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World champion Pauline Ferrand Prevot celebrates victory at Cross Country World Cup Val di Sole.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot climbs away from competition in Val di Sole

The French multiple world champion doubles up as she looks forward to a home Olympic Games.

Pauline Ferrand Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) celebrates victory at the UCI Cross-Country MTB World Cup in Val di Sole. Photo: © Piper Albrecht

Ryan Simonovich
by Ryan Simonovich 16.06.2024 Photography by
Piper Albrecht
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Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) climbed away from the competition to take her second-consecutive World Cup XCO victory this season. 

The Italian Chiara Teocchi (Orbea Factory Team) led the start loop at her home World Cup in Val di Sole, and was followed by Alessandra Keller (Thömus maxon), Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Rebecca Henderson (Primaflor Mondraker Genuins), and Linda Indergand (Linda Indergand). 

Ferrand-Prévot and privateer Candice Lill quickly worked their way up to join the leaders before the first lap was over, as did Canyon’s Loana Lecomte and Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing). 

On the second lap, Ferrand-Prévot, Pieterse, and Lecomte separated themselves from the rest of the pack, but the French national champion would soon drop off the pace. It didn’t take long for the world champion to put distance into Pieterse too, unbothered by the steep grades of the northern Italian mountains.

Behind, the field was shelled with riders time trialing solo or in small groups, including series leader Haley Batten.  

More than three minutes eventually separated the top-10, signaling the high level of racing, and the tough climbs and technical sections of the course. 

In the end, nobody could touch Ferrand-Prévot, who rode to victory by 50 seconds over Pieterse, with Lill, Lecomte, and Decathlon’s Savilia Blunk rounding out the top five. 

Brief analysis 

Women’s XCO results:

  1. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers)
  2. Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) +0:50
  3. Candice Lill +1:13
  4. Loana Lecomte (Canyon) +1:39
  5. Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford) +1:50
  6. Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) +2:24
  7. Mona Mitterwallner (Cannondale Factory Racing) +3:15
  8. Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing) +3:31
  9. Jenny Rissveds (31 Ibis Cycles Continental) +3:32
  10. Alessandra Keller (thömus Maxon) +4:03

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