There is a reason the Cross-country Short Track needed only a few seasons to win over fans and insiders alike: 20 to 30 minutes of racing flat out, with the front of the race changing hands over and over, is hard to resist.
Thursday, August 27th, at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships Val di Sole-Trentino, running from August 26th to 30th, belonged to Adrien Boichis. The 23-year-old from Aix-en-Provence, already a Team Relay and Junior Cross-country World Champion in Val di Sole in 2021, beat no less than Mathieu van der Poel at the Les Gets World Cup last weekend. He will meet the Dutchman again in Sunday’s Cross-country Olympic, and in the meantime he has sent the clearest possible message, in front of a Daolasa di Commezzadura crowd already large and loud ahead of a hotly awaited weekend.
In the Elite women’s race it was Austria’s Laura Stigger who took the spotlight, pipping Great Britain’s Evie Richards on the line after a nerve-shredding finish. The U23 titles went to Nicolas and Monique Halter, the most unusual story of the day and perhaps of the whole Championships: two siblings pulling on rainbow jerseys minutes apart is not something that happens often.
The Cross-country programme had opened in the morning with the Junior races, won by Australia’s Connor Wright and Switzerland’s Anja Grossmann. The pattern running through the day is hard to miss: Boichis rides on the road for Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe, Wright is about to join Tudor Pro Cycling’s development squad, and Grossmann, at 17, already has a Road World Championships medal. Cross-country’s – and overall cycling’s - new generation is arriving from every direction at once.
FRANCE’S GOLD: ALDRIDGE SPLITS BOICHIS AND MARTIN
France’s gold was not only the most valuable medal won at Daolasa di Commezzadura on Thursday. It was the emblem of a generation that has already taken over the Cross-country scene this season.
Adrien Boichis is its brightest exponent, and in Val di Sole he made the point emphatically, racing the whole Short Track at the front alongside compatriots Luca Martin and Mathis Azzaro. It was a collective show of strength that says everything about the depth of a team ready to own the future, and the present with it.
The only rider to stand against the French tide was Charlie Aldridge. The Briton had to settle for silver, finishing between Boichis, the gold medallist, and Martin, who took bronze.
“I am in a fantastic moment,” said Adrien Boichis. “The last seven days have been extraordinary and what is happening is really incredible. It was a very fast Short Track. I tried to make it selective, because I am better when the race gets harder. Aldridge pushed very hard on the last lap, especially on the climbs, but in the end I got the better of him in the sprint.”
STIGGER PIPS RICHARDS ON THE LINE
A nerve-shredding Elite women’s Short Track at Daolasa di Commezzadura came down to a five-rider sprint, and to Laura Stigger’s raw power. The Austrian edged out Great Britain’s Evie Richards on the photo finish, with Switzerland’s Sina Frei taking bronze.
The first half of the race was finely balanced. On lap four, a mistake by Ronja Blöchlinger cost her Swiss teammate Alessandra Keller, the defending champion, who was forced into a furious chase. At the front, Jenny Rissveds set the tempo and led the Short Track almost to the end.
On the final lap Evie Richards took control, only to be reeled in on the finishing straight by Stigger, who came through on her left to take it on the line. The 26-year-old Austrian had already won a Short Track in Val di Sole, at the 2023 World Cup round.
“I have no words. These have been really difficult weeks, but I had so much support from my coach, who is always by my side, and from my family, who were here cheering for me,” said Laura Stigger. “Jenny Rissveds set a furious pace, but in the end I came out of the last corner well and won. Val di Sole is a special place for me. I have goosebumps. This is a dream coming true.”
