Results: XCC Short Track - Albstadt XC World Cup 2021

 Haha top comment. He thought he was in the Koppenberg with GVA in front

 Yeah, crazy. That was an incredibly impressive ride by Blevins.

 Yep credit due. Great effort.

 Starting beside him was 36 Peter Disera, finishing 7th, with World Champ Sarrou

 2 stage wins at Tirreno

 Most top racers can maintain race winning form for a 4-5 month season, Van der Poel can maintain form all year long.

 @Willemhc: I thought he was going to do a Tirreno style breakaway after the 2nd lap. I guess he was just softening them up and seeing who if anyone could follow him.

 @weetabix-man: He said in the post race interview that he wanted to thin out the group do to the advantage riders get by slipstreaming against the wind on the asphalt section. Tactically sound as you don't want to give 20 competitors a free ride every lap on that section.

 Big props to Disera. But GOAT? He has a long way to go before he can match the palmares of Kabush (note that I'm not mentioning the results of other Canadians, none of which I place a great deal of faith in). Really hoping he can continue to climb up the ranks though. If he can eventually build up a better history than Kabush that would be amazing.

 hmm...Alison Sydor?

 @PNdubRider: Fair comment. I was intending to speak to the men's side, but it's true that the accomplishments of Canadian women in XCO (Sydor, Pendrel, Premont, and others) are far more extensive than the Canadian men, and if we're talking about Canadian GOAT of XC for all genders it would surely come from the women's side.

 Stoked to see Peter doing well but I want to see Carter Woods stomp some pedals at this level

 @joeshackleton: Carter is a young U23 rider.

 Disappointed Katie “only” 4th, and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible.

 @ReformedRoadie: Saving herself for XCO

 I feel like Erin Huck is in the wrong discipline...

 @suspended-flesh: Do you really think so? She looked pretty disappointed while talking with her race manager at the end there. Every point counts towards the overall and I have a hard time believing that Katie (being a top contender for the overall) was intentionally giving up points to save her legs for Sunday.

 @azogas413: Well, it was a photo finish for 3rd that she lost. Still starting the XCO on the front row, so....but WTF do I know? Nothing, actually. Just staying posi. PFP is a beast - gonna be a tough year against her for the entire field. #PMA

 @suspended-flesh: PFP was wheel sucking the entire race so it was more a tactical show than a power show.

 @magnusc: She was scary last year.

 @magnusc: PFP had the fastest lap of the race, when it counted.

 He had a mechanical

 Both are former and/or current CX World Champions so they know a thing or two about going all out for shorter races.

 Watching the replay at work now.

 Are we still talking about XC here?

 I have Evie Richard on my team, considering how well she did last season.

 Lecompte, Stigger and Teocchi here

 Yep. Glad she at least came second. We like to see bravery.

 He was not a Top 40 UCI MTB rider...yet. Sunday is Tomday.

 @jwelch33: Ah right - thanks. I need to get up to speed on XC rules if I'm gonna be up at the crack of dawn watching again this season. TP is on my team!

 Hasn't yet qualified for the short track start list. Apparently, he needs to move up to a top 16 finish in the XCO (from 75th on the start grid) to be in the short track for the next event.

 @Ginsu2000: going to be a big ask to actually achieve it. I feel it'll be a couple more races before he can work his way up to a good start position to be in with a chance

 @rrsport: If he doesn't make up dozens of positions in the first few minutes after the start, then I agree he's pretty much hooped for chances at a top 16 finish. The problem he faces is that all the lower-ranked riders similarly want to move up, or at worst maintain their position. They're not exactly going to make room to let him by, and things get really risky in terms of crashes for riders who push that envelope just after the start. Should be an interesting race within a race though. Definitely another good story to follow as the race develops.

 @Ginsu2000: Albstadt: The Seventh Row of the Grid and Beyond.

 @dolores: Thanks! Nice research.

 @rrsport: I'm no Pidcock fan, but he'll find himself in the top group Sunday. Like Matthieu, these guys haven't been sitting around the past year or two.

 @suspended-flesh: Top 16 will be a great goal for Sunday; though my gut thinks he’ll make it into the top 10; that’s a lot of riders jammed up on the first single track climb to get through in the first lap; and little of the front backing it off and regrouping on the flats in the longer race.

 @dolores: Nice link!

 @rockinrod42 Sam hasn't done well ever since his head injury during the '19 Cape Epic.
Riding mostly road these days for Alpecin–Fenix. Starting 117th on Sunday.