Van der Poel’s Crash Cleared the Way for Blevins. Mitterwallner Shone Among the Women

Beautiful weather and nearly 18,000 spectators accompanied Sunday’s highlight of the Mountain Bike World Cup in Nové Město na Moravě. However, the anticipated showdown with reigning cyclocross and gravel world champion Mathieu van der Poel (NED) never materialized. The road cycling star withdrew from the race after two crashes.

The king of the men’s race—and the entire weekend—was American Chris Blevins, who added a Cross-Country victory to his Short Track win, taking home a golden double from Nové Město.

Czech top rider Ondřej Cink finished in 16th place. Although he had announced excellent form and ambitions to break into the top ten before the race, he was satisfied with his performance.

The women’s race was affected by a mechanical issue for Puck Pieterse, a compatriot and teammate of van der Poel. The winner of Saturday’s short track dropped significantly after technical problems and couldn’t rejoin the fight at the front. However, the crowd was treated to a thrilling drama by Mona Mitterwallner (AUT), who battled for victory down to the final meters with World Cup leader Sammie Maxwell from New Zealand. In the end, the Austrian celebrated the win.

The best Czech female rider was Adéla Holubová in 33rd place, while reigning Czech champion Jitka Čábelická finished 47th.

In the U23 category, Simona Spěšná impressed with an 11th-place finish, matching her best result in the World Cup so far. The race was won by Canadian Ella MacPhee, who benefited from a crash by favorite Isabella Holmgren. The men’s U23 race was won for the first time in his career by German rider Paul Schehl.