Spěšná finishes seventh in short track! The Czech rider secured first line in the XCO

Friday’s program at the Mountain Bike World Cup in Nové Město na Moravě featured short track races in the under-23 categories, and the Czech team made a strong showing, particularly in the women’s race.

Simona Spěšná (MS Bike Academy) delivered a fantastic performance, finishing in an excellent 7th place, just eight seconds behind the winner. This marks the young Czech rider’s best result in a World Cup short track race, and it also secured her a spot on the front row for Sunday’s cross-country race. The victory went to American Makena Kellerman, ahead of Lisa Kristina Jorde of Norway and Italian Valentina Corvi.

Eliška Hanáková (Hanák Sisters) also had reason to be pleased, as her 24th-place finish marked her best result to date in the XCC discipline at the World Cup level.

In the men’s U23 race, Germany’s Paul Schehl triumphed with a time of 22:06, ahead of France’s Nael Rouffiac and his compatriot Alix Andre-Gallix. The top Czech finisher was Ondřej Novotný (Nutrend Specialized SKR) in 35th place, 1:15 behind.

Patrik Černý (Expres CZ BMD Kolín) had some bad luck; he was in the main pack during the first half of the race, fighting for a solid result, but was then slowed down by a dropped chain. He thus completed the second half of the race alone in last place and ultimately finished in 39th place.

Saturday, May 23, will feature XCO races for juniors, short track races for elite categories, and additional races for the U23 categories. Sunday’s program will then culminate with cross-country races for junior women and the elite women’s and men’s categories.