World Cup Short Track XCC: What is it and who benefits
There's a new addition to this weekend's World Cup in Albstadt, Germany
Albstadt, Germany will be the debut for the UCI’s updated World Cup weekend format, which adds the new Short Track Cross Country (XCC) race to the standard Olympic Cross Country (XCO) World Cup race that viewers are already familiar with.
The XCC event, which runs Friday night in Germany, runs on a shorter and faster course than Sunday’s XCO and for a shorter duration. Races are expected to come in around the 25 minute mark for Elite Men and Elite Women. The UCI is hoping XCC will add an injection of pace and excitement to the cross country World Cup weekends, similar to what the XC Eliminator format used to, before it was scrapped from the World Cup schedule.
To make sure the top XC racers are taking part, and taking the event seriously, the UCI had created the added incentive of a front row call up for Sunday’s main event for the top 16 XCC finishers on top of UCI points and cash prizing. The top 16 finishers in the XCC race will fill the front two rows on the start grid for the XCO, which is a huge advantage in a format where starting position on the first lap is of crucial tactical importance.
Only the Elite athlete’s will have the XCC format added to their race weekends, and only the top 40 men and women will get the chance to take part. In typical UCI fashion, who gets to race this Friday night special is as clear as the mud currently caking the Albstadt, and everything near it. The first 16 spots are allocated based on World Cup ranking, which only takes results at World Cup races (XCO and XCC) into consideration. From there, spots 17-40 are filled with the next top ranked riders based on UCI points, which includes all results at UCI categorized races. Clear? Clear.
Who benefits from adding XCC to a race weekend, and who loses out?
For riders trying to move up the World Cup rankings, the XCC system could be a huge benefit. The tactical advantage of a front row start makes it that much harder for riders a few rows back to move up the rankings over the course of a season, as bottlenecks and crashes often hold up everyone outside the top 10, leaving riders fighting to move up from a 20 or 30th place start position watching as the front of the race rides away.
For Canada, the rider who could potentially benefit the most from this change is Haley Smith (Norco Factory Racing), who’s been moving up the World Cup rankings steadily, but still has to fight through first lap traffic to get to the front of the race. Smith is typically a fast starter, and the shorter, faster XCC format could play to the Uxbridge, Ont. riders advantage. Several of the Canadian men are on the verge of a top 40 UCI ranking, but none make the cut off to take part this weekend. If any of them can move up a few spots to get into the XCC on a World Cup weekend, they would have the chance to see a big move up the start grid on Sunday.
The top racers who have worked their way up into the front two rows will likely not be too excited that they now have to fight for another 25 minutes every weekend to keep their front row advantage. The fastest of those riders should not have a problem finishing in the top eight or so to stay at the front, and on camera for their sponsors on Sunday. It is the next eight stand to lose out more, or make gains, as they could move further back into the dangerous mid-pack frenzy on Sunday as every rider pushes to get up to the front row.
Short Track XC – The Rules
Like any UCI race, the new format comes complete with an array of rules handed down from Aigle, Switzerland for racers and team managers to decipher to try get and advantage on when the first XCC start gun fires on Friday. The twist with XCC is that it will require a compromise between a pure, fat tire crit style bike and the more capable ride racers will want on Sunday, as riders must use the same frame for both races. Tires can be changed between races, but cannot be narrower than 45 mm.
The course for XCC must be 2km or under in length, and must use the same start and finish area. The UCI is a bit vague on the duration, with the official rule stating a “race duration of 20 to 60 minutes,” but all other statements from Switzerland have suggested riders should expect a race in the area of 25 minutes for both men and women.
The XCC event’s will not be live broadcast from Albstadt, but here’s where to follow on Twitter and how to watch Sunday’s main event: Albstadt World Cup
