Nove Mesto World Cup Cross-Country Preview
After a month-long break after two exciting rounds in Brazil, World Cup Cross-country will return this weekend in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic.
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The Olympic year has supercharged the already exciting discipline of cross-country racing as racers vie for limited spots to represent their country in Paris. See BIKE’s viewing guide for Round Three of the UCI MTB World Series below.
Friday
On Friday, the only race happening will be the under-23 Short Track. Thus far, the U23 XC races have been dominated on the men's side by American Riley Amos and on the women's side, German Kira Bohm. Both have finished first in every World Cup XCC and XCO this season. This is an especially impressive accomplishment for Amos because the U23 men’s races were held on back-to-back days in Brazil.
This weekend of racing, both U23 men and women will have to race back-to-back days.
Tune in to the UCI MTB World Series YouTube channel to catch the U23 action for free.
Saturday
On Saturday, the racing will start to heat up. The day will start off with the elite women’s short track (XCC) at 10:30 am (4:30 am EST), directly followed by the elite men's race at 11:05 am (5:05 EST). The elite races will be broadcast on various television networks around the world. See where to watch in your country below.
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Hailey Batten will try to repeat a short-track victory after taking both XCC and XCO in Araxa. The defending men’s short track winner is Frenchman Viktor Koretzky.
Although many racers prioritize the XCO over the XCC, both start positions and valuable overall points are on the line,
On Saturday afternoon, the U23 racers will compete in the big show. The U23 XCO races will again be available to watch for free on YouTube.
Sunday
Sunday is the final day of racing in Nove Mesto.
The Marathon (XCO) races will start at 7:00 am (1:00 am EST) for the women and 8:15 am (2:15 am EST) for the men. Though the races will not be broadcast live, fans can follow the action on the live timing and catch the highlights afterward.
At 10:15 am (4:15 am EST), the Elite Women will race the XCO. Hailey Batten will be intent on repeating her XCO win, but she will face stiff competition. 2023 overall winner Puck Pieterse, who missed the first two rounds to race on the road, will line up to race fresh off of a win at the European Championships. Pieterse was dominant in 2023 and it would be unsurprising to see her pick up right where she left off.
The Elite Men’s XCO will go off at 2:00 pm local time (8:00 am EST.) Simon Andréasson is coming off of a win in Araxa, but Christopher Blevins is riding incredibly right now. Blevins won the XCO at the first round in Mairipora and then had the ride of his life at Araxa, clawing his way from 103rd to 22nd after an unlucky crash.
Related: Highlights From The Araxa World Cup XCO
GOAT Nino Schurter, who has gotten 14th and 6th in the first two rounds, will be looking to bounce back with a strong result in the XCO. Schurter, who holds the all-time record for World Cup wins, was third in Nove Mesto in 2023.
The men's field may have their work cut out for them as World Champion Tom Pidcock is on the start list for round three after bowing out of the Brazilian rounds for his own block of road races.
See the full XCO start list here.
Related: How To Watch UCI Mountain Bike Racing In 2024
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