Final Results: Les Gets World Cup XC 2019

Jul 14, 2019
by Ed Spratt  
Number one lining up.

The results are in from Les Gets after some dusty high-speed racing. Nino Schurter got his second win in 2019 after beating Gerhard Kerscbaumer to the line in a nail-biting last lap. Henrique Avancini couldn't quite keep up with the top two riders, he had to settle for third 38 seconds back. Stephane Tempier and Ondrej Cink sprinted to the line in a photo finish with Tempier just edging out in front.

Kate Courtney secures another perfect weekend with a win in both the short track and the XCO. After breaking away on the second lap Courtney was unstoppable throughout the whole race. Jolanda Neff pushed hard in the latter laps but it wouldn't be enough crossing the line just over 30 seconds back. Elisabeth Brandau got her best-ever World Cup results in third and was closely followed by Sina Frei. Pauline Ferrand Prevot would make sure a French rider made it onto the podium in Les Gets with a strong performance throughout the day.


Elite Men

1st. Nino Schurter: 1:22.10
2nd. Gerhard Kerschbaumer: +4
3rd. Henrique Avancini: +38
4th. Stephane Tempier: +48
5th. Ondrej Cink: +48
6th. Peter Disera: +1:08
7th. Jens Schuermans: +1:21
8th. Jordan Sarrou: +1:22
9th. Mathias Flueckiger: +1:29
10th. David Valero Serrano: +1:46


Elite Women

1st. Kate Courtney: 1:26.29
2nd. Jolanda Neff: +33
3rd. Elisabeth Brandau: +1:05
4th. Sina Frei: +1:15
5th. Pauline Ferrand Prevot: +1:32
6th. Haley Smith: +1:40
7th. Anne Terpstra: +1:41
8th. Rebecca McConnell: +2:16
9th. Jenny Rissveds: +2:24
10th. Eva Lechner: +2:44


Elite Men
Full Results


Race Analysis


Elite Women
Full Results


Race Analysis



Live Race Updates:

3:20 am PDT The Elite Women are off! Who will take the win today?

3:24 am PDT Jolanda Neff leads into the first downhill section. It looks like she is back to her usual tactic of going fast right out of the start gate.

3:27 am PDT Elisabeth Brandau has now taken the lead up the second climb of the course. Jolanda Neff is paying for her quick start and has fallen back.

3:31 am PDT Kate Courtney is now opening up a gap back to Brandau, as they head into the second half of the lap.

3:33 am PDT Top five Elite Women after lap one: 1st. Kate Courtney // 2nd. Jenny Rissveds // 3rd. Eva Lechner // 4th. Pauline Ferrand Prevot // 5th. Anne Terpstra //

3:34 am PDT Jenny Rissveds had an amazing first lap and she is now leading the chasing group. It's great to see her back at the front of the race.

3:36 am PDT Rissveds has overtaken Kate Courtney and is now leading after the first climb on the second lap.

3:41 am PDT Kate Courtney takes back the lead and has pulled a 12-second gap to Rissveds.

3:43 am PDT Jolanda Neff is now nearly a minute back in ninth place, she managed to come from behind last weekend but can she do it again in Les Gets?

3:46 am PDT Top five Elite Women after lap two: 1st. Kate Courtney // 2nd. Jenny Rissveds // 3rd. Sina Frei // 4th. Elisabeth Brandau // 5th. Pauline Ferrand Prevot //

3:50 am PDT Courtney has a lead of around 20 seconds ahead of Rissveds. It doesn't look like Courtney is pushing that had but no one has an answer for her speed so far.

3:53 am PDT Jolanda Neff is on a comeback, she is back up to eighth but still over 50 seconds off Courtney.

3:57 am PDT Top five Elite Women after lap three: 1st. Kate Courtney // 2nd. Jenny Rissveds // 3rd. Sina Frei// 4th. Pauline Ferrand Prevot // 5th. Elisabeth Brandau //

3:59 am PDT Jolanda Neff's lap three was only one second slower than Courtney, it looks like she is on the pace of the leader, but she will need to push hard to close the gap.

4:05 am PDT Neff passes Brandau to take fifth position. She has made over 11 seconds back on Courtney in the last lap.

4:09 am PDT The chasing group has been caught by Neff and she is upping the pace significantly.

4:10 am PDT Top five Elite Women after lap four: 1st. Kate Courtney // 2nd. Jolanda Neff // 3rd. Pauline Ferrand Prevot // 4th. Sina Frei // 5th. Jenny Rissveds //

4:13 am PDT The gap from Courtney to Neff is down to just 30 seconds. If Neff can keep up her current pace she will reach the leader on the last lap. Could we see a sprint finish?

4:19 am PDT Kate Courtney is now in sight of Jolanda Neff, the gap is down to 27 seconds.

4:23 am PDT Top five Elite Women after lap five: 1st. Kate Courtney // 2nd. Jolanda Neff // 3rd. Pauline Ferrand Prevot // 4th. Sina Frei // 5th. Elisabeth Brandau //

4:24 am PDT Jolanda Neff pulled back 10 seconds on the fifth lap, she is going to have to push even harder if she is going to catch Kate.

4:32 am PDT Pauline Ferrand Prevot goes down in the woods, she now drops out of the chasing pack.

4:36 am PDT Top five Elite Women going into the final lap: 1st. Kate Courtney // 2nd. Jolanda Neff - +34 // 3rd. Elisabeth Brandau - +1:01 // 4th. Sina Frei - +1:01 // 5th. Pauline Ferrand Prevot - +1:09 //

4:38 am PDT Pauline Ferrand Prevot is pushing hard to regain positions after her crash, she passes Sina Frei on the first climb in a big move on the last lap.

4:47 am PDT Kate Courtney wins in Les Gets.

5:50 am PDT The Elite Men are off, for eight tough laps.

5:50 am PDT Huge pile up out of the start gate!

5:51 am PDT Victor Koretzky leads up the first climb.

5:54 am PDT Henrique Avancini reaches the bottom of the first descent at the front. There are no gaps so far but the pace is already high, we are definitely in for a great race today.

6:02 am PDT Top five Elite Men after the first lap: 1st. Nino Schurter // 2nd. Henrique Avancini // 3rd. Victor Koretzky // 4th. Ondrej Cink // 5th. Stephane Tempier //

6:04 am PDT Henrique Avancini attacked up the first climb and leads into the first descent. He has pulled out of huge lead!

6:05 am PDT After the downhill section Schurter is back with Avancini.

6:10 am PDT Avancini slips out of the off-camber grass and stalls Schurter.

6:12 am PDT Top five Elite Men going after the second lap: 1st. Stephane Tempier // 2nd. Jordan Sarrou // 3rd. Ondrej Cink // 4th. Henrique Avancini // 5th. Nino Schurter //

6:17 am PDT MVDP seems to be struggling today, missing out on last weekends race may not have paid off for him.

6:22 am PDT Top five Elite Men after the third lap: 1st. Stephane Tempier // 2nd. Henrique Avancini // 3rd. Nino Schurter // 4th. Ondrej Cink // 5th. Gerhard Kerschbaumer //

6:23 am PDT Gerhard Kerschbaumer is setting the pace up the first climb of the fourth lap. With the halfway point of the race coming up will we see a rider start to break away?

6:28 am PDT Ondrej Cink is pushing hard and moves to the front of the leading pack. Mathias Flueckiger is also looking fast a she makes his way back up to the front group after a slow start.

6:31 am PDT Top five Elite Men after the fourth lap: 1st. Ondrej Cink // 2nd. Henrique Avancini // 3rd. Gerhard Kerschbaumer // 4th. Nino Schurter // 5th. Stephane Tempier //

6:34 am PDT Ondrej Cink is opening up a sizeable gap, is he going to try and break away from the leading group.

6:36 am PDT At the bottom of the second big climb it's Cink, Avancini and Schurter forming a new leading group.

6:37 am PDT Reaching the top of the climb the pace is slowing. The race is definitely becoming tactical between the top riders.

6:40 am PDT Jordan Sarrou is dropping off the leaders, it looks like he can't maintain the high pace being set by Kerschbaumer.

6:43 am PDT Top five Elite Men after the fifth lap: 1st. Gerhard Kerschbaumer // 2nd. Henrique Avancini // 3rd. Nino Schurter // 4th. Ondrej Cink // 5th. Stephane Tempier //

6:46 am PDT Kerschbaumer, Schurter, Avancini and Cink have upped the speed once again. They are dropping Tempier and Sarrou.

6:47 am PDT Ondrej Cink is now dropping off the top three riders.

6:50 am PDT Top five Elite Men after the sixth lap: 1st. Gerhard Kerschbaumer // 2nd. Nino Schurter - +0 // 3rd. Henrique Avancini - +1 // 4th. Ondrej Cink - +2 // 5th. Stephane Tempier - +17 //

6:54 am PDT Nino Schurter is setting the pace at the front, only Kerschbaumer can go with him.

6:56 am PDT Schruter and Kerschbaumer have broken away, they have put a 10-second gap back to Avancini and Cink.

6:58 am PDT Avancini is closing in but Schurter is sprinting up the climb and puts a decent gap to Kerschbaumer.

7:02 am PDT Kerschbaumer has closed the gap to Schurter, he will be looking to break away on the first climb of the last lap.

7:04 am PDT On the first climb of the final lap Schurter and Kerschbaumer are setting a fast pace, who will be the first to go?

7:07 am PDT With one more climb to go there is nothing between the top two riders.

7:08 am PDT Schurter is attacking at the top of the climb he is riding away with ease.

7:11 am PDT Nino Schurter has created a huge lead and is still pushing hard.

7:13 am PDT Schurter takes the win!



Regions in Article
Les Gets

Posted In:
Racing and Events XC Racing Results Les Gets World Cup Xc 2019 World Cup XC


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124 Comments
  • 27 0
 Another great result for Haley Smith and Norco! Awesome
  • 17 0
 And Petey D!!! What a turnout for Canada / Norco!
  • 19 0
 @ratedgg13: Dont forget about Sean Fincham with a bronze in U23! We're stoked with the effort from the entire group today.
  • 9 0
 @norcobicycles:
Amazing day for you guys. Your support for Canadian XC racing is top notch!!
  • 5 0
 @norcobicycles: With the Gehrig sisters in Les Gets this weekend, did the XC team get better coffee? After the PB coffee test, it seems Norco really needs to fix its reputation!

Congrats on the great results this weekend Smile !
  • 4 0
 @vinay: LOL like Nescafe platinum Wink whatever they're drinking in the Norco pits seems to be paying off!
  • 15 1
 Jenny Rissveds top 10 again! What onEarth is going on ith Emily? Keto?
  • 9 0
 So happy for Jenny, great to see her back enjoying the race!
  • 5 0
 i was really hoping Jenny would hold on for a top 3!
  • 1 0
 Redbull no longer shows loves to Emily too.
  • 4 0
 Maybe the competition is really strong now? Anne Tauber placed even lower than Emily this race whereas she almost won two races earlier. Cool to see Annemarie Worst having a go again and even doing better than Annie Last. These names are probably funny for the English speaking world but Annemarie Worst was the U23 CX World Champion and has done fairly well in the few XC races she attended. Either way, I think it is cool to see things mixed up every now and then.
  • 6 0
 I hope for the best for Emily but this year is a damn disaster. Feeling for her.
  • 4 0
 @vinay: Anne's bike hit her head during a crash on the first lap, so I'm surprised she even finished the race. It isn't fair to compare her with Emily.

She really is a tough Dutch; crash in Albstadt, NMNM, and Les Gets. And last year she finished Val di Sole (10), Andorra (4), European Championships (6), and Mont-Sainte-Anne (5) with a broken finger.

Les Gets crash (25min mark): https://www.redbull.com/int-en/events/AP-1XJS6F1KN2111

Broken finger, 2018: https://www.instagram.com/p/Blf5C1Qgn8G/

Interview in Dutch: https://www.vojomag.nl/interview-anne-tauber-de-vrolijkste-spring-in-t-veld-uit-het-mtb-en-schaatspeloton/
  • 1 0
 @eaxs: Wow, that indeed was a horrible slam. I hope she's fine! Yeah it is impressive she can do this well in both ice speed skating as well as in XC mountainbike racing. Not sure if she even takes a break. Obviously MvdP (who did take a break) also races road so he's more than busy enough. But ice speed skating really is intense. Either way, fair enough I wasn't aware of the crash, I just looked at the results. Still wonder how well Annemarie Worst would do when she puts a bigger focus on MTB just like MvdP does.

@WAKIdesigns : I admit I haven't paid much attention to Batty, not sure what's going on. There were the European championships BMX this weekend. The Dutch got 1-2-3 in the mens and 1-3-4 in the womens elite finals. Looking forwards to the worlds. The ladies got 1-2-3 in the elite and 1st in the juniors last year. They just don't care to make the transition to mtb. Fair enough. BMX is olympic and we have no mountains Wink .
  • 1 0
 @vinay: why would BMXers transition to MTB? Most of them earn more money than MTBers.
  • 2 1
 Any early season keto dieting would only benefit her if she's back to normal fueling. Majority of the teams racing the Tour de France right now are taking Keto ester supplements. To me, Emily's off-season "keto" seemed more like a regular low-carb diet many Pros have adopted to train their metabolism; I doubt she was in ketosis long at any point with the amount of carbs she showed in her "keto" meals. Either way she would be fueling completely differently mid-season, and back to normal carb fuel sources needed for explosive performance. There's probably a culmination of other factors going on.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: Some of the great track-/road-/mtb cyclists have a history in BMX. When BMX became olympic and with the demise of UCI 4X racing, the transition got a whole lot less interesting indeed. But as tight as the racing is and how impressive their skills are, I'd probably enjoy something different every now and then, other than four straights with 180deg corners.
  • 6 2
 @Jamminator: most people who have basic levels of common sense and follow trends in social media know that influencers mentioning things like “keto” use it just to sound cool and feel better about whatever the hell they think they are doing. Even if she did “real keto” it wouln’t mean much. The shenanigans that all sorts of athletes do in order to get the edge or recover faster are mind boggling. Weird workouts, meditating, yoga, diets, taping, some even do cupping. When I hear a pro athlete who averages at burning 3500-4000kcal per day say that sugar is terrible, I just want to roll my eyes. The only person who can say that is Rita and Jeb who are morbidly overweight. Most pros may as well use bunny paws and horse shoes because they say these work even for those who don’t believe in it. All sorts of athletes reach similar results using quite different methods. Some will lift loads. Some will focus on power, some will just hammer miles and miles and at the ens of the day the difference will be down to a couple of secs.
  • 1 0
 Age I think. Mid thirties now?
  • 1 0
 @Someoldfart: She is 31.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: Emily finished 5 minutes back, not just a few seconds.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: Emily has a ton of fans. Her drop-off in results is necessarily going to generate a lot of speculation. I'm curious if Emily and/or her coach are monitoring her power numbers during training and in races. I have a hard time believing a top 3 level racer doesn't monitor her power output very closely.

I wonder how her average speed compares this year to last.
  • 2 1
 @toprace: I didn’t mean Emily when saying that they used different methods but I am sure that for instance Kates and Jolandas training look different. If you look at Enduro you’ll find quite different approaches, as are body types. Just look at French riders vs Hill, vs blocks of meat like Rude.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: You had mentioned Keto so I thought you were referencing Emily in particular. It is an open question as to why her results have dropped off so drastically. Ultimately, it can only come down to whatever unsuccessful changes Emily and her coaches have implemented this season. If it ain't broke, as they say.
  • 5 1
 @WAKIdesigns: I do too and have a theory.
For some time now Emily has been the top female rider on the Trek Factory squad.
I think with Jolanda joining the team it has ripped the wind from Emily's sails.
She just may be feeling like she's been demoted. In essence she's not doing well mentally with being relegated to number two.

Just a theory but it wouldn't be the first time these type of circumstances have lowered the performance of the individual who's been displaced from the top seat at the table. It can be a real confidence shaker.
  • 2 2
 @toprace: yeah but that means she’s come back much stronger next year. Sometimes you have to break it Smile
  • 2 0
 @Augustus-G: I suspected that as well. I think it's a combination of several things:

1. keto diet having adverse effects

2. feeling slighted after tough negotiations with Trek and then finding out Trek signed her rival, Jolanda.

3. burnout from her most successful, but most demanding season of her career, 2018. Batty wanted time off, but Trek wouldn't allow it.

4. poor strategy/coaching; an inability to make proper adjustments early season or even mid-season. Unless the rest of the field has made a quantum leap in speed and power, it's far more likely that Batty's performance has dropped off drastically and her coach or her team or Batty herself, could not negotiate time off or some strategy for recovery.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: Ah yes, the "Omelette Therory"! Gotta break some eggs.......LOL
  • 1 0
 @toprace: Could be any combination of those things. All are very plausible.
  • 1 2
 No @Augustus-G - sometimes you have to crash to learn. To know how much air is in the room to burn. Maybe she wanted to be the champ, win a world cup and tried something new, her 2nds and thirds wasn’t enough for her. Everyone falls, it’s how you get up that really shows you who you are. That is why you have lots of fast folks winning in DH, only few like Minnaar went all the way down then risen up. Where’s Danny, Blenki?
  • 1 0
 @Augustus-G: Emily "Humpty Dumpty" Batty. I wish I were as optimistic about Batty's chances as you guys. :-)
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: Given Emily's lack of results this year, Trek is unlikely to re-sign her. That would force her to sign with a new team, where she could regain her status as a team's no. 1 rider. Maybe that's her path back to the podium.
  • 2 0
 @WAKIdesigns: It may not translate well internationally but we have an old saying. You have to break some eggs to make an Omelette.... Roughly, Sometimes you have to break something to make something better.
So the relationship between Emily & Trek has been broken, now she moves on and builds something with a new team and hopefully comes back better.
  • 1 1
 @Augustus-G: why is it broken, why does she need to move on? This is Bob Lazar kind of speculation Smile
  • 1 0
 Hot damn, that's some speculation right there! I realize some of you are into social media stuff and all that so you may know more than I do, but saying all this without having talked to Emily nor Trek seems odd to me.

Either way, I doubt Trek would drop her for the 2020 season. Not sure if she's going to compete in the Olympics but if she does, it would be a horribly shitty thing to do. And acting like that (as a brand) is getting you more negative publicity than a whole season of podiums would set straight. Especially with this aging population of mtb fans, brands are now getting props for supporting a legend (like Sabine Spitz or ACC) or their kids (Carpenter, Shandro etc). You can't get away with ditching an athlete after one poor season.
  • 2 0
 @vinay: Trek and Emily's contentious relationship is publicly documented. Emily stated in an interview that she did not see eye to eye with Trek and had a difficult contract negotiation. Second, Trek signed Emily's rival Jolanda shortly thereafter. These are two signs that Trek was not completely pleased with her results, although they were the best of her career.

In team sports, it is common practice to rebuild with a new coach and/or roster if their current personnel can't quite get over the hump to win a championship. It's called "rebuilding." Meaning, tearing it all down and building it back up again into something (hopefully) superior.

Trek is signaling that they want a champion. Jolanda is their champion. I do think Emily would be better off with a different team and/or a change of coaching. However, Emily's coach is her husband and Trek realizes that Emily has one of the largest fanbases in the sport, regardless of gender or discipline, so changes are not likely.

Sometimes, a change of scenery is required when the pressure gets to be a bit too much or things aren't working out. Kevin Durant won two championships with the Warriors but he was unsatisfied with his relationship with the coach or players and switched teams. Kawhi Leonard switched teams and won a championship but he wanted to be in LA and switched teams again.

Mountain bike racers don't have nearly the leverage but at some point, when there is mutual dissatisfaction, it may be preferable to change teams instead of trying to grind it out and tough out an increasingly unpleasant situation.

Ultimately, I believe Batty is suffering burn out from an extremely challenging 2018 season, but for whatever reason was unwilling to take a break for at least part of the year and is now suffering the consequences.

As I have stated before, we are all speculating to some degree, piecing together bits of info available in the media with our own previous knowledge of how athletes and teams operate to arrive at a "best guess" as to what's going on. None of this is even close to being definitive but there is a lot of documented evidence out there.

For me, its largely a matter of curiosity, and perhaps helping others to gain some insight into what's going on with elite athletes.
  • 2 0
 @vinay: Speculation yes; but not without a pretty hefty amount of of evidence. Some of it very blatant as in the example Toprace sighted and more that is very subtle indicating things are not all sunshine and roses in Treksville. Things as subtle as sideways glances and uncomfortable looks when the subject is broached in interviews. One other thing, something that is totally missing.... Have you seen, read or even heard of any interaction between the teammates since the Trek winter training camp videos?

A good example, go back a year when Kate and Annika where teammates. See how many videos or articles they are in together. They also acted like teammates. Then go try to find any with Emily and Jolanda sitting down together. If you had to make a paycheck off of it you'd starve to death.


Bob Lazar, really? If you want to degrade the conversation to that level you'll have to do it with someone else.
I don't waste my time wrestling with swine.
  • 2 0
 @Augustus-G: Especially after she raced her heart out and produced the best results of her career.
  • 2 0
 @WAKIdesigns: Are you a racer? You speak in such definitive terms as if you have experience racing at an elite level. The rest of us speculating in search of answers. You seem to have all of the answers already.
  • 2 0
 @vinay: Companies like Trek and Specialized are not known for their "nice" behavior. Specialized is about as litigious a company as it gets. They are extremely protective of their brand name/s and quick to file and/or threaten competitors with lawsuits. Specialized is also very exacting about the practices of it's "independent" bicycle dealers, which has driven many shops from it's fold.

Trek has been sued by Dave Weagle over the claim that they stole his suspension design (Trek's ABP design). Trek has also bought out a very large percentage of it's competition over the past decades. They've also made a practice of buying out a large number of bike shops over the years as well.

Not to mention, I doubt Trek was very happy with Emily airing out Trek about her grievances with their contract negotiations.

Trek is a billion dollar corporation and they got there with aggressive business practices. They don't play nice and neither does Specialized.
  • 2 1
 @toprace: I am speaking in definitive terms? Reread your posts. I don’t care, I leave with your... world Smile

BTW I think Jolanda lost because her glasses were to heavy
  • 1 0
 @toprace: it's hard to believe the same Trek who bowed down to the Athertons would actually just push a rider like Batty out.
  • 1 0
 @thesharkman: I'm not especially familiar with Trek's treatment of the Athertons. However, they have dozens of World Cup victories and multiple world championships. This suggests they may have had more leverage than a racer like Batty who has been a solid Top 10 performer for years, and moved up to a top 3 performer in 2018. Batty however, has yet to score her first World Cup victory, much less a world championship or overall title.

It's interesting that the Athertons have spoken openly about at least some of the terms of their contract whereas most mtb racers have said absolutely nothing about contractual terms. The only other racer who has given details about earnings is Aaron Gwin.

All I can say with any certainty is that Batty's relationship with Trek is rocky. It's unfortunate that Batty is struggling this season; it would've been great if she had better results to give her more negotiating leverage if she wanted out.

Batty has more than twice as many followers as Rissveds or Langvad; and about the same following as Kate Courtney, Jolanda Neff and Rachel Atherton, all far more decorated. She is as popular and as marketable as most any racer aside from Nino Schurter in the mtb world with significantly lesser results.

It's an odd conundrum for Batty and Trek both; she is uber popular even without any World Cup victories. There is definitely some internal tension. Neither side is satisfied but each benefits so much from the other there's little incentive to negotiate a release from contract which both parties seem to want.
  • 1 0
 @toprace: Admitted I haven't really looked into other sources but as you mention, she hasn't explicitly stated what's going on. But anyway, it is up to her, Trek or anyone qualified to speak on either behalf to tell what's going on. If they don't feel the need to tell at the moment, why would we really need to know or bother to speculate? It isn't helping anyone. I know I'm of the sensitive kind but I just don't really like rumors. I'd rather kindly walk up to her with notebook, microphone and full face helmet and ask "Hey Emily, your performance sucks lately. What's wrong with you?" and report back than construct my own story. I don't know, to me it doesn't feel like a friendly thing to do.
  • 1 0
 @vinay: There are no interview journalists covering mountain bike that I'm aware of. As in, zero. The only interviews that are conducted in the sport are:

1. post race interviews with riders that place 1, 2, or 3
2. occasional pre-race interviews with top ranking riders, usually just 1 or 2 at most
3. personality/lifestyle coverage of a handful (at most) of elite riders, usually one a year
4. an annual (at most) interview with pink bike

As far as I can tell, 100% of these interviews are conducted by red bull and/or pink bike. The rest can only be gleaned from whatever spin or background information the riders themselves share on social media, which is usually full of the typical cliches.

One thing I should add is that as I stated, Batty admitted she had a contentious contract negotiation, but she also claims that the stress from these negotiations affected her performance adversely. So she is on the record stating that her relationship with her own sponsor was difficult enough as to affect her performance. There is little doubt that their signing Neff has had a similar effect.
  • 1 0
 @toprace: 100%, that's a lot. I admit Dirt magazine is a bit idle at the moment so PB has surpassed them. I like the interviews in Cranked magazine. They interviewed Manon Carpenter in their latest issue and they interviewed Waki in one of their first (as a troll). Obviously the Dutch news media here interviews MvdP, Anne T and Anne T. I read an interview with Joost Wichman in the latest issue of Salt magazine (though that was more related to his pumptrack business). There sure must be more magazines out there.

Yeah so Batty stated first hand that she isn't happy with her relation with Trek. She hasn't said anything about Jolanda, she hasn't explained whether or not her performance is worse than she expected it to be and what the cause was. It could be what you mentioned, it could be something different. Heck, she could be pregnant (not meant to introduce another rumor). Again, if she wants to tell, she will. Until then, let's accept that we just don't know.
  • 1 0
 @vinay: Dirt is no more... where did Emily state she is not happy with Trek?! I want to see it.
  • 1 0
 @vinay: But you said Emily's pregnant. :-)
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: She's also pregnant, according to Pinkbike rumors.
  • 1 0
 @toprace: if you are not just joking then you need help...
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: Just ask vinay. He has the inside scoop.
  • 2 0
 @vinay: I was referring to English language media. I don't follow dutch media. She has spoken about Jolanda. Check out her recent video with red bull. I accept and admit that we are all speculating.

But this is not communist Russia. There is a little bit of freedom of speech remaining, as long as pink bike allows. What do you suggest we talk about on a mountain bike racing forum? Tic tac toe? How to change out transmission fluid? The best EDM festivals in Malaysia?
  • 2 0
 @WAKIdesigns: Ah, the expert on "severe depression" lol
  • 2 0
 @WAKIdesigns: No one jokes here, you have all of the answers on "severe depression." You are an MD and professional mountain bike racer, correct? All Jolanda has to do is stop wearing sunglasses, correct? And Jenny just has to pull herself up by the bootstraps, right? Profound insights, indeed. Profound.
  • 2 2
 @toprace: you seem insecure.
  • 2 2
 @toprace: you are talking straight out of your ass, about Emily vs Trek, you make up stupid scenarios, intrigues straight out of Brasilian soap opera and then want a piece of me. Then you lose it with throwing your hands up in the air “oh waki is in expert on everything “ as if it was a viable argument for whatever speculative nonsense you are spewing out. You need to buy some better skins, exp/ skill a bit, go at least 50 levels up to fight me online... I suggest redredre, redburn, mkotowski1 as sparring partners
  • 1 1
 @WAKIdesigns: LOL "you want a piece of me?"
  • 1 2
 @toprace: no. Blah
  • 2 0
 @WAKIdesigns: LMAO!
  • 1 0
 @toprace: Cranked is a UK magazine, written in English. I merely mentioned Dutch media to point out that the mainstream media (other than PB and RedBull) does interview mtb athletes. I'm sure the same goes for the media in other countries and I expect that there sure must be other English media too. Saying it is just PB and RedBull sounds quite limiting.
  • 16 3
 Awesome race, Kate!
  • 2 1
 I'm a complete neophyte when it comes to XC racing, but it seems incredible that Kate would've finished 30th in the mens elite category! That's bad ass, as it seems like the 30th fastest dude is still fast AF. Bravo Kate! I'm used to DH, where the winning women's time would probably be deadlast save for guys that crashed or had a mechanical (and to be clear, the lady DH racers are still insanely fast and bad asses in their own right!)
  • 4 0
 @jackalope: Kate's average speed was 17.481 Kph. This would've been good for 109th place in the men's field.

However, the men race 8 laps vs 7 for the women, which is an extra 3.6 Km. The most likely scenario is that Kate would've finished last in the men's race.
  • 2 0
 @toprace: ahh, makes sense. Thanks for the clarification.
  • 9 0
 Superb race from the ladies!

Is Elisabeth Brandau sponsored by the Thirst Mutilator?
  • 8 0
 It has what plants crave!
  • 5 1
 @aaronjb: it’s full of electrolytes. You wouldn’t want to put what’s in the toilets on the plants.
  • 3 0
 Brought to you by Carl’s Jr.
  • 10 0
 Nino back in form.
  • 7 0
 Henrique Avancini is like the Troy Brosnan of XC. Super consistent. Almost always on the podium...but never seems to get on that top step.
  • 4 1
 What does everyone think of Neff's race strategy? She likes to jump out of the gate to the front, then she falls back, often way back (behind the first 10 riders) and then typically scrambles her way back to a podium finish.

Meanwhile, Kate seems to lay low between 2 and 5, until she feels comfortable making her break. This seems like the smarter strategy. Let your opponents fight the wind for a few laps, save energy, then try to get away.
  • 3 0
 It's not a very good strategy imo. She would probably win more consistently if she didn't always go off the front and burn matches she doesn't need to.
  • 1 0
 @clink83: I think Jolanda is so used to dominating, she's never even had to prepare a game strategy. It's just full jets all the time. With the field stronger than ever, this may not be enough this year to win the overall or the other big races.
  • 3 0
 Interesting observation; XC article w scribd results-noone complains they can't get the results on their phones. DH article w scribd'd results-at least half comments are they can't operate scribd results! Just sayin....
  • 1 0
 Anyone else checked MvdP's lap times? Last 3 laps are stellar.

He had an off race last season at KoppenbergCross, coming way down. That course has a brutal hill every lap, and starts up the hill. Sometimes that immediate effort he seems to go too deep, then takes a while to recover.
  • 3 0
 as I wrote earlier, the mvdp looked weak on a short track, the race was very bad
  • 2 0
 I’ve just sacked him so he’ll win the next race !
  • 3 4
 Probably went clean to avoid testing positive and now it's showing in his performances.
  • 1 0
 He had been training at altitude and was still not fully recovered. That's what you have with training. You get a dip and hope to be at a new peak when you race. He wasn't there yet. Fair enough, the European Championships next week are probably a bigger goal for him now.
  • 1 0
 @vinay: It's happened before; in fact earlier this year after a training block he looked heavy legged in the Hoogerheide CX World Cup; but recovered in time.....
  • 4 0
 Men went with squish while the women mostly chose hardtails. Interesting.
  • 3 1
 Calculate additional bike weight relative to rider weight... 2kg more for a FS bike is 4% of female rider's body weight, but only 2-3% for men.
  • 2 0
 @Jamminator: I'm pretty sure those lighweight FS xc machines cannot be 2kg heavier compared to hardtails...
  • 6 2
 Anyone knows what happened with Danny Hart?
  • 21 0
 He was a little tired after the DH. He kept up for the first two laps then faded pretty quick. Showed a lot of spirit though.
  • 9 0
 From what I've heard, he refused to ride the climbs and insisted on getting an uplift.
  • 1 0
 The Redcar Tugboat
  • 4 0
 Sintsov very good race
  • 5 2
 GO KATE!! NORCAL REPRESENT!!
  • 2 0
 Great racing! ???????? Bec Henderson up there again this week!
  • 2 0
 ???? -> Was supposed to be an Aussie Flag. No disrespect to Bec of course!
  • 7 5
 California Kate killing it
  • 1 0
 Congrats to the Canucks!! Especially the Flatlanders..Smith..Diseras and Jackson!
  • 2 0
 It's also nice to see Catherine Pendrel still hanging out in the top 15. She's almost 40, so it's impressive to watch. Not quite Gunn-Rita winning at the age of 45, but still pretty great.
  • 2 1
 When was the last time someone in women's XC was winning at a consistent rate like Kate is doing this year?
  • 3 1
 Kate is something special. So happy for her. Hope she stays healthy and continues to learn from a legend like Nino.
  • 6 5
 Jenny spat when Kate passed!
  • 9 3
 @toprace Come on dude, be better than that. She simply started to break and Kate caught her. Jennie was in full distress due to her effort to go from the 9th starting row all the way to the lead and simply cleared her mouth. She did NOT try to spit on, or react to Kate passing her by "spatting".............. Jeez.
  • 5 4
 Didn't think anything of it but after rewatching it almost looks intentional...wonder if it's tied to Kate v. Prevot incident yesterday, since Prevot and Jenny are good friends.
  • 1 0
 @Jamminator: Timestamp?
  • 2 0
 @Jamminator: What happened yesterday? Yeah, Jenny and Pauline have spoken highly of each other and support one another. They've been through similar struggles and share a sense of camaraderie.

I've heard of and seen much worse in the pack: racers punching and elbowing competitors is not unheard of.
  • 3 3
 @DBone95: I was mistaken: I thought Jenny had spat off to the side. She didn't: she spit directly in front of her at Kate!
  • 4 1
 @aaronjb: Second lap pass. Someone ripped it: youtu.be/iESy7h9VUNI

In real time it looks unintentional, but slowed down it looks intentional... eyes on Kate the whole time and doesn't aim away.
  • 3 3
 @Jamminator: Pauline publicly thanked Kate on IG 7hrs ago for helping her out by meeting her mechanic's daughters, but keep on looking for a conspiracy........ The JKF shooting might peak your interest.
  • 3 2
 @DBone95: I checked Prevot's recent Instagram posts. There is no such comment.
  • 2 3
 @Jamminator: That youtube channel also has the video of the incident between Courtney and Prevot. It's some sort of strange (but prolonged) hand gesture. Pauline and Courtney's coach both laugh at her. However, Kate is sneering as she turns back around.
  • 3 2
 @toprace: The photo of Kate together with Pauline and her mechanic's daughters that @DBone95 mentioned is in her Instagram stories, not in her regular posts. Kate and Pauline often make friendly comments to each other on Instagram. In fact they both congratulated each other on Instagram after the short track and the XCO race. These are grown women/professional athletes, not middle school girls. I think you're reading way too much into it.
  • 4 3
 @Iamwarthog: These are professional athletes, not saints. Heated emotions, rivalries, arguments and disputes are the norm. The channel also documents Avancini badmouthing Schurter behind his back in an interview. Jenny spitting directly at Kate. Kate putting her hand in Pauline's face for a prolonged period, then sneering. Any time anyone puts their hand in someone's personal space it is a provocative gesture, period.

You are mistaken if you think these girls are devoted to promoting peace, harmony and namaste 24/7. Sports is sublimated warfare.

They are not middle schoolers, but it's not fun time in a kindergarten playground either. Don't be naive: these women are extremely competitive and it can and does spill over into open hostility and aggression.

There is a story about Kate where she was punched by a fellow competitor in mountain bike race. Fierce competition is the norm in mountain biking.

Stop being politically correct and naive: we don't need to pretend that these girls are perfect little princesses.
  • 5 2
 @DBone95: Jenny clearly spat at Kate. There is no question it happened. The video evidence is unequivocal. Denial doesn't erase reality.
  • 2 1
 @Jamminator: agreed, definitely intentional.
  • 1 0
 Do I drop MVDP from my fantasy league? That is the question...
  • 6 4
 Nice one Kate!
  • 2 1
 The course looked great, a mix of everything. Well done. b.
  • 3 7
flag wilki (Jul 14, 2019 at 10:17) (Below Threshold)
 Disagree completely. That was the most boring course I've watched this season. Full credit to the racers and their effort but I was wondering why everyone had mountain bikes on a cyclocross course. That was a sadly non-technical, double track filled display. If courses like Les Gets and Albstadt are the future of XCO then the sport will fade.
  • 1 0
 Course was least technical of the year, but we we saw with DH, it ends up making for exciting racing because the speed is much higher.
  • 1 0
 What happened to VanDerPoel?
  • 7 0
 He proved he is not a cycling terminator sent back from the future, but a mere mortal that is capable of competing on the top step of multiple cycling disciplines a lot of the time, but not all the time.
  • 7 1
 VdP: "I must break you..."

Nino: "hold my water bottle..."
  • 8 7
 Merica!!
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