Lacomte, Pidcock Have Record-Setting Days at Nove Mesto XCO World Cup
Loana Lecomte. Thomas Pidcock. That's it. That's the tweet.
It was a record-setting day at Sunday’s second round of the 2021 XCO World Cup at Nove Mesto.
After coming up just short to Victor Koretzky last weekend at Albstadt in his quest for a record-setting 33rd World Cup win, Nino Schurter was not the one putting his name in the annals of XCO mountain biking. No, it was 2 riders with a combined age that barely qualifies for Masters status that lit up the Nove Mesto course and sent a message that youth is here to be served in 2021.
Nove Mesto provided an event that was different than last weekend’s affair in Albstadt, with the track much more technical and the weather a lot wetter. Rain before Friday’s short track race and again on Saturday during the U23 races made the forested course slick nightmare of rooty monsters and turned many of the muddy climbs into a fight against both gravity and friction as riders sometimes found the best route up was over the roots they were trying to avoid or even by foot.
As it always does, the weekend’s racing action started on Friday with the Elite short track races and wrapped up on Sunday with the XCO contests.
Short Track - Friday
Elite Women
The XCC short track races at the UCI World Cups are typically whiplash-inducing affairs, with riders doing upwards of 10 laps during the short 20-minute race. To wit, last year’s short track races at Nove Mesto featured laps around 2 minutes and a wide-open track that produced some intense sprint finishes.
This year, organizers mixed things up, lengthening the climb through the woods on singletrack and forcing riders through one of the course’s rock gardens. The extra climbing and technical features served to break the Elite Women’s field apart more than typically happens, which ultimately led to a solo win of the kind Linda Indergand tried to pull off a week ago. The course changes were met with mixed reviews and led to some existential questions about what exactly a short track race is supposed to be.
The redesigned course did not disappoint (or maybe it did disappoint, depending on your perspective) in splitting the Women’s field in the first lap. One lap in, the lead group was whittled to Loana Lecomte, Haley Batten, Jenny Rissveds, and Martina Berta of Italy.
Batten’s name was ringing out after finishing third in the XCO race at Albstadt. However, success can be fleeting and monster break-out rides can be tough to follow up for young riders. Batten rode the first lap like a rider with confidence beyond her years, and one lap in, showed that last week’s podium finish in her first Elite race was no fluke.
Pauline Ferrand-Prevot led a chase group and in the second lap, she helped swell the lead group to nine, which was roughly a quarter of the field.
In the third of six laps, the slick course claimed a victim that would have implications for the rest of the weekend. Early in the lap, riders descended into what was a sort of mud pit and then veered left onto a series of whoops. Ferrand-Prevot hit the first whoops wrong and went crashing to the ground. A minute later, she was out of the race.
Ferrand-Prevot would be taken from the venue in an ambulance and spend the night at the hospital. Fortunately, she appears to have only suffered bruising and a contusion, and she was back on the start line on Sunday.
Midway through the race, the lead group was down to five. Loana Lecomte did Loana Lecomte things, controlling the paved climb and then accelerating in the singletrack portion of the incline. Only Batten could answer the bell, and with two to go, the young American budding star was sticking with the even younger budding French star.
Positioning does not always matter in cycling, but sometimes it does, which Batten and Lecomte both experienced at the start of Lap 5.
The Nove Mesto course features a 180 turn on pavement following the finishing straight, and generally speaking, mountain bike tires and wet pavement do not mix well. Last year in the second Nove Mesto XCC race, Evie Richards slipped on the corner, but then still went on to win the race, in part because she was in first position and held up riders behind her when she hit the deck.
On Friday, Batten pulled ahead of Lecomte to lead the duo out for the penultimate lap. Lecomte crashed on the damp turn and went down. Batten had a gap she would not relinquish to earn the XCC win and take the first call-up position for Sunday’s race. Perhaps more importantly, if anyone had any lingering questions about her qualifications to be part of the U.S. Olympic team for Tokyo, they were again answered by her win.
Elite Men
Last weekend at Albstadt, Mathieu van der Poel did Mathieu van der Poel things by unleashing a furious attack in the last lap to take the short track win. However, that race was without one Tom “Picante” “Pidders” Pidcock, and after Pidcock’s monster rally from way way back on the start grid to finish fifth, fans were licking their chops at the thought of seeing Pidcock in the short track race, while the riders were likely dreading another multi-discipline megatalent making their collective lives miserable.
Pidders did not disappoint. At least not for the fans.
The Men’s race had more coherence than the Women’s, despite the new layout, with nearly half the field within 10 seconds of the leaders two laps into the six-lap race. Among those controlling the pace were Pidcock, Van der Poel, Koretzky, Schurter, and Henrique Avancini. All the hitters were in position to make it a banger of a race.
Heading into the penultimate lap, the lead group was still around 10 riders. The long paved climb was seemingly the place one would identify as the place where Van der Poel attacks, but on Friday, he used the singletrack part of the climb to not unleash his patented legs of fury, but rather accelerate and split the lead selection. Pidders followed and attached to his wheel, while Jordan Sarrou did everything in his power to keep pace with the two cyclocross/road crossovers. Heading into the last lap, the leaders were down to Pidders, MvdP, Sarrou, Nino, and Germany National Champ Maximilian Brandl.
Sarrou led the way into the paved climb before Van der Poel went to the front to take the lead into the singletrack. After the race, Van der Poel would say his legs were not feeling great, and even an excuse skeptic might be apt to accept that as fact given he was unable to muster up the snap we know Van der Poel can deliver—one could, I think, argue that snap has been missing dating all the way back to cyclocross season. A rejuvenated Avancini tried to come back from the chase to join Van der Poel, but Pidcock deftly assumed second wheel into the tight singletrack.
Last week, Pidcock was expelled from the lead group when his line choice through the Shimano Dual Climb did not pan out. Pidcock had seemingly put that behind him as he worked his options to try to pass Van der Poel. First he went wide when Van der Poel stayed inside, then he went high when Van der Poel went low. The Dutchman still led.
Then, following the Rock n’ Roll rock garden, Pidcock went right through Little Zolder na Nove Mesto while Van der Poel went left. This time, persistence paid off, and the young Brit was able to overtake his nemesis. With only a few hundred meters left to go, a sprint finish between Pidcock and Van der Poel was on.
Pidcock launched first immediately after crossing the bridge to the finishing straight. Van der Poel hesitated momentarily and then raged forward. Meters before the finish, Van der Poel inched (centimetered?) ahead of Pidcock to take a narrow win. While Pidcock was disappointed in the result, he had to at least be a little happy the finish was not decided based on finish line camera placement, right?
“It was a little bit annoying because I couldn’t get in my biggest gear,” Pidcock said about the sprint. “That’s why I was spinning so much.”
“Inexperience, innit,” he concluded.
XCO - Sunday
Elite Women
Sunday’s Elite races started with some good news, as Pauline Ferrand-Prevot was well enough to take the start line. However, because of her crash, the best she could muster was a fourth-row start. Not ideal, and certainly less idealer given the way Loana Lecomte essentially ended the race at Albstadt in about 6 minutes.
One of the big questions heading into Sunday’s race was who, if anyone, could contain Lecomte. Last week, Kate Courtney answered the bell to keep Lecomte in check early on, but she was unable to match the French wunderkind’s climbing pace, allowing an uncloseable gap to form during the prologue.
On Sunday, Lecomte again led the way up the opening climb, but Courtney and Batten, among others, slotted in right behind her as the Frenchwoman methodically grinded up the muddy opening climb. After letting Lecomte go early on last week, Ferrand-Prevot was on it on Sunday, quickly moving all the way up to fifth early in the climb. Another rider who had a disappointing World Cup opener—Evie Richards—was also in the mix in fourth wheel.
If we are being honest, comparing Lecomte to Mathieu van der Poel is just a bit premature, but the way she is winning races right now is downright Van der Poelian, so for argument’s sake, we are going to roll with it. If you let Van der Poel ride at the front and dictate his pace, you are going to lose every time. Courtney understood this and never one to back down from a challenge, she made her play to pass Lecomte on the rooty climb following the jumpy descent. Unfortunately, Lecomte beat Courtney to the entrance to one of the first switchbacks, and the American had to dismount.
The dismount was not devastating, as the rooty, switchbacky climb was absolutely gnarly and the entire field had to dismount and run at some point in the section. Exiting the woods, the lead selection was already down to Lecomte, Courtney, and Haley Batten. Again, that ride last week was not a fluke.
Back to the Van der Poel Rules, sometimes all it takes is one mistake, one dab, and he is gone. Save say a Gavere or Dendermonde, you have to ride a perfect race to beat someone of that caliber.
Finishing up the prologue, Lecomte still led as the lead trio descended through the tail-whip jumps and toward the finishing tarmac. Organizers added a tight right turn right before the tarmac that denied riders a clean run onto the pavement. There, Courtney got held up and had to dab her foot. Lecomte turned around to see she now had a small gap on the two Americans.
Her lead after the prologue was 5 seconds but it might have well been 2 minutes because it was game over for the field hoping to stop the Lecomte juggernaut. For the record, Courtney’s dab happened at 8:35 of race time, if you are looking for the point at which the race for second began.
I guess at this point, we have to do it: Loana Lecomte. That’s it. That’s the tweet.
After one lap, her lead was 29 seconds. After two it was up to 47 seconds. She would go on to win by 1:39, which is reportedly the largest winning margin ever in an Elite Women’s race at Nove Mesto.
The race for second, however, was a good one. Ferrand-Prevot bridged up to the Americans one the first of the first lap’s three climbs, and Richards dangled close behind in fifth. Batten went to work on the climbs that forced riders off the bike, and Ferrand-Prevot valiantly navigated the dismounts and slick rocks despite her injuries. Regardless of the outcome, it was clear early on that the two-time defending World Champion would take the award for gutsiest performance of the day.
In recent years, Nove Mesto has been an all-or-nothing affair for Courtney. In 2019, in a relatively fresh rainbow-striped kit, she swept both the XCC and XCO races to help kick off a season where she won the World Cup overall. Last year, at the second Nove Mesto World Cup, Courtney finished 36th in what she described as the worst XCO race of her career.
Sunday’s race was more 2020 than 2019 for Courtney. After the early bobble that let Lacomte go free, she crashed in the first lap and broke her rear brake lever. She hobbled to the tech zone, and her mechanics deftly got it working again. Then, Courtney flatted and had to do a wheel change. Despite the disappointing mechanicals that essentially ended her hopes of winning the World Cup overall this season, Courtney stuck with it and came away with a 41st-place finish.
One rider who came within striking distance of playing a role in our Bulletin recap and Cyclocross RADio podcast breakdown last week was Australia’s Rebecca McConnell. McConnell, who is known for her climbing ability, broke into the top five at Albstadt, only to get done in by the heat and ultimately finish 21st.
This week, perhaps thanks in part to much cooler temperatures, McConnell was BACK. The Australian moved up to join the Batten and Ferrand-Prevot group in the chase for second by the end of the second lap. Toward the latter half of the second of five laps, Ferrand-Prevot stopped at the technical zone, allowing McConnell to take over second and force Batten to chase her.
In the third lap, McConnell gapped Batten and took over solo second. Her advantage on the young American was 16 seconds after that 3rd lap and 19 seconds heading into the bell lap.
Last week at Albstadt, Batten saved her best for the last lap, outriding her friend Courtney in the last lap to capture the third spot on the podium. Batten again showed why the nickname “The Closer,” might be apt in Sunday’s race. Batten absolutely let rip on the first climb and nearly erased McConnell’s advantage by the time they reached the Shimano Expert Climb (slash run, on Sunday). Batten then passed McConnell on another of the muddy climbs and powered away at the top of the climb.
Batten’s reward was a second-place finish and a new personal best in an Elite XCO World Cup. McConnell held onto the third spot, and Ferrand-Prevot finished a gutsy fourth. Richards rounded out the podium (they go five deep at the World Cups), which was her first Elite XCO World Cup podium finish.
“I feel really good, and it’s definitely mind-blowing and I don’t really know what to think about it all yet. I’m absorbing it slowly, but yeah, it’s pretty crazy,” Batten said about her breakout two-week run.
Elite Men
To say the Elite Men’s race on Sunday was much-anticipated would be a bit of an understatement. After Tom Pidcock’s romp through the field at Albstadt and thrilling XCC finish against Mathieu van der Poel on Friday, the cycling world was looking to the Czech Republic to see what Pidcock could do with a front-row start.
Last week, Van der Poel went out with authoritah, only to blow up in the first lap and then soon get dropped from the lead group before finishing a disappointing 7th. After that experience, one might think, IDK, don’t do that again. Of course, Mathieu van der Poel does what he does, and on Sunday, he again wasted little time going off the front. This time, Nino Schurter and Mathias Flueckiger followed the early move, while Pidcock dangled 8 seconds back after the prologue.
On the first lap of the first full lap, Schurter kept Van der Poel within striking distance, as he did last week at Albstadt, but on the climb dubbed the “Never Ending Climb,” Pidcock, who had joined the lead group along with home-country hero Ondrej Cink, powered forward and took up the chase of Van der Poel. He, of all people, knows what Van der Poel can do with a lead.
Van der Poel was unable to escape solo, because Pidders, but he did shred the lead selection and draw out the only man who could keep his pace. After all the hype and anticipation, the hype was real—15 minutes into the race, Van der Poel and Pidcock were alone off the front. For fans at home, it was time to strap it in and get ready for a wild ride.
Back at World Cup Namur, Van der Poel kind of played Pidcock, allowing the upstart young Brit to ride solo off the front for a good half the race before closing the gap and then attacking up that venue’s big climb to get a small, but decisive winning margin. During the second lap of Sunday’s race, it was more Pidcock playing Van der Poel, as the Brit let the Dutch wunderkind control the pace on the climbs and descents. Sitting behind the two leaders were Fluecki and Cink, the Czech Dangler, aka the Czangler.
In the third lap, Flueckiger relegated Cink to Czangler status and started to close the gap on the two leaders. When Pidcock and Van der Poel reached the “Never Ending Climb,” Pidcock decided the time was as good as any to test his legs. Up and over the top of the climb, he swiftly dropped Van der Poel and opened up a 13-second advantage.
The Namur-esque instant classic fans were hoping for had instantly turned into more of a Oostende Worlds where early excitement fades to a run-away win.
Pidcock’s lead swelled to 1:18 before settling at a full minute at the end of the race. Like Lacomte, Pidcock set a new Elite Men’s record for winning margin at Nove Mesto, and unlike Lecomte, he became the first British male to win an XCO World Cup in 27 years.
“I was born to do mountain bike, to be honest,” Pidcock said after his win. “It sounds stupid, but it’s what I’ve done since I was little, and it’s what I’ve enjoyed the most. Coming here and winning an Elite World Cup in my second attempt but my first attempt with an equal playing field is pretty insane, really.”
His win also birthed the latest Pidcock moniker, “P1dcock.”
After getting dropped by Pidcock, Van der Poel found himself entangled in a battle with Fluecki. In the fourth of six laps, Flueckiger passed Van der Poel on a climb and armed with the confidence he was moving forward, he let rip a tail whip on the Cannondale Left Fork Jumpy Descent section. Van der Poel looked a bit defeated when Flueckiger passed him, but he again took the lead on the rooty, switchbacky climb.
In the fifth lap, Flueckiger went to the whip on the Never Ending Climb and again appeared to have Van der Poel on the ropes, but the Dutch star recovered and regained the overpriced wheel of the Swissman Flueckiger. This time, there were no whipz from Flueckiger after Van der Poel passed him near the top of that climb that doesn’t end. Van der Poel opened up a small lead on Fluecki at the end of the penultimate lap and kept it the rest of the way to take perhaps the hardest-fought second place of his cycling career.
While the racing was dramatic, the real drama of the day was whether or not Pidcock would qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. One would think winning an Elite World Cup would be good enough, but nuh, this is cycling we are talking about and heaven forbid anything be straightforward.
As Bill expertly wrote, basically Pidcock needed Romania’s Vlad Dascalu to finish 24th or better for Great Britain to earn a spot at the Olympics. Dascalu flirted with not doing Pidcock a solid, but he finished strong to take 17th and ensure that both he and Pidcock will be going to the Tokyo Games. After Sunday’s outcome, it seems Pidcock will be sending Dascalu a bottle of Tuica and the rest of the Men’s field will be sending the Romanian a giant stocking full of coal.
Full results, lap analyses, and overall World Cup standings are available in our Results post. The next World Cup, and the last one before Tokyo, is scheduled for June 13 in Leogang, Austria.
Keep your ears peeled for an episode of Cyclocross RADio starring podcast wunderkind Elisabeth Reinkordt later this week.
Would add another solid day for Chris Blevins finishing 20th in XCO (despite a crash) and top 10 in XCC.