Andreassen sprints to UCI MTB World Cup win in Araxá
Cannondale Factory Racing rider Simon Andreassen scored his second UCI MTB World Cup XCO victory by out sprinting his rivals in a thrilling four-man race to the line at round two of the series in Araxá, Brazil.
Andreassen, 26, won his first XCO race in over three years following a close Elite Men’s race on the fast and spectacular circuit located in the famous spa town in Minas Gerais state.
After nine laps of close racing that eventually came down to a four-rider sprint for the line, the Danish rider beat Saturday’s XCC winner and current World Cup leader Victor Koretzky of France, his South African team-mate Alan Hatherly and Swiss Filippo Colombo by just one second after 1h 20m of racing.
Initially it looked as if Koretzky would complete the XCC and XCO double in Araxá after opening up an advantage on his rivals at the start of the final lap, but a dropped chain for the Specialized rider on a climb allowed his rivals to regroup and force the final sprint that Andreassen won.
The Danish former two-time junior XCO world champion won his first elite World Cup race in Nové Město, Czech Republic, in October 2020, but has been absent from the podium until scoring the win in Araxá, his second in the elite ranks.
Elsewhere, there was a top 10 finish for Chile’s Martín Vidaurre, who finished seventh to maintain his strong start to the 2024 season after scoring third at last weekend’s XCC race, and Romanian Vlad Dascălu finished ninth.
In the Elite Women’s racing, American Hayley Batten proved unbeatable, winning both the XCC and XCO races in style, whilst there were top 10 finishes for Britain’s Evie Richards and American Kate Courtney in Sunday’s XCO event.
The next stop on the 2024 UCI MTB World Cup calendar is the opening round of the downhill series in Fort William, Scotland, on May 3-5 while the cross-country series continues on May 24–26 in Nové Město, Czech Republic.
