In the elite men’s cross-country Olympic (XCO) race in Araxá, there was a lot of excitement and drama as Simon Andreassen (Cannondale Factory Racing) emerged victorious in a thrilling sprint to claim his first Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Cup win since 2020. The race was full of surprises, with Mairiporã winner Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) being relegated to the back of the field after a first lap crash.
The race concluded with a four-way battle for the win between Andreassen, Hatherly, Colombo, and Koretzky. Despite Koretzky’s efforts to overtake Andreassen, he couldn’t do so and ended up finishing fourth. However, it was Andreassen who took home the victory in this thrilling showdown.
Andreassen was ecstatic about his win and expressed his surprise at how long it had been since his last World Cup victory. He thanked his teammates for their support and said that he couldn’t have done it without them. Kolterzky congratulated him on his strength and sprint performance but also expressed disappointment at not being able to take home the victory himself.
Koretzky currently leads the overall standings with 520 points, followed closely by Andreassen with 136 points behind him. The next cross-country round will take place at Nové Město na Moravě from May 24-26, where these two riders will no doubt be looking forward to competing again and continuing their rivalry on the bike.
