Swiss dominate Short track World Cup in Lenzerheide

The Swiss are a powerhouse nation in cross country mountain biking and, with the chance to race on home soil, came storming into Friday’s Short Track XCC World Cup. Four of six podium positions went to the host nation across the men’s and women’s XCC race.

Filippo Colombo delivered a win while Jenny Rissveds disrupted the Swiss plans to repeat her victory in Lenzerheide from one year ago.

Canadians in Switzerland

Sandra Walter was the top – and only Canadian in the women’s Short Track race. The Liv rider placed 32nd.

Léandre Bouchard (Foresco Holdings ProCo RL Pro Team) was the sole Canadian racing in the men’s race- finishing 34th in his first World Cup back after a high-speed injury in Brazil.

Elite Women: A Swede versus the Swiss

Racing at home in Switzerland, Jolanda Neff (Trek Factory Racing) quickly put herself on the front of the women’s short track race. Tucked in her wheel was Team 31-Ibis’ Jenny Rissveds. With a tactical course in Lenzerheide, the group stayed together for the opening laps.

Ramona Forchini was the first to attack, before crashing. That left Rissveds leading a group of 10 riders including Neff, short track world champion Sina Frei, series leader Rebecca McConnell and Loana Lecomte.

Frei and Lecomte took their turns leading. But, on lap six of nine, it was Rissveds that was the first to open up a small gap. After a couple of looks back, Rissveds attacked again and quickly built a sizeable advantage.

Behind the Swedish Olympic champion, the field had shattered. Alessandra Keller (Thomus Maxon), Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (BMC), Neff and Lecomte were left as a chasing group of four. Rissveds, though, built up an 11-second advantage over the course of the next lap.

Keller led the chase group for the final two laps. Neff tried to push past on the final climb, to no avail. Their battle for position started to reign in Rissveds, but not soon enough.

Jenny Rissveds crossed the line alone to take the Short Track World Cup win in Lenzerheide.

“I had no strategy,” Rissveds said after the race. “I had a gap when I looked back and figured I had to go.” It’s a repeat of the Swede’s result last year at the same venue. Asked about her consistent results in Lenzerheide, Rissveds responded that “It’s similar to Sweeden. There are lots of roots and it’s fast. I like it.”

Keller sprinted away from Neff to take second place for the home crowd. Ferrand-Prevot tried to challenge, but settled for fourth with Lecomte fifth.

“It means a lot to me, racing in front of a home crowd,” Keller said of her result. “It puts me in the best position for Sunday on the start line.”

Rebecca McConnell still leads the Short Track World Cup standings, now by just 90 points. The Australian still has a solid 171-point advantage in the World Cup overall going into Sunday’s XCO.

Elite Men

In the men’s race, Vlad Dascalu kept up Trek Factory Racing’s strategy of leading the opening laps. Behind the Romanian lurked Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM). The narrow course forced the field to spread out into a single-file line, but with surges and slows in pace.

Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon Cllctv) worked his way back from a slow start to take the lead going out onto the second of 10 laps.

Schwarzbauer and Schurter controlled the race successfully until lap eight of 10, when Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) went out on the attack. Schwarzbauer in particular was caught out by the acceleration. Perhaps paying for his early effort, the German sat sixth with a gap opening to the front five.

Flueckiger was the next to attack. Again, Schurter followed but more gaps opened up behind.

Going out onto the final lap, it’s Flueckiger, Schurter, and Filippo Colombo. All three are Swiss, all three want the win at home. Colombo holds the lead at the top of the lap, with Flueckiger in his wheel.

It’s a long sprint to the line, but Filippo Colombo holds on to take the win for the Swiss. It’s the 24-year-old’s first World Cup XCC win.

“The attack from Mathias was super hard,” Colombo relayed after the race. “I tried to get in front, play some tactics and slow down where I knew he couldn’t overtake me. I know have a good sprint.”

Flueckiger takes second. Hatherly storms back to the front group just on time to pass Schurter to take third and break up a Swiss sweep.

With his second place, Flueckiger moves into the XCC World Cup leader’s jersey ahead of Luca Schwarzbauer.

“That’s amazing, that’s true,” Flueckiger said after the finish, somewhat surprised to be in the leader’s jersey. “I’m proud, yes. At home? That’s even more amazing. It’s a really tight sprint finish, I’m really happy with the performance. I’m really looking forward to Sunday.”