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Two months after the last MTB World Cup round, and a little over a month since the Paris Olympics, the world’s best mountain bikers came together again this past weekend at the Pal Arinsal ski resort in Andorra. It was time for the 2024 MTB World Championships.
While there was racing from Wednesday through to Sunday, it was on Sunday that the marquee events were held: the elite women’s and men’s cross-country Olympic (XCO) races. Follow the links above for race reports, courtesy of Ryan Simonovich (women’s race), and Joe Lindsey (men’s race). And for a full gallery from both races, courtesy of photographer Piper Albrecht, just scroll on down the page.
Pal Arinsal is a familiar venue for anyone who follows the World Cup scene.The course was dry and dusty with plenty of ruts in the technical sections due to many races across the meet.An approaching thunderstorm saw Sunday’s races moved earlier in the day and the elite and U23 women’s races combined into one (U23 placings were taken separately).A moment of calm for former world champ Kate Courtney …… before the action began. Note Puck Pieterse (#3) on the move from the gun, fresh off her best young rider prize at the recent Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.Candice Lill was among the riders most able to follow Pieterse in the early goings.Evie Richards, who won the short track title a few days earlier, had a crash early in the XCO race but was able to carry on.Pieterse had a nine-second gap over Lill by the end of the first lap. Lill caught Pieterse and even took the lead briefly …… but Pieterse was keen to race from the front.Martina Berta was among the riders in pursuit, sitting in third place going into lap 3. Not pictured: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot who had been third for a time, but couldn’t match the pace of the leaders and ultimately drifted out of contention.Anne Terpstra (#22) chases Loana Lecomte in the battle for medals.Richards rode her way to fourth by race’s end.The Andorra course sits at 2,000 metres above sea level, making altitude a real factor.Pieterse and Lill were still together halfway through the race, but by the end of lap 3, the Dutchwoman had opened a gap …… as Lill fought to stay in the medals.The stand-out in the U23 field was Canada’s Isabella Holmgren who rode to a comfortable victory by 1:17 over her closest rival, in a time that would have been good enough for sixth in the elite field.After bronze in the XCC race, Rissveds would have to settle for 19th in Sunday’s XCO event.Pieterse finished 59 seconds clear by the end of the shortened five-lap race, taking her first elite world title. It’s been a bumper year for the 22-year-old multi-discipline star.A late crash would see Lill drop to fourth, behind Anne Terpstra and Martina Berta.Sixth for Richards …… who was quick to congratulate Pieterse on her win.Australia’s Bec Henderson rode to 10th.A 1-2 for the Netherlands with Terpstra second …… and Martina Berta third for Italy.The Worlds carnival concluded with the elite men’s XCO event. Here’s Filippo Colombo on the startline.It was no surprise to see Germany’s Luca Schwarzbauer (#7) at the front from the gun.A lead group of seven soon formed, including Alan Hatherly (#3, right) and Victor Koretzy (#2).After taking his first World Cup win two months ago, Hatherly looked in great condition in Sunday’s race.It was a dusty day for the riders.The leading group of seven slowly thinned throughout the race.Reigning world and Olympic champion Tom Pidcock found himself off the back in the early goings, but made contact with the front on lap 4, but he’d spent a lot of energy to get there.Ten-time world champion Nino Schurter was in the early lead group of seven but soon faded and eventually finished 13th.For much of the last two laps it was Hatherly and Koretzky out front, with Hatherly proving best on the descents, and Koretzky leading up most climbs.Last year’s U23 world champion, Charlie Aldridge, was in the early lead group and while he eventually faded from the front, he chased valiantly through to the finish.Chris Blevins rode to 14th …… not far ahead of Ondřej Cink who would end up 16th.The day, though, belonged to South Africa’s Alan Hatherly who distanced Koretzky on the last lap and rode to victory by 22 seconds.Koretzky held on for silver before congratulating Hatherly for being the stronger rider on the day.Aldridge managed fourth on the day, not far behind his compatriot Tom Pidcock.After being around the mark for years, it’s all fallen into place for Hatherly in 2024 …… who had plenty of support on hand.Gold for Hatherly, silver for Koretzky, and bronze for Pidcock.And so ends the 2024 MTB World Championships. The World Cup season resumes later this month in Lake Placid, USA, before one final round in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada, in early October.
