Chris Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) and Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) were the main protagonists of the day, taking victories in the World Cup Short Track in Leogang.
The American Chris Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) showed again why he is the great reference of the Short Track in the 2025 season, achieving his fourth consecutive victory in the XCC World Cup after winning with authority in the Leogang race. A tactical, fast and full of alternatives race that was resolved in an explosive last lap where the Specialized team played the double victory.
From the start, Blevins set the pace and was at the front of the group at the first corner. An equally brilliant start was made by Spaniard David Campos (BH Coloma Team), who managed to gain numerous positions on the outside to get into the lead. The outside until he was among the first riders. The race, scheduled for 10 laps, maintained a contained pace for the first few laps with the likes of Andreassen (Orbea), Schwarzbauer (Canyon) and Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale) taking turns in the lead.
Meanwhile, the Specialized riders -levins, Vidaurre, Koretzky and Boichis- rode grouped and without showing themselves, saving their energy for the decisive moment. Halfway through the race, some protagonists such as Andreassen, Campos or even the legendary Nino Schurter were losing positions, the latter abandoning on lap 4 for reasons not yet confirmed.
Mathias Flückiger (Thömus Maxon) launched an attack with three laps to go that looked promising, but failed to break away from the group. On the final lap, Charlie Aldridge was still pulling hard and controlling the attack attempts, until he hit the the final lap, Charlie Aldridge was still pulling hard and controlling the attack attempts, until the final blow came power, followed by his teammate Martin Vidaurre. They both played for the victory in the last meters, where the American managed to cross the line first by just a few centimeters.
With this win, Blevins strengthens his lead in the overall XCC standings and makes it clear that he is the man to beat in the short format. The Specialized Factory Racing team also placed three riders in the top-10, proving once again their collective dominance in this discipline.
Top 10 – XCC Leogang 2025 World Cup (Elite Men)
Chris Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) – 23:00
Martín Vidaurre (Specialized Factory Racing) – mismo tiempo
Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing) – a 1 s
Lars Forster (Thömus Maxon) – a 11 s
Fabio Püntener – a 12 s
Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division) – a 17 s
Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team) – a 19 s
Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing) – a 24 s
Mathias Flückiger (Thömus Maxon) – a 26 s
Maximilian Brandl (Lapierre Racing Unity) – a 27 s
With the impressive alpine scenery of Leogang, the XCC World Cup kicked off with the elite women’s race marked by the dominance of Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who took an uncontested victory after a tactical and explosive performance.
The Dutch rider started from the third row, which foreshadowed a difficult race, but she soon proved that neither the starting position nor the high level of her rivals were going to stop her ambition. From the start, the race was wide open, with Jolanda Neff (Cannondale) launching the first attack on the initial descent. Her offensive was quickly neutralized on the second lap, in a race set to eight laps.
With the peloton still compact on the third lap, Candice Lill (South Africa), Loana Lecomte (BMC) and Pieterse herself moved into the lead. It was then that Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford Racing Team), leader of the overall leader, took the lead and increased the pace, causing a first selection. But Pieterse finished it off with a lightning attack that proved definitive.
With two laps to go, the Dutch rider was already riding alone with a considerable lead. On the last lap, she held a 15-second lead over Maxwell, an unusual gap for a Short Track. Finally, she crossed the finish line with authority, signing a brilliant victory with a time of 21:13.
Maxwell was second at 16 seconds back, while Candice Lill completed the podium with a third place at 21 seconds. For her part, Mona Mitterwallner (Mondraker) was fourth after a very solid race at home, while Nicole Koller (Ghost Factory Racing) closed the top 5.
Among the notable absentees, Bec Henderson (Orbea) didn’t start due to illness and Kate Courtney is still recovering from a broken wrist fracture.
Top 10 – XCC Leogang 2025 World Cup (Elite Women)
Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) – 21:13
Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) – a 0:16
Nicole Koller (Ghost Factory Racing) – a 0:21
Mona Mitterwallner (Mondraker Factory Racing) – a 0:26
Candice Lill – a 0:30
Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing) – a 0:38
Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) – a 0:51
Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) – a 0:52
Jennifer Jackson (Orbea Fox Factory Team) – a 0:59
Ramona Forchini (BIXS Performance Race Team) – a 1:00
Source: www.brujulabike.com