Conditions for the U23 Men's XC race were slick. Greased lightning slick. Rains came in the morning giving the course a thorough soaking, only to end about an hour and a half before the gears started turning. This gave the trails that perfect level of zero grip where it would likely have been easier for those poor guys to ride in a downpour. There were plenty of slide-outs and full-blown crashes in the treacherous conditions which cost many a rider precious time.
Vlad Dascalu, who has been on an absolute tear this season got out in front around lap two and rode away with the victory. The race didn't end there, however. Behind him the battles raged on and places were traded throughout.
...that said, is there a masters and super masters category for XC? The first person who says 'yeah, e-bikes' will be cursed with a perpetually bruised perineum.
And no, these are not on e-bikes. They are all on real bikes.
There's a brief race report at cyclingmagazine.ca/mtb/msa-uci-masters-worlds-results