Premiere in Nové Město: Vysočina Arena experienced the first junior short track, Bukovská won bronze!
- 24 hours ago
- 3 min read
The racing program of the Mountain Bike World Cup in Nové Město na Moravě has officially started. The very first racing day brought something new to the Vysočina Arena - for the first time in history, a short track in junior categories was held here as part of the program. It was a great introduction for the Czech colors. Despite recent health complications, Barbora Bukovská managed to win an excellent 3rd place in the dramatic race, followed by Lucie Grohová in fourth and Justýna Novotná in fifth.
The new format represented a huge challenge for the juniors - first, they had to complete an uncompromising qualification in the form of a one-lap time trial, from which the forty fastest advanced to the tough evening final. The short, attractive to spectators and tactical circuit drove the competitors to a tremendous pace from the first meters.
Bronze with a taste of gold for Barbora Bukovská
The biggest attention of the home team was focused on the junior race, where the home hope Barbora Bukovská was one of the favorites. She has the best memories of Nové Město, when she celebrated victory there in the Olympic cross-country last year. However, this year's preparation was not easy at all for the young Czech representative - she was recently slowed down by health problems that significantly affected her training plan.
But Bukovská showed the heart of a fighter. In a tactical battle full of elbows and sharp starts, she constantly kept the absolute top within striking distance. She rode the first two laps at the front, later falling behind her rivals. In the finish line, she gave her last remaining strength and crossed the finish line in a fantastic 3rd place, just ahead of 4th place Lucie Grohová and 5th place Justýna Novotná, who managed to complete the third fastest qualification. The victory was won by the strong Anja Grossmann (SUI).
"It was really hard today. I was riding at a high heart rate, so the race was really tough, but I'm very satisfied. We were riding really hard from the start. There was a fairly long hill that really hurt, and then there was a descent that wasn't easy after that. I spent most of the race in the lead, so in the end I didn't have the strength to finish. Unfortunately, it turned out that way, but I had already counted on it a little. After all, when you ride in a corner and hang your legs for a while, it's completely different at the finish," Barbora Bukovská told us.
Junior Men
Immediately after the girls, the juniors burst onto the track. The fast race didn't let anyone catch their breath. Josef Kuchař rode great, leading the peloton in the opening laps and later working his way into the leading group. He finished in 13th place and was more than satisfied with the result.
"Unbelievable, it was faster than expected. The track is really beautiful. I like it here. It's a great result. I think we're all completely satisfied, both the implementation team and my family, friends, the guys I ride with. Thank you all for the support," said an enthusiastic Josef Kuchař.
The race was won by Connor Wright (AUS), who won the Czech Cup race in Vimperk less than 14 days ago and also triumphed in the race. Noa Filippi (FRA) was 2nd and Niko Terho (FIN) was 3rd.
