Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) rose to the occasion and gave her home fans a victory to celebrate at the Olympic World Cup in cross-country (XCO) UCI at Bike Kingdom – Lenzerheide (Switzerland), presented by Le Gruyère, while newly crowned UCI XCO World Champion Alan Hatherly (Giant Factory Off-Road Team – XC) survived a last-lap scare to win the Men's Elite category.
Alexandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) rose to the occasion and gave her home fans a victory to celebrate at the Olympic World Cup in cross-country (XCO) UCI a Bike Kingdom – Lenzerheide (Switzerland), presented by Le Gruyère.
As her rivals pulled away, Keller kept her cool before launching her own race for glory on the penultimate lap. Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing – Pirelli) was just seven seconds off the lead on the final lap before suffering a puncture and finishing fourth. Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) finished second after a determined performance, while Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) recovered from a crash while leading to take third place.
Alexandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) ended a long wait by claiming the second UCI XCO World Cup victory of her career. The Swiss rider was crowned UCI XCC World Champion in Valais, but she hadn't won a UCI XCO World Cup since her victory in Snowshoe in July 2022, a full 1.144 days earlier. In an intense battle among the women's elite, Keller proved the strongest, taking a stellar victory.
Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) won the UCI XCC World Cup on Friday and was aiming for a double this weekend. The overall leader, Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford Racing Team), initially joined Rissveds, before also being dropped as the course folded in on itself with short, steep climbs. Meanwhile, Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) suffered a crash on the first lap that nearly stopped Keller. Pieterse was forced to dismount to repair a mechanical problem, before suffering further problems and retiring.
The asphalt at the end of the first lap allowed Maxwell, Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) ed Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing – Pirelli) regrouped at the front with a clear 12-second gap to the chasing pack. Rissveds continued to push ahead, followed by Blunk, while Keller moved up to the front.
The Decathlon Ford Racing Team cyclist Blunk was aiming for her first UCI World Cup victory and used her technical prowess to put pressure on her rivals, while Richards and Maxwell were trailing. Disaster struck Blunk 40 minutes into the race, when she went to adjust her sunglasses and crashed. The American cyclist fell behind her pursuers, 33 seconds behind the leaders.
After recovering from her previous effort, Richards attempted to close the gap to the front runners with more than two laps to go. By the start of the penultimate lap, the British driver was back within 15 seconds of the leading duo, while Blunk was 21 seconds behind.
Keller sensed that his rival Rissveds was weakening and used the long climb and hairpin turns at the start of the lap to build up a slim advantage. By the time the final lap bell rang, Keller was leading by 14 seconds over Richards, who had joined Rissveds in the battle for the podium.
The British rider was on the attack, narrowly edging out Rissveds, with Keller and the win in her sights, seven seconds behind. However, it was also a disaster for Richards: she stopped in the technical area to replace a rear tire puncture, dropping to fourth place after losing 25 seconds.
The accident allowed Keller to enjoy a home victory. Rissveds, chasing, was rewarded for her efforts by finishing second, 16 seconds behind, and Blunk third, 25 seconds behind.
After the victory, Keller said: “It was tough, but everyone cheered me on. I gave it my all, I opened up a gap on the penultimate lap, and I gave it my all. I tried to go as fast as possible, while everyone cheered me on.”
"It's amazing to be here with everyone, the family and the team. The race was crazy. First, Puck fell in front of me and I practically ran over her, I couldn't do anything.
Savilia was incredibly strong, but somehow she fell, leaving us two. Jenny put in an incredible effort. I tried to tackle the long climb first, and I had a small gap.
“I suffered all the way to the finish line. It was absolutely worth it.”
FEMALE ELITE RANKING
| 1. |  | KELLER Alexandra (THOMUS MAXON) | 1:24:10 |
| 2. |  | Risveds Jenny (CANYON CLLCTV XCO) | 1:24:26 +16 |
| 3. |  | BLUNK Savilia (DECATHLON FORD RACING TEAM) | 1:24:35 +25 |
| 4. |  | RICHARDS Evie (TREK FACTORY RACING – PIRELLI) | 1:24:54 +44 |
| 5. |  | STIGGER Laura (SPECIALIZED FACTORY RACING) | 1:25:00 +50 |
| 6. |  | MAXWELL Samara (DECATHLON FORD RACING TEAM) | 1:25:42 + 1: 32 |
| 7. |  | LILL Candice | 1:25:47 + 1: 37 |
| 8. |  | JACKSONJennifer (ORBEA FOX FACTORY TEAM) | 1:26:03 + 1: 53 |
| 9. |  | BERTHA Martina (ORIGINE RACING DIVISION) | 1:27:08 + 2: 58 |
| 10. | | NEFF Jolanda (CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING) | 1:27:34 + 3: 24 |
