On a shiny Sunday morning, Pauline Ferrand-Prèvot’s star shined on the Val di Sole Cross Country track, in a pure and classy show of strength that saw her outdo the opponents and go solo right from the second lap of the race.
The World Champion had no rivals today on the Daolasa race field, achieving her third career’s success here in Trentino, the previous ones dating back to 2019 and 2022. After a first lap that saw her gain a small advantage together with Pieterse and Lecomte, the INEOS Grenadiers rider took off with a burning progression that left no way out for the competition, delivering a commanding performance just a few weeks before the Paris Olympic Games.
Puck Pieterse (Alpecin Deceuninck) tried to follow her, but the Dutchwoman, winner of the Short Track on Friday and of last year’s Cross Country, never really achieved to really worry her rival. Pieterse thus crossed the line in second place, 52’’ down from Ferrand-Prèvot and her rainbow jersey. There will be plenty of opportunities for a rematch, and especially in view of the Olympic race Pieterse looks to be one of the few who might be able to stand up against the Frenchwoman.
“It wasn’t an easy one. I did three big days of training, so today I felt a little bit tired, but I managed to take the lead and stay in the front, so I am quite happy with that. I only had to focus on my own race and tempo and go as fast as I could. In every race building up for the Olympics I try to understand better where I stand compared to my opponents: it’s a long process, but I can’t wait for the Paris race”, said Ferrand-Prèvot.
Third place – after the two duelists – went to South African Candice Lill, a regular athlete capable of hitting a high note in Val di Sole thus achieving her first top-3 within this season of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series. Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV) and the USA’s Savilia Blunk (Decathlon) completed the top-5.
In the Women U23 category, the race was won Isabella Holmgren, doing a double after her first place at the end of Nove Mesto’s XCO Under 23 race. The talented Canadian imposed an unsustainable pace for the other athletes and arrived alone on the finish line. France’s Olivia Onesti (Trinx Factory) finished in second place, 1'26" behind Holmgren. Swiss rider Elina Benoit took third place, finishing 2'37" behind the leader, after a strong final push allowed her to overtake Italian Valentina Corvi (Santa Cruz Rockshox) in the last lap.
