Short Track racing delivers thrilling start to elite racing at 2021 world championships

Elite world championship racing started Thursday with the first-ever Short Track Cross Country (XCC) titles being awarded in Val di Sole, Italy. Evie Richards and Christopher Blevins earned the first rainbow jersey’s in the short, fast-paced discipline in two thrilling races.

Battle of the brothers during the finals of Elite men's short track!@QuintonDisera and @Petey__D coming in 16th and 17th spot as the top ?? men's finishers.

Tyler Orschel (28th) and Marc-Andre Fortier (32nd) would cap off day 3⃣ at #ValdiSole2021

?Andy Vathis pic.twitter.com/pavZcqpeab

— Cycling Canada (@CyclingCanada) August 26, 2021

Canadians in Val di Sole

Thursday was the first race for several Canadians in Val di Sole. In the women’s race, Laurie Arseneault was the fastest Canadian, finishing 19th in the elite women’s XCC event. Sandra Walter follwed in 26th, while Haley Smith finished a lap down in 30th.

Four men qualified for Thursday’s final through Tuesday’s heats. It was a battle between brothers for top Canuck. Quinton Disera narrowly edged out his older brother, Peter Disera for the top Canadian. The two Disera’s finished 16th and 17th in the elite men’s XCC. Tyler Orschel followed in 28th and Marc Andre Fortier 32nd.

Women’s short track – Frei outduels Richards

The women’s XCC was first up, and it was none other than Olympic gold medallist Jolanda Neff takes the early lead. In the mid-portion of the 20-minute race, Evie Richards rode on the offensive, and on the front, to control pace. Sina Frei and Pauline Ferrand Prevot, though, sat waiting in her wheels. Jolanda Neff, Linda Indergand and Rebecca McConnell remained in the group.

In the final two laps, Frie and Ferrand-Prevot both took their turn on the front. First the French woman. Then, working hard to pass Ferrand Prevot, Frei went on the attack. After leading much of the race, Richards wasn’t giving up yet. The British rider hunted for a way around the Swiss rider as the trio approached the finish, but to no avail. On the finish straight, Frei led Richards with Ferrand Prevot sitting in third. Richards made a late effort to sprint, but couldn’t quite get past.

Sina Frei, silver medallist in Tokyo, takes home the first Short Track XC world championship title for Switzerland.

Evie Richards is second by half a wheel. Puline Ferrand Prevot held off Linda Indergand to earn bronze.

Men’s Short Track – Historic win for Blevins

On the men’s side, a strong field was chomping at the bit to take advantage of two notable absences. Mathieu van der Poel, who has dominated XCC racing since it was introduced to the World Cup schedule, and Tom Pidcock. That left the door open for, most notably, Brazilian Henrique Avancini.

The powerful Brazilian looked keep to take advantage. While South Africa’s Alan Hatherly and New Zealand’s Sam Gaze worked on the front for much of the first half of an eight lap race, Avancini was rarely further back than second or third wheel. As the laps counted down, Avancini moved to the front. On his wheel was Maxim Brandl, Czech rider Ondrej Cink, U.S.A.’s Christopher Blevins and Hatherly.

On the penultimate lap, Brandl attacked and was able to open a small gap. The quartet behind chased, but the German had a seven second advantage with just one lap to go. Knowing his opportunity was slipping away, Avancini worked hard to close the gap only to have Blevin’s out-duel him for position on Brandl’s wheel as they made the catch. Avancini pushed back past the American to move into second-wheel, but the move was short lived. On the final out-and-back, Blevin’s sprinted past both riders to take the lead going into the final corner. Just as in the women’s race, the rider out of that corner first would win the race. Avancini and Brandl sprinted as hard as they could, but could not catch the American.

Christopher Blevins wins the first men’s short track cross country world championships title. It’s the first elite men’s cross country title for the United States in decades.

Avancini out-sprinted Brandl to take silver, with the German holding on for bronze after his big two-lap attack.

2021 UCI mountain bike world championships continue Friday, Aug. 27 with downhill qualification (elite and junior), eMTB cross country racing and 4x finals. In Canada, you can watch all the racing on FloBikes.

Results: Cross Country Short Track (XCC) – 2021 UCI mountain bike world championships (Val di Sole, Italy)

Women’s Cross Country Short Track (XCC)

1			FREI Sina			20:11
2			RICHARDS Evie			+0:00
3			FERRAND PREVOT Pauline			+0:01
4			INDERGAND Linda			+0:02
5			NEFF Jolanda			+0:11
6			McCONNELL Rebecca			+0:17
7			POPOVA Iryna			+0:26
8			RISSVEDS Jenny			+0:37
9			SEIWALD Greta			+0:41
10			KELLER Alessandra			+0:42
11			LILL Candice			+0:43
12			LECHNER Eva			+0:49
13			LOIV Janika			+0:52
14			LAST Annie			+0:58
15			BATTEN Haley			+1:01
16			CABELICKA Jitka			+1:08
17			URBAN Kelsey			+1:11
18			FORCHINI Ramona			+1:12
19			ARSENEAULT Laurie			+1:16
20			STRAUSS Mariske			+1:18
21			GUSTAFZZON Linn			+1:19
22			ILINA Kristina			+1:21
23			FINCHAMP Hannah			+1:25
24			RIEDER Nadine			+1:26
25			HAEBERLIN Steffi			+1:30
26			WALTER Sandra			+1:31
27			BRANDAU Elisabeth			+1:43
28			KIRSANOVA Viktoria			+2:07
29			KESEG STEVKOVA Janka			-2LAP
30			SMITH Haley			-2LAP
31			CZECZINKAROVA Jana			-2LAP
32			SOARES CANDIDO Leticia Jaqueline			-3LAP
33			MORENO CAMUS Maria Trinidad			-3LAP

Men’s Cross Country Short Track (XCC)

1			BLEVINS Christopher			19:30
2			AVANCINI Henrique			+0:02
3			BRANDL Maximilian			+0:02
4			CINK Ondrej			+0:03
5			HATHERLY Alan			+0:05
6			BLUMS Martins			+0:17
7			SCHUERMANS Jens			+0:21
8			COLOMBO Filippo			+0:21
9			BERTOLINI Gioele			+0:23
10			BRAIDOT Daniele			+0:24
11			GAZE Samuel			+0:28
12			MAROTTE Maxime			+0:29
13			COOPER Anton			+0:41
14			COLLEDANI Nadir			+0:42
15			DUBAU Joshua			+0:44
16			DISERA Quinton			+0:51
17			DISERA Peter			+0:51
18			KERSCHBAUMER Gerhard			+0:52
19			SCHEHL Niklas			+0:52
20			OLIVER Ben			+1:01
21			BEERS Matthew			+1:02
22			HARING Martin			+1:04
23			CARSTENSEN Sebastian Fini			+1:12
24			VROUWENVELDER Luke			+1:14
25			DAVOUST Stephan			+1:14
26			SKARNITZL Jan			+1:14
27			KONIAIEV Oleksandr			+1:20
28			ORSCHEL Tyler			+1:22
29			DELICH PARDO Nicolas			+1:26
30			TITARENKO Dmytro			+1:27
31			WAWAK Bartlomiej			+1:32
32			FORTIER Marc Andre			+1:37
33			BASTOS GALINSKI Ulan			+1:41
34			HAEGSTAD Erik			-1LAP
35			ULIK Matej			-2LAP
36			FOIDL Maximilian			-2LAP
37			ULLOA AREVALO Jose Gerardo			-3LAP