The athletes faced an intense route that involved over 5.000 meters of altitude difference to overcome before reaching the 70 km mark, including the summit of Bellastat. The route consisted of a mix of climbs and descents, including steep sections such as the Chemin des Granges climb, and offered varied and rugged terrain, making it a battle suitable for even the most experienced mountain bikers.
Source: press release
2023 overall winner Lejla Njemcevic started strong alongside 2023 UCI Marathon World Champion Adelheid Morath with the pair leading by two minutes at the halfway point, while French national champion, Margot Moschetti, failed to keep up and was back a full ten minutes to the same point.
Meanwhile, there was early drama for Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ winner Vera Looser when she suffered a technical problem, leading to a strong push from the Namibian to get back to catching Njemcevic. The pair broke free from the pack, leaving American Hannah Rae Otto in third place, ten minutes behind the pair.
But Looser's tough race didn't stop there, as she suffered a puncture and lost crucial time behind Njemcevic, allowing the Bosnian to cover the remaining kilometres to the finish line in Megève, taking the UCI XCM World Cup victory.
Looser somehow managed to hold on to a third-place finish behind Otto, in her first UCI XCM World Cup outing since winning the final round of the 2023 season in Snowshoe, West Virginia (USA).
Speaking to the overall leader about his thoughts on the race, Njemcevic said:
“I just wanted to have a consistent race from start to finish. I was traveling with Adelheid, so we bounced back and forth, but I always stuck to my plan. My race plan wrote my race and, in the end, everything worked out."
With the final race of the season taking place at Mt Van Hoevenberg, Lake Placid later this year, Njemcevic has his sights set firmly on the 2024 overall series champion's jersey:
“It's really exciting, but I think I'm the best. I know I'm the best. In the first race I was better, I made a tactical error, but this is the most difficult race we have ever done. I was by far the best, so I expect nothing less than to win an overall in the US. I can't wait."
A BATTLE BETWEEN GREATS
In the elite men's field, it was not a repeat victory for Fabian Rabensteiner who finished in fifth place overall – just behind Roberto Bou Martin (Kilmatiza Toteemi Cabberty) in fourth place and Italian Samuele Porro in third – enough for him to remain in the general classification. protagonist of the series.
Frenchman Basile Allard finished in 22nd place while Martin Stošek (Canyon Sidi MTB Team) suffered a rear tire puncture while only two minutes behind the leading group.
Up front it was the battle between the world champions, as the 2019 and 2020 UCI cross-country marathon world champion Héctor Leonardo Páez remained glued to Andreas Seewald (Canyon Sidi MTB Team), the UCI cross-country marathon world champion 2021. Paez's strategy of leaving enough tank for the crucial final climb allowed him to take the lead and secure the race win with a lead of over a minute and a half.
Héctor Leonardo Páez said: “I drove a very intelligent race. I knew it would be very hard, and I had to save my energy from the start and try the last climb and be careful on the last descent because there was a lot of mud.
“The race was as I expected and I am very happy with this victory.”
“The last run was as perfect for me as I had felt before, so it gave me some confidence to have a gap and win the race.”
The final round of the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon (XCM) World Cup event will take place at a new venue debuting for 2024, Mt Van Hoevenberg, Lake Placid. This iconic venue in upstate New York is famous for hosting the Winter Olympic Games in both 1932 and 1980. Racing takes place over the weekend of September 27-29, 2024.
MEN'S ELITE RANKING
| 1. | PAEZ LEON Hector Leonardo 10004022349 - |  | 5:07:18 |
| 2. | SEEWALD Andreas 10010019676 – CANYON SIDI MTB TEAM |  | 5:08:56 |
| 3. | PORRO Samuel 10005894550 - |  | 5:10:10 |
| 4. | BOU MARTIN Roberto 10009923787 – KLIMATIZA TOTEEMI CABBERTY |  | 5:12:05 |
| 5. | RABENSTEINER Fabian 10006967311 - | | 5:14:35 |
| 6. | STUTZMANN Marc 10006906178 – CANYON SIDI MTB TEAM |  | 5:17:34 |
| 7. | GEISMAYR Daniel 10005915970 - |  | 5:19:37 |
| 8. | BALMER Alexandre 10016568287 - | | 5:22:24 |
| 9. | HARTMANN Jakob 10008815765 – SINGER RACING TEAM | | 5:24:50 |
| 10 | STOSHEK Martin 10007649644 – CANYON SIDI MTB TEAM |  | 5:26:07 |
GENERAL WORLD CUP
FEMALE ELITE RANKING
| 1. | NJEMCEVIC Lejla 10009167490 - |  | 6:40:48 |
| 2. | EIGHT Rae Hannah 10009349265 - |  | 6:54:21 |
| 3. | LOOSER True 10007521928 - |  | 6:57:20 |
| 4. | WÜST Janina 10009168504 – BUFF MEGAMO TEAM | | 6:57:36 |
| 5. | NAY Alessia 10014343351 - | | 7:01:34 |
| 6. | DR. WALTER Stefanie 10043819530 – CANYON SIDI MTB TEAM | | 7:03:24 |
| 7. | LÖFFELMANN Karla 10008143435 - | | 7:10:47 |
| 8. | MUSKETS Margot 10007703093 - |  | 7:12:21 |
| 9. | KESEG ŠTEVKOVÁ Janka 10004201801 - |  | 7:15:06 |
| 10 | FASOLIS Constance 10011005642 - | | 7:15:35 |
GENERAL WORLD CUP
