XCC Results from the Nove Mesto XC World Cup 2023

May 12, 2023
by Ed Spratt  
After the U23 racers got their first taste of World Cup Short Track yesterday it's the turn of the Elite to start their season with 20 minutes of flat-out racing.

In the Elite Women's race it was incredibly close for all nine laps with a big group keeping the speed high at the front. It was the last lap where Laura Stigger pulled out in front, but last year's series winner Alessandra Keller overtook Laura into the arena before a five-rider sprint to the line. Laura kept something in the tank for the final straight and secured her first XCC Short Track win. Alessandra Keller crossed the line in 2nd with Laura's teammate Sina Frei making it two Specialized riders in the top three.

In her post-race broadcast interview, Laura Stigger said: "It's so hard to stay on the wheels of the fast ladies. I had to really fight for my position and during the race I was thinking I really have to close that gap always. That it's turned out like this is incredible."

After getting a very late entry it was a 40th place start for Tom Pidcock, but this wasn't enough to stop him onboard the new Pinarello. While remaining hidden in the pack until the last lap a big move on the first loose corner saw him slingshot into 2nd behind Luca Schwarzbauer on the climb before a big midair overtake to lead into the arena. Despite having Luca and XCC World Champion Sam Gaze right on his rear wheel Tom Pidock managed to keep his position in the sprint to the line and kick off his 2023 season with another win.

Following the race, Tom Pidcock said in his post-race broadcast interview: "I only found out I was racing at three o'clock having already done a three-and-a-half hour training ride this morning.

"I always like racing here having been second in the short track before so it's nice to win one finally."

The first weekend of World Cup XC racing continues with the U23 XC and the first Marathon event tomorrow. You can check out the full results from the Short Track below.


Results:


Elite Women:

1st. Laura Stigger: 19:02
2nd. Alessandra Keller: 19:03
3rd. Sina Frei: 19:03
4th. Pauline Ferrand Prevot: 19:03
5th. Evie Richards: 19:03


Elite Men:

1st. Tom Pidcock: 20:17
2nd. Sam Gaze: 20:18
3rd. Luca Schwarzbauer: 20:18
4th. Mathias Flückiger: 20:19
5th. Nino Schurter: 20:19



Full Results:

Elite Women


Elite Men




Posted In:
Racing and Events Results Nove Mesto World Cup XC 2023 World Cup XC XC Racing


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100 Comments

  • 60 2
 I was happy with the coverage.

Do I miss Rob? Yes.
Do I wish it wasn't behind a paywall? Yes.

But it was fine. Honestly.
  • 45 4
 Bought the GCN+ access this morning. Watched the end of the Giro live, dropped kiddos off at school then home catch the XCC. Good stuff.

The GCN+ coverage felt more like the late 90's OLN days of XC racing and not Freecaster. Pro broadcast on the level of the Giro and the Tour. I like it. We'll see how they do with DH with the course camera coverage.

Pidcock with a 3.5hr training ride pre-ride and unknown race start, goes last to first. Next level.
  • 1 0
 And fastest lap averaging 22mph if I'm reading that correctly. Unreal.
  • 2 0
 Any idea what the difference in the replay options are between the one "with live show" vs without. The running time is basically the same.
  • 3 0
 @jeremy3220: I think the "without" is just the video, no commentary.
  • 3 0
 Any insight on why Pidcock and Gaze were late entries?
  • 1 0
 @ea99018: Only the 40 highest ranked rides in the world are allowed to compete in XCC. I Gaze is out of the top 40, but since he is the XCC world champ they figured that maybe the fans want to see the world champ race...
Pidcock is also outside of the top 40, but i don't know why he was allowed to race
  • 1 0
 @laupe: Olympic champion ?
  • 9 0
 @laupe: Cink and Koretzky were ill so Pidcock was in the UCI ranking
  • 3 0
 *was next
  • 2 0
 @laupe: Cink missed out on the xcc which made room for Pidcock.
  • 3 0
 @ea99018: 2 riders dropped out
  • 23 2
 Gotta give Ric credit where credit is due. I thought he did a really good job with commentary.
  • 5 2
 He did a fantastic job. Very happy the coverage of that race.
  • 18 0
 I decided not to take the kids to Macdonalds this morning. I used to money I saved to purchase a years subscription to gcn+
  • 6 0
 Good call. That food is garbage is anyway.
  • 50 34
 Flipping the bird to gcn+ discovery and all the other companies putting this behind a paywall!
  • 12 1
 I agree, but I also enjoyed watching the race haha
  • 57 5
 I paid $50 for the year on GCN. If they provide great coverage then I’m ok supporting it. $50 isn’t much for a year.
  • 20 7
 but youre cool with paying for internet, cable service, movie tickets, newspapers, etc?
  • 10 31
flag waxed (May 12, 2023 at 10:02) (Below Threshold)
 @onawalk: I only pay for my internet service I have no other subscription not even Netflix and not been to the cinema for years! I managed to watch the race on tiz-cycling but had to reload every time the copyright holder deleted the video. Paywalls for any sport is bad and I will continue to find ways around them!

Ps. What’s a newspaper?
  • 15 3
 Whats the alternative? Coverage costs money, they need to make that back somehow. They can either A) charge for it, B) hope advertising alone pays for it (it doesn't, which is why they charge now), or C) the government steps in and makes it a public service project to cover MTB racing?
  • 21 1
 @waxed: We all want something for free, but what professional sport is broadcasting free content? Everything is either cable network deals or paywalls. How are organizations supposed to pay their staff to organize events and produce/broadcast?

Red Bull ate those costs as an advertising expense to promote their product, and it was a glorious era that we will miss.
  • 5 0
 @dpars63: So you're telling us that we can't have our cake and eat it too? Outrageous
  • 5 9
flag waxed (May 12, 2023 at 10:06) (Below Threshold)
 @dpars63: tiz-cycling-live.io
  • 6 7
 @n734535: I will be drinking a red bull every race this year, my money can go to them so they can support more mtb content.
  • 6 1
 15% off GCN+ subscription for select countries. cheerio

welcome.globalcyclingnetwork.com/lanternerouge?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=lanterne-rouge&utm_campaign=giro
  • 3 18
flag waxed (May 12, 2023 at 10:11) (Below Threshold)
 @heissescheisse: not into Lycra cheers tho
  • 3 2
 @waxed: well I guess flip the bird to the companies charging for your access to the internet, and any other form of entertainment you consume.
  • 5 0
 @gramboh: funny to remember how people actually used to complain about redbull for not being perfect. Biggest loss is Rob Warner though, I'd pay for him before going free without Warner.
  • 9 1
 Come off it, mate. You've spent $50 on dumber shit then watching bike racing.
  • 9 1
 @gramboh: Did you know the model you're talking about is dying? The stakeholders in all those professional sports and paywalled channels have been in panic mode for years already trying to figure out how to move to a more modern distribution model because their viewership is declining at an alarming pace.

The average age of a viewer who will consume sports that old way has climbed into the high 50s for some sports (baseball) and with very few exceptions is over 40 for pretty much all of them now. Nobody under the age of 30 consumes media this way anymore. The average age of an NHL viewer is going up one yer PER YEAR. That's obviously completely unsustainable. Channels like ESPN are laying off staff... I mean, it goes on and on.

Pointing to the 50 year old pro sports/paid cable package model and saying "it works for them" is way out of touch with where we're at today. It *doesn't* work for them. Not anymore. The internet changed how the world works in only one generation. If you blinked you might've missed it, but nobody under 30 will pay to look behind the curtain. They grew up in a world where 1000 sites a day try to trick you into doing that. They spend plenty of time staring at screens, but they're not going to subscribe to some old fashioned "sports channel" that *sometimes* shows a bit of biking but most of the time shows shit they didn't choose.
  • 3 0
 @tacopop: And to think, if Cable/TV providers would have offered a la carte channels all those years ago, they might not be in this current situation.
  • 2 5
 @onawalk: yeah f u YouTube with Adblock and red bull etc etc oh hang on they are free and I don’t pay for any subscriptions! Happy to pay for internet tho I get a hell of a lot more from that than from gcn…
  • 2 0
 For those of us who already pay eurosport or gcn+ for road cycling and other sports, 40€ a year is no big deal.

If you are only interested in MTB that is still less than 5€ per world cup and you get some coverage of Enduro races as well, some marathon races and stage races like the Cape Epic.
  • 4 0
 @waxed: Your logic is flawed. If you drink more RedBull when they aren't broadcasting MTB races anymore you give them less reasons to do it.
  • 6 0
 Isn't your bike behind a "paywall"?
  • 1 0
 @Dopepedaler:

Did someone mention Grivin Flexstem...???
  • 2 1
 @tacopop: yeah definitely true. E.g. Formula 1 was free to watch in germany for 20 years or so. Now that it went behind the paywall, the number of viewers declined a lot. And all of the young people I know just go to some shady free streaming sites instead
  • 1 0
 @waxed: that’s not what your mum told me yesterday
  • 1 0
 @rhinochopig: I am more of a Softride person. That or the refined ride of a Manitou 2.
  • 16 1
 I like that they stuck with Bart, but it's not the same without Rob Warner's energy.
  • 9 1
 Perhaps not but the guy they’ve replaced him with sounds more knowledgable of xc racing than Rob was. Don’t know what the DH will be like without him though . . . Camera coverage seems better
  • 12 1
 @Bertrude: Its Ric Mclaughlin who has been doing commentary around enduro for years. I thought he did a really really good job and clearly did his homework.
  • 3 0
 @Bertrude: Cedric Gracia will be commentating
  • 6 0
 @Bertrude: Yah, Ric had a lot more to say. I love Rob but for XC coverage not so much.
  • 3 0
 @wilsonians: definitely. . . .I thought he was good
  • 1 0
 @billreilly: cheers
  • 8 0
 "I only found out I was racing at three o'clock having already done a three-and-a-half hour training ride this morning." It's over, this kid's too good.
  • 7 0
 His comment must make the other guys pretty happy. Didn't know I was racing, rode for 3.5 hours, ended up using a singlespeed, both tires were flat, wore flip flops, and I still won. It was a good race for me but I think I could do better.
  • 2 0
 @rcrocha: Pidcocky
  • 5 1
 Not showing the top 24 finishers in the short track definitely shows they are not cross country fans in the women's race they never bothered to let us know who qualified for the front three rows on Sunday but we were shown the winners wheeling round the pits for ages super irritating.
  • 5 0
 Anybody in the USA have luck finding this on Discovery+? I have a subscription and there seems to be zero mtb.
  • 5 0
 GCN+ has the coverage. Discovery owns Play Sports which owns GCN.
  • 2 0
 Nope, no luck either.
  • 1 0
 You’re looking for something that’s not there. It isn’t on Discovery+.
  • 2 0
 FYI, Calro Sports YouTube channel has the rights for all XC related events (not sure of Enduro). Get a VPN and switch to any LATAM country and that's all. Even though it's supposed to be streamed for Spanish speaking countries, today's race had English commentary.
  • 2 1
 I think Ineos is like the NY Yankees of cycling, but love to see a Monuments winner on the MTB. Really hoping that we get to see Pidcock, MVDP, and Sagan going toe to toe with Nino leading up to the Olympics late this year/next year.
  • 5 0
 Pidcock starting the XCC race as a sunday ride, priceless!
  • 1 0
 Did anyone see the men’s race live? I watched the replay on GCN+ but there was no commentary during the race. Just a bunch of talking at the beginning and then the commentators came on at the end. The women’s race was fine but still a snoozer w/o Rob.
  • 14 0
 Sounds like you had the ambient audio channel selected. There’s a menu at the top in the app to choose your language. Replays can default to ambient
  • 4 0
 @bgoldstone: thank you for this information
  • 1 0
 Someone else said that the replay on GCN+ doesn't have commentery, don't know if that's true tho
  • 4 0
 @laupe: I watched the replay and GCN+ and there was commentary. I was not sure which one to pick at first and accidentally chose the men’s race, unfortunately they spoiled the women’s race first thing talking about those results. Kinda confusing figuring out which one to watch. I assume we will get used to it and understand how they pay them out. The weird thing was how the women’s race just ends and the start of the men’s race was the women’s podium
  • 2 0
 I just watched the free highlights on the GMBN Racing YouTube channel - I thought they were decent and good enough for me not to bother subscribing to GCN+. Hopefully the XCO and DH highlights are just as good.
  • 1 0
 GCN+ is a *great* deal if you also like road racing. Just for mtb maybe less so.
  • 1 0
 FYI, Marca Claro YouTube channel has the rights for all XC related events (not sure of Enduro). Get a VPN and switch to any LATAM country and that's all. Even though it's supposed to be streamed for Spanish speaking countries, today's race had English commentary.
  • 2 0
 I wish GCN+ had a Roku app. I can send it to my TV via Apple Airplay, but a devoted app would be better. It surprises me they don’t. Maybe because there’s already a GCN app for Global Christians? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  • 1 0
 Just wondering, do younger riders get to choose whether they ride in the U23 or in the elite class? I see Puck Pieterse is born in 2002 so she won't turn 23 this racing season. Or is it because she (iirc) holds the European title hence has to compete against the best?
  • 3 1
 That Pinarello is sharp. Ineos is undoubtedly the biggest team on the road and it’s great to see they are venturing off road
  • 6 0
 Right now there are six roadies who are clearlyl above the rest, and none of them ride for Ineos.
  • 1 1
 @sideshowmel: Pidcock didn’t seem to be above the rest to you today?
  • 7 0
 @owenskyle4: Yes, Ineos have arguably the best riders on both mens and womens' side of XC.

But on the road, Pidcock is not among the top six riders. (Almost everyone would agree on the following list: Pog, WVA, MVdP, Remco, Roglic, Vingegaard). Pidcock has only 4 victories on the road side.
  • 1 0
 eurosport only televised the women race - hoped the cable tv would be enough to watch the races but seems a payed account is required even in countries where eurosport is part of the cable tv...
  • 4 0
 UK had both races. Both Eurosport And what a race! Pidcock is a beast!
  • 3 0
 It was also televised on SRF
  • 1 0
 @nicoshallburn: thanks for the hint!
@weeksy59: interesting
  • 1 0
 Checked it out on Eurosport, got sucked in and was cheering for Pidcock! What a ride! Time will tell what the Downhill Coverage will be like, guess we will have to wait and find out.
  • 3 0
 Is there a way to watch the u23 race replay? I cant find it on GCN+ or anywhere for that matter.
  • 4 0
 It wasn't covered live, only small clips on instagram. However, the U23 XCO races are live on You Tube tomorrow.
  • 3 0
 I love XCC. Never fails to put me right on the edge of my seat.
  • 2 0
 XCC has to be one of the best races to watch. Short format, highly competitive, and still able to see some tactics take shape.
  • 3 1
 @kTwoo: The track is so terrible though. Almost no technicality. All of these short courses are like this. They might as well be on road bikes.
  • 2 0
 @jayacheess: true, but I think this is more about who has the strongest legs in a sprint.
  • 3 0
 Laura Stigger! That was awesome.
  • 1 0
 I couldn't stand Bart's commentary, sounded like a grandparent with dementia. How many times do we need to know about how dropper posts have changed riding?
  • 3 1
 2,89€ p.month for a year subscription. DH WC here i come!
  • 1 1
 The coverage and production is better than RedBull so far . . . And I don’t really mind paying for it . . . I resent paying my council tax bill though
  • 1 0
 I think we're going to see big things from Laura Stigger this year. Shes a very aggressive rider.
  • 1 1
 Why does Kate Courtney continue to stick? Apparently she doesn’t even do well in the local races here in Norcal. What happened to her?
  • 3 0
 Why do people continue to rag on Kate? She has won multiple races this year, including some US cups, and stuck with the lead group in this XCC race for most of it, as well as a strong showing in today's XCO. She may not be on the podium, but she is still among the best.
  • 1 0
 @MDW83: Cause she's got full factory support and gets paid a lot of money and is in the bottom half or bottom quartile of results. Often losing to privateers? And from what I hear at local races her general behavior is...very disappointing lets say.
  • 1 0
 Get discovery + and watch superbikes too.
  • 1 0
 “Road racing is all business, I race MTB for fun”. Pidcock
  • 2 1
 Yikes, Kate.
  • 3 2
 Eh, she had her spotlight. Athletes come and go. Emily Batty hasn't posted any good result in many years but still shows up and puts on a good race in whatever position she ends up.
  • 6 0
 Something happened, she was with the front pack for most of it (if I recall). It was super tight.
  • 1 0
 @MDW83: Wasn't she caught up in that crash on lap 3?
  • 1 0
 @nozes: maybe
  • 1 0
 @8a71b4: I wouldn't rule her out just yet. I think she can still win. More than few riders consistenly podium until well into their thirties.





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