World Cup mountain bike racers make a living surfing the ups and down—literally out on the trail as well as physically and psychologically. For a man like Christopher Blevins, the ups look like winning the Short Track World Championships and beating the best in the world on home soil in Snowshoe, West Virginia. But the lows look like spending more time in the mid-field in 2023 than at the front.
This afternoon in Mairiporã, Brazil, Blevins is back on the up.
The 26-year-old from Durango, Colorado, rode away from a lead group of heavy hitters to hold off his charging Specialized Factory Racing teammate Victor Koretzky and rival Filippo Colombo (Scott-SRAM) and pull on the World Cup leader’s jersey after the first weekend of 2024’s path of Paris.
How the race unfolded
- Martin Vidaurre (Specialized) hit off the starting line fast as the group blazed toward the first steep pitches and pinch points on course. As expected, many riders had to run cyclocross-style on the first steep pitch. Sam Gaze (Alpecin) crashed, fate giving him a big task to get back to the leaders.
- Vidaurre, Koretzky, Pierre de Froidmont (Orbea), Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale), and Adrien Boichis (Trinity) quickly established themselves as the early top five. The first couple of laps were full gas, with riders staying loose and even throwing some flair on the crowd-pleasing jumps before settling into a more sustainable tempo.
- Koretzky kept the young guns like teammate Vidaurre in check, hoping to use his experience to claim an Olympic year victory against French compatriots. Decathlon’s Joshua Dubau and Colombo were also eager to mix it up at the front. Behind, Gaze diligently chipped away and clawed his way back through the field and eventually made contact with the front group.
- Colombo drove the pace as the race reached its midpoint, but his Scott teammate Nino Schurter had a more unfortunate race. The GOAT crashed early on, covering nearly all the sponsor logos on his kit with Brazilian dust and grime. The group became a more selective four—Vidaurre, Koretzky, Colombo, and Dubau—but it would last.
- Blevins was initially riding in an anonymous mid-field position, but he made his way up lap-after-lap and gave chase along with Gaze and BMC’s Jordan Sarrou to make it up to the front. Though some racers like Dubau put pressure on, the group swelled into a long line rather than becoming more selective. The final lap saw a strung out bunch of 8 men before the fireworks kicked off.
- Koretzky and Viduare both put in digs up the big climb, but Colombo led up the steep pitch. Blevins expertly hopped the more difficult rock line on riders’ left of the trail. On a later tight climb, Blevins tried to move up from third wheel but was blocked by Colombo. By the top of that climb, the American was off the front and remained there until the finish line.
Top 10
- Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory) 1:30:00
- Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory) @ :02
- Filippo Colombo (Scott-SRAM) @ :03
- Jordan Sarrou (BMC) @ :05
- Martin Vidaurre (Specialized Factory) @ same time
- Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria) @ :20
- Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Deceuninck) @ same time
- Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory) @ :21
- Thomas Griot (Canyon-CLLCTV) @ :23
- Vlad Dascalu (Trek Factory) @ :29
Brief analysis
- Blevins put on a tactical masterclass reminiscent of his previous wins. After moving through the field, he sat in the wheels hiding his nose and cards until his attack. Throughout the race, subtle bike handling moves foreshadowed his form to eagle eyed viewers.
- Much like the women’s race earlier in the afternoon, the race began fast and aggressive before settling in.
- Unlike the women’s race though, the group came back together toward the end of the race rather than blowing apart. Course designer Henrique Avancini mentioned that tight racing was an intended feature of the course.
- Specialized Factory Racing had a fantastic day, with three riders in the top five, plus an additional 3rd place in the women’s race. Will intra-team rivalries form or team tactics get deployed throughout the year?
- America had its best weekend at the World Cup in years (ever?). In addition to Blevins’ win, Savilia Blunk and Haley Batten went 2-3 in the women’s race, not to mention top 10s from Kelsey Urban and Kate Courtney. Riley Amos won both the men’s U23 XCC and XCO.
- Add more feathers to Durango’s cap: Amos and Blevins both came up through the same Durango Devo program that produced Vuelta a España winner Sepp “Eagle of Durango” Kuss. Savilia Blunk came to town as a collegiate athlete after growing up not far from Kate Courtney’s hometown in Northern California, basing herself in Durango when not traveling for racing or training.
- The closest racing in years along with passionate Brazilian fans left many wishing that the country continues to host the World Cup.
What did you think of this story?