The race started on slightly damp terrain following the recent rain, with the crashes in the women’s final still fresh in the memory. Dane Simon Andreassen took the lead on the first corner, followed by Sebastian Fini, Martin Vidaurre, Mathis Azzaro, and Samuel Gaze, in a clean but intense start.
As the laps passed, riders such as Victor Koretzky and Christopher Blevins began to gain positions, eventually placing themselves among the front runners. Despite the high pace, the leading group had yet to break away.
With four laps remaining, a dozen riders were still in contention: Gaze, Andreassen, Azzaro, De Froidmont, Ulloa, Braidot, Forster, and even Filippo Colombo, who was making a comeback from behind.
Everything was decided on the final lap, when Blevins launched a brutal attack that dropped several rivals. He seemed to have the race in his grasp, but then Victor Koretzky emerged, reacting powerfully to close the gap in the final section of the course.
On the final straight, the Frenchman caught the American and overtook him in a short but decisive sprint, reclaiming his XCC World Champion title.
Christopher Blevins, who had staked everything on the attack, finished second with the suppressed rage of someone who had just grazed him. Frenchman Mathis Azarro completed the podium after a great comeback.
Full Standings – Elite Men’s XCC World Championship
1. Victor Koretzky – France
2. Christopher Blevins – United States
3. Mathis Azzaro – France
4. Simon Andreassen – Denmark
5. Samuel Gaze – New Zealand
6. Filippo Colombo – Switzerland
7. Luca Braidot – Italy
8. Maximilian Brandl – Germany
9. Simone Avondetto – Italy
10. Jens Schuermans – Belgium
11. Knut Rohme – Norway
12. Julian Schelb – Germany
Source: www.brujulabike.com
13. Tobias Lillelund – Denmark
14. Leon Kaiser – Germany
15. Joshua Dubau – France
16. Vital Albin – Switzerland
17. Luca Schwarzbauer – Germany
18. Lars Forster – Switzerland
19. Luca Schätti – Switzerland
20. Fabio Püntener – Switzerland
21. Erik Hægstad – Norway
22. Pierre de Froidmont – Belgium
23. Filippo Fontana – Italy
24. Jose Gerardo Ulloa – Mexico
25. Tyler Orschel – Canada
26. Carter Woods – Canada
27. Riley Amos – United States
28. Krzysztof Lukasik – Poland
29. Alex Malacarne – Brazil
30. Anton Cooper – New Zealand
31. Luke Moir – South Africa
32. Alan Hatherly – South Africa
33. Martin Vidaurre Kossmann – Chile
34. Martins Blums – Latvia
35. Bjorn Riley – United States
36. Gustavo Xavier de Oliveira Pereira – Brazil
37. Roberto Ferreira – Portugal
38. Michael Foster – South Africa
39. Sebastian Fini Carstensen – Denmark
40. Jose Gabriel Marques de Almeid
Source: www.brujulabike.com