2024 Cross-Country Mountain Bike World Cup in Mairiporã: summary of the women’s race
First race of the cross-country MTB World Cup season in Mairiporã, near São Paulo, Brazil. The winner of the 2023 cross-country MTB World Cup Puck Pieterse is absent, just like the world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévotpreferring not to travel to South America to preserve themselves.
The French Loana Lecomte is well aligned at the start of the race. Despite her status as favorite, the 2023 world vice-champion did not have a great race, being at no time in the race for victory. She finished in 21st place.
At the halfway mark, a trio stood out at the front of the race: the Swede Jenny Rissved Olympic champion JO de Rio 2016 and the two Americans Savilia Blunk et Haley Batten.
At the start of the last lap, Haley Batten and Jenny Rissveds are fighting for victory. Haley Batten shines technically, especially on the descents. She is aiming for her first World Cup victory. But it is the Olympic champion who takes the lead at the best of times. Behind, Haley Batten fell in a corner and Savilia Blunk took the opportunity to take second place from her.
Jenny Rissved wins for the fifth time in the Olympic format in the World Cup in 1h 17m 18s. A feat which recalls another, still in Brazil, that of his Olympic coronation in 2016.
“I felt very good. My goal was above all to have a good pace at the start of the race. I was very patient, Batten and Blunk attacked me several times but I remained calm,” Jenny Rissveds said at the microphone of Whoop.
Chiara Teocchi et Jolanda Neff finish in the top 5, and therefore on the podium, because in Olympic format the first 5 athletes are entitled to this honor.