7 things we learnt from the XCO World Cup at Albstadt
The first round of the XCO World Cup is done - what did we learn?
The 2021 UCI World Cup kicked off on Friday afternoon in Albstadt, Germany, with the Short Track races ahead of the Olympic Cross-Country (XCO) on Sunday. With such a shortened season in 2020, the 6 rounds this year are a return to normal – of sorts. But of course, the World Cup has no fans on site, only staff, and that's just one small change to racing in a pandemic. The Short Track was won by Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and Mathieu van der Poel , in fats and furious fashion. But the big deal is all about the XCO.
The 2021 season kicked off as it signed out last season with thrilling racing and wild weather. After the wintery snow and rain of Friday morning came summer heat on Sunday. The women's race had a fast start, with Bec McConnell right up in the mix, thanks to her front row start after placing 6th in Short Track.
With a fifth place in Short Track, Loana Lecomte also started on the front row and never looked back soon after the start, climbing away from the rest, building a 20 second gap to over a minute.
World champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot gave chase alone in second as the likes of Jolanda Neff and Linda Indergand fell behind while Haley Batten and Yana Belomoina came strong in the last laps. Lecomte cruised to victory by 53 seconds with Ferrand-Prévot easily in second, American duo Batten and Kate Courtney third and fourth leaving Ukrainian Belomoina to round out the podium in fifth.
Lecomte, 21, said "I think in my head it was my goal for today, but I don't know if I was able to win. I am very happy. I wanted to be in shape for these two World Cup races and qualification for the Olympic Games. I share the motivation with others in the French team because we have the same coach."
Ferrand-Prévot, 29, added "For sure, I am happy because I didn't feel really good today. It was super hard. I am so happy with Loana's first place. She was just flying so I knew that it would be hard to win. It was quite hot. I hope to be better in one week. It can change really quickly."
The temperatures rose towards the men's race. While weather apps showed 21 degrees, commentators said 28 degrees. We might not think it's that hot, but in a still valley it would feel warm, and it represents a 30 degree shift from 48 hours earlier. Plus Euros struggle in the heat.
The men's race saw van der Poel start off fast with Brazilian Henrique Avancini, but both fell back. Ondrej Cink, Schurte, Matthias Fluckiger and Victor Koretzy were making contact with the leading duo – who really hit out too soon. Also coming up was U23 world champion Thomas Pidcock making a superb charge through from 76th on the grid into the top 10, with Anton Cooper also just outside the top 5.
Fluckiger looked to be the strongest until his dropper got stuck down on the final lap. Then, Schurter looked on course for yet another World Cup win, nevertheless Koretzky had other ideas as he dug in for a brilliant sprint finish to claim his maiden victory ahead of the veteran Swiss. Flucki finished in 3rd with Cink 4th and Pidcock 5th. Cooper was 6th.
Koretzky, 26, said "I cannot believe it, it is amazing. During my warmup, I didn't feel my shape but after the first two laps it was better and better. I didn't take any risks and just focus on the line. I overtook Nino on the last part in the grass and I used the same sprint as my Short Track. It was super hot. If you go in the red zone it is not possible to recover on this track so just follow the first group and, if you have good legs, attack."
Schurter, 34, added: "It is hard to take. I am not really happy with my second place. I am looking forward to Nové Město. It is one of my favourite tracks. I have great memories of this place."
What we learned from the Albstadt World Cup
1. Bigger is better (sometimes)
Bikes sure are getting burlier, and many who don't follow XCO (and probably aren't reading this) assume it's all about weight, and riding up steep hills. Well, sharp eyes would see that van der Poel used a 2022 Fox 34 SC to win the Short Track, and Ondrej Cink was also using the stiffer 34 SC platform on his Kross hardtail. Sure there's a small weight penalty, but a stiffer fork offers more control – resulting in more speed. Tom Pidcock also had the 34mm legged Suntour fork.
Bigger tyres are also in use, with riders like Nino Schurter running 2.4" Maxxis WT tyres, paired to 30mm carbon rims.
2. Droppers are in – but not perfect
A lot of leading riders run dropper posts, and on the climbing intensive course at Albstadt, a hardtail with a dropper was a popular choice. Still, a full-suspension bike without a dropper won men's XCC and women's XCO, while a dropper-equiped hardtail won women's XCC and men's XCO.
We did see two notable issues, with Linda Indergand having to manually get her Fox Transfer dropper to rise completely while leading XCC, and Fluckiger's seat post being stuck down while in a race winning position.
3. Men's XCO is exciting again
Let's not say that Nino's rule is over, as he did finish a close second and seems pretty cut up about it. But he's not riding away with every race like a couple of years ago. Koretzky now has hist first World Cup win and will be hungry for more, so the list of who could win on the day for a World Cup continues to grow.
4. The kids are here
Whether you look at Loana Lacomte riding away with the women's XCO win, Haley Batten's 3rd place, Laura Stigger's top 10, or Thomas Pidcock's 5th place from about 10 rows back – it's clear that there is serious fire power in the younger generation.
This is a key part of exciting racing, having more riders with the capacity to win a World Cup and throw themselves into the mix.
5. Hardtails still rule
Sure, a hardtail is unlikely to be the bike a lot of rider's might choose for their mountain bike, but clearly the pro racers know when to reach for the rigid frames. You can account for as much as a 1kg bike weight reduction for some brands between their full-suspension and hardtail designs. It would be less difference for some brands.
Given the amount of climbing on the course at Albstadt, this is a significant change, especially for lighter riders around 50kg, where it's a noticeable difference to the overall system weight. This doesn't mean you need to go out a buy a hardtail for XC race success – a full-suspension bike is more versatile. But hardtails are not dead.
6. Conditions count
If you watched the coverage, you would have noted the umbrellas, the cold towels – and some riders not dealing well with the hot conditions. This is all part of bike racing, and who is strongest on paper may not be strongest on the day – it really comes down to how well they can work with the conditions. And in this case, pacing and heat management seemed to count.
7. The French are back
Ok, the French were never bad. However Swiss riders have rulled XCO for a couple of years. But with Lacomte winning XCO, PFP winning XCC, Koretzky winning XCO, Sarrou holding the men's elite XCO title and PFP the women's (and Lacomte the U23 women's) it's a very French affair. And that's not even talking about their reign in Downhill!
As you read this the World Cup circuit drives east to Nove Mesto in the Czech Republic. Somewhere that would normally draw the biggest crowds, and somewhere that may not typically favour a hardtail either.
RESULTS
WOMEN ELITE
1. Loana Lecomte FRA 1hr21m38s
2. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot FRA +0m53s
3. Haley Batten USA +1m15s
4. Kate Courtney USA +1m20s
5. Yana Belomoina UKR +1m30s
MEN ELITE
1. Victor Koretzky FRA 1hr20m23s
2. Nino Schurter SUI +0m02s
3. Mathias Flueckiger SUI +0m23s
4. Ondrej Cink CZE +0m25s
5. Thomas Pidcock GBR +0m29s
