Dutch rider Anne Terpstra had never won a UCI Mountain Bike World Cup medal heading into the Vallnord (AND) stage of the 2019 season, but she cured that with an impressive victory by 38 seconds over 2017 World Champion Jolanda Neff (SUI).
Terpstra started well on the 22.8 km course, but took the lead on the third loop and never looked back. She had a 15-second edge over fellow Dutch rider Anne Tauber and then kept extending it all the way to the finish. Neff came up for second by the end of the fourth lap and held on for the silver.
American Kate Courtney, who had won the previous two races on the circuit this season, also started well, but faded after the first lap and ended up in eighth.
Order was restored in the men’s Cross Country race, with Swiss superstar Nino Schurter claiming his first win of the season, in a tight battle with countryman Mathias Flueckiger, 1:19:34-1:19:36.
The trio of Flueciger, Schuter and Henrique Acancini (BRA) battled together for most of the last half of the race and Schurter was only able to pass on the final lap to score another victory, but only his first of the year. Flueckiger is now the only rider with medals in all three races this season. Summaries:
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup
Vallnord (AND) ~ 5-7 July 2019
(Full results here)
Men
Cross Country/Short (8.37 km): 1. Henrique Avancini (BRA), 21:07; 2. Nino Schurter (SUI), 21:08; 3. Maxime Marotte (FRA), 21:08; 4. Gerhard Kerschbaumer (ITA), 21:09; 5. Titouan Carod (FRA), 21:11.
Cross Country (26.6 km): 1. Schurter (SUI), 1:19:34; 2. Mathias Flueckiger (SUI), 1:19:36; 3. Avancini (BRA), 1:19:46; 4. Kerschbaumer (ITA), 1:20:01; 5. Jordan Sarrou (FRA), 1:20:19. Also in the top 25: 18. Keegan Swenson (USA), 1:21:50.
Downhill (2.5 km): 1. Loic Bruni (FRA), 4:11:055; 2. Loris Vergier (FRA), 4:11.478; 3. Troy Brosnan (AUS), 4:12.257; 4. Amaury Pierron (FRA), 4:13.003; 5. Danny Hart (GBR), 4:16.650. Also in th top 25: 18. Luca Shaw (USA), 4:22.702.
Women
Cross Country/Short (7.44 km): 1. Jolanda Neff (SUI), 22:40; 2. Alessandra Keller (SUI), 22:41; 3. Kate Courtney (USA), 22:41; 4. Ramona Forchini (SUI), 22:42; 5. Anne Terpstra (NED), 22:48. Also in the top 25: 22. Lea Davison (USA), 23:24.
Cross Country (22.8 km): 1. Terpstra (NED), 1:22:59; 2. Neff (SUI), 1:23:37; 3. Yana Belomoina (UKR), 1:23:50; 4. Daniela Campuzano (MEX), 1:23:57; 5. Jenny Rissveds (SWE), 1:24:02. Also in the top 25: 8. Courtney (USA), 1:25:03; … 15. Davison (USA), 1:26:07
Downhill (2.5 km): 1. Rachel Atherton (GBR), 5:00.622; 2. Marine Cabirou (FRA), 5:03.119; 3. Tracey Hannah (AUS), 5:07.753; 4. Emilie Suegenthaler (SUI), 5:13.481; 5. Eleonora Farina (ITA), 5:15.720.
