Loana Lecomte ends McConnell’s winning streak at Leogang World Cup
Emily Batty leads Canadians in Austria
After a week of rain, temperatures soared on Sunday in Leogang for the World Cup XCO course. Racing was just as heated, with Loana Lecomte battling with 2016 Olympic champion Jenny Rissveds in the elite women’s race.
Canadians in Austria
Emily Batty (Canyon MTB) takes the top Canadian spot, in 25th with a crash at the start. It’s Batty’s best XCO World Cup result since a 17th in Nove Mesto in 2021, and comes shortly after winning the first Canada Cup of 2022 at Baie-St.-Paul. Sandra Walter (Liv Canada) followed in 29th.
With Leogang sitting in an awkward spot alone on the race calendar, a month away from the last round in Czech Republic and from the next round in Lenzerheide, fewer Canadians were in Europe for the Austrian World Cup.
How the race unfolded
Emily Batty was caught up in a crash as the women’s field crowded into the first turn. The Canadian remounted and continued racing. Mona Mitterwallner (Cannondale Factory Racing) had less luck. Her handlebars were stuck in another racers bike and had to be not-so-delicately pried out, leaving the young Austrian running on foot to the first tech zone. Mitterwallner made an impressive chase back, moving from well behind the back of the field all the way up to 15th by the end of the race.
Up front, Jolanda Neff, riding her golden Trek Supercalibre, used her descending prowess to create a gap to Loana Lecomte (Canyon Cllctv) and Jenny Rissveds (Team 31-Ibis). World Cup leader Rebecca McConnell and Specialized’s duo of Laura Stigger and Sina Frei chsed close behind.
Going from the start loop onto the first full lap, Lecomte accelerated, taking Rissveds with her. Neff was unable to respond and drifted back into eighth.
By the end of the first lap, the duo had a 37-second advantage to Stigger. Frei and McConnell chased another handful of seconds behind.
Lecomte goes alone
Lecomte soon attacked again, quickly putting 20 seconds into Rissveds. While the French woman accelerated, the Swede was holding her gap to the chasers behind.
Over the course of the five-lap race, Lecomte’s advantage steadily grew. Going out onto the last lap, the Canyon rider had a 52-second advantage over Rissveds. Frei and Stigger remained 1:35 back. Anne Terpstra (Ghost Factory Racing) and her teammate Caroline Bohé had both passed McConnell. That order held until the finish line.
Loana Lecomte wins her first World Cup XCO of 2022, ending McConnell’s run at three wins. Jenny Rissveds takes second, 1:13 back. Laura Stigger would separate herself from teammate Sina Frei to take third. Anne Terpstra rounds out the podium in fifth.
For Lecomte, Sunday’s win follows another in the Short Track on Friday. It also mirrors her perfect weekend in Leogang in 2021, where she again doubled up with XCC/XCO World Cup wins.
“Last year I was the first person since a long time to win four World Cup races and this year I was the first person to have a perfect weekend in the same place so I am very happy for mountain bike history,” Lecomte shared after the race. “The overall (title) is not my goal because I want to focus on the European and World Championships.”
McConnell finishes seventh, holding on to her lead in the World Cup overall standings. She now leads Lecomte 1093-916 at the half-way point of the season.
Results: 2022 World Cup XCO#4 – Leogang, Austria
| 1. |  |
LECOMTE Loana (CANYON CLLCTV)
|
1:15:42 |
| 2. |  |
RISSVEDS Jenny (TEAM 31 IBIS CYCLES)
|
1:16:55 +1:13 |
| 3. |  |
STIGGER Laura (SPECIALIZED FACTORY RACING)
|
1:17:10 +1:28 |
| 4. |  |
FREI Sina (SPECIALIZED FACTORY RACING)
|
1:17:23 +1:41 |
| 5. |  |
TERPSTRA Anne (GHOST FACTORY RACING)
|
1:17:52 +2:10 |
| 6. |  |
BOHÉ Caroline (GHOST FACTORY RACING)
|
1:18:11 +2:29 |
| 7. |  |
MCCONNELL Rebecca Ellen (PRIMAFLOR MONDRAKER GENUINS)
|
1:18:54 +3:12 |
| 8. | |
NEFF Jolanda (TREK FACTORY RACING XC)
|
1:19:34 +3:52 |
| 9. | |
GERAULT Léna (KTM VITTORIA TEAM)
|
1:19:40 +3:58 |
| 10. | |
KELLER Alessandra (THÖMUS MAXON)
|
1:20:01 +4:19 |
| 11. | |
INDERGAND Linda (LIV FACTORY RACING)
|
1:20:13 +4:31 |
| 12. |  |
BATTEN Haley (SPECIALIZED FACTORY RACING)
|
1:20:18 +4:36 |
| 13. |  |
DAUBERMANN Leonie (KTM FACTORY MTB TEAM)
|
1:20:34 +4:52 |
| 14. | |
COURTNEY Kate (SCOTT-SRAM MTB RACING TEAM)
|
1:21:08 +5:26 |
| 15. | |
MITTERWALLNER Mona (CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING)
|
1:21:10 +5:28 |
| 16. | |
HÄBERLIN Steffi (BIXS PERFORMANCE RACING)
|
1:21:43 +6:01 |
| 17. |  |
LECHNER Eva (TRINX FACTORY TEAM)
|
1:21:53 +6:11 |
| 18. | |
KOOPMANS Lotte (CST POSTNL BAFANG MTB RACING TEAM)
|
1:22:09 +6:27 |
| 19. |  |
ŽAKELJ Tanja (UNIOR SINTER FACTORY RACING)
|
1:22:19 +6:37 |
| 20. | |
SEIWALD Greta (SANTA CRUZ FSA MTB PRO TEAM)
|
1:22:25 +6:43 |
| 21. | |
MARCHET Giorgia (TRINX FACTORY TEAM)
|
1:22:32 +6:50 |
| 22. | |
SCHRIEVERS Lia (GERMANY)
|
1:23:00 +7:18 |
| 23. | |
DEGN Malene (KMC – ORBEA)
|
1:23:00 +7:18 |
| 24. | |
KOLLER Nicole (GHOST FACTORY RACING)
|
1:23:24 +7:42 |
| 25. |  |
BATTY Emily (CANYON MTB RACING)
|
1:23:45 +8:03 |
| 26. | |
LEUGGER Seraina (SWITZERLAND)
|
1:24:14 +8:32 |
| 27. |  |
LILL Candice (SOUTH AFRICA)
|
1:24:28 +8:46 |
| 28. | |
URRUTY Lucie (VELOROC LAPIERRE)
|
1:24:53 +9:11 |
| 29. | |
WALTER Sandra (CANADA)
|
1:25:30 +9:48 |
| 30. | |
RIEDER Nadine (GHOST FACTORY RACING)
|
1:25:54 +10:12 |
