREK FACTORY RACING XC)	1:30:49 +3:16
17.		GUERRINI Marcel (TORPADO URSUS)	1:30:49 +3:16
18.		TEMPIER Stephane (TREK FACTORY RACING XC)	1:30:51 +3:18
19.		VALERO SERRANO David (BH TEMPLO CAFÉS UCC)	1:30:52 +3:19
20.		MAROTTE Maxime (SANTA CRUZ FSA MTB PRO TEAM)	1:31:13 +3:40
41.		BOUCHARD Leandre (PIVOT CYCLES – OTE)	1:34:34 +7:01
45.		DISERA Peter (NORCO FACTORY TEAM XC)	1:34:55 +7:22
58.		FORTIER Marc Andre (PIVOT CYCLES – OTE)	1:36:50 +9:17
61.		DISERA Quinton (NORCO FACTORY TEAM XC) Lap 6	1:22:59 +8:37
72.		L’ESPERANCE Andrew (NORCO FACTORY TEAM XC) Lap 5	1:10:33 +8:56
86.		BERGERON Anthony Lap 4	58:31 +9:51
87.		AUCLAIR Raphael (PIVOT CYCLES – OTE) Lap 4	59:14 +10:17