Smiles, hugs, tears and the songs of the fans shouting your name: it will be difficult for Martina Bertha forget the 2023 edition of the MTB World Cup, which saw her achieve her career high as an Elite in the World Cup, a second place that brings Italy back to the women's World Cup top-3 for the first time since 2014. The last time was on April 27, 2014, when in Cairns Eva Lechner took her last success in the top circuit.
Source: Vitesse press release
RACE HIGHLIGHTS
Only the phenomenon of the moment, Puck Pieterse, the Santa Cruz-Rockshox from the Aosta Valley was right thanks to a race conducted and controlled from start to finish. For the Dutchman of Alpecin-Deuceninck this is the third victory of the season (out of four races) in the World Cup and the second victory in Val di Sole in the last 7 months: last December he won the spectacular stage of the cyclocross, on the snow of Vermiglio.
Behind Martina Berta, who finished at 52 seconds, the elite of world MTB, starting with the Australian Rebecca Henderson, third at 1'00”, from the Austrians Laura Stigger (1'06”) e Mona Mitterwallner (1'53”), by the two Olympic Champions in the race, the Swiss Yolanda Neff (2'01”) and the Swede Jenny Rissveds (2'30”), and from the world championship Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, eighth at 2'48”.
“Great, it was a crazy race. He didn't expect it," commented Martina Berta, overwhelmed by the effort and emotions. "In the middle of the race I managed to stay with Pauline, we collaborated, and when she fell for a moment it was difficult to maintain concentration, because I didn't expect to be alone at that moment."
“To get on the podium in Val di Sole, wearing the Tricolor jersey, in front of all these fans, is something magnificent. The public helped me a lot, uphill there was so much support and so much noise that after 20 seconds of passing I couldn't hear anything. This morning I didn't know what to expect, especially after a difficult European Championship, but I wanted to try to stay ahead and fight for a podium finish: I owed it to this crowd, at the World Cup stage in Italy, and also to get involved in the last Cup before of the World Cup.”
Right from the first lap, Puck Pieterse let it be understood that he wanted to interpret the race on the attack, digging a substantial margin of advantage over the group of pursuers, where the Italian flag of Martina Berta stood out, one of the most active together with Pauline Ferrand-Prèvot.
In the second lap, behind Pieterse, a quartet formed including, in addition to Ferrand-Prèvot and Berta, also Alexandra Keller and Laura Stigger, later joined by Rebecca Henderson. The Aosta Valley took the initiative in the third lap, sinking the blow and only Ferrand-Prèvot was able to resist the progression. At this juncture, the Berta-Prévot duo nibbled away at a few seconds from Puck Pieterse, but without worrying the dominatrix of this first half of the season too much.
In the fourth of the five scheduled laps, Pauline Ferrand-Prèvot ran into a crash which first of all caused her to lose Martina Berta's wheel and then also the top positions. At that point, the Champion of Italy flew solo defending the second position from the onslaught of Henderson and Stigger in the last lap. At the finish line waiting for the blue the roar of the public of Val di Sole in ecstasy. Finally, Martina Berta's tears of joy but at the same time liberating, who had been dreaming of this moment for some time.
“I chose to run on the attack right from the start, and after one lap I was already at full speed,” Pieterse said. “From there on out I tried to go with my pace and not bounce back. It worked this time too.”
“I made a mistake on the last lap, luckily I knew I had a good margin. It happened on the hardest part of the track, where you arrive almost at a standstill, also because there are many roots. In every lap I tried to keep my maximum concentration there, but in the last one I arrived with my pulse so high that I couldn't proceed. After that I tried to reset and accelerate on the next climb to find the rhythm.”
Puck Pieterse continues to dominate the General Classification, leader with 1096 points ahead of Pauline Ferrand-Prèvot (800) and Laura Stigger (680). Ninth place for Martina Berta with 592 lengths.
FEMALE ELITE RANKING
| 1. |  | * PIETERSE Puck (ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK) | 1:19:49 |
| 2. |  | BERTHA Martina (SANTA CRUZ ROCKSHOX PRO TEAM) | 1:20:41 +52 |
| 3. |  | HENDERSON Rebecca (PRIMAFLOR MONDRAKER GENUINS RACING TEAM) | 1:20:49 + 1: 00 |
| 4. |  | STIGGER Laura (SPECIALIZED FACTORY RACING) | 1:20:55 + 1: 06 |
| 5. | | * MITTERWALLNER Mona (CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING) | 1:21:42 + 1: 53 |
| 6. |  | NEFF Jolanda (TREK FACTORY RACING XC) | 1:21:50 + 2: 01 |
| 7. |  | Risveds Jenny (TEAM 31 IBIS CYCLES CONTINENTAL) | 1:22:19 + 2: 30 |
| 8. |  | FERRAND PREVOT Pauline (INEOS GRENADIERS) | 1:22:37 + 2: 48 |
| 9. |  | RICHARDS Evie (TREK FACTORY RACING XC) | 1:22:40 + 2: 51 |
| 10 | | TERPSTRA Anne (GHOST FACTORY RACING) | 1:22:43 + 2: 54 |
GENERAL WORLD CUP
