XCC Photo Epic: Lenzerheide XC World Cup 2023

Just a few weeks after the first round at Nove Mesto riders have made their way to Switzerland for an all-out weekend of racing in Lenzerheide.

Following the first-ever World Cup U23 XCC race at Nove Mesto the younger riders were back between the tape this week as they got a second chance to prove their sprint skills in the lung-busting short course format. The Women's race saw Ronja Blöchlinger continue to be the rider to beat in the XCC races as she took victory on home soil. Fellow Swiss rider Ginia Caluori did her best to match the hard-charging race winner but she had to settle for 2nd place crossing the line 11 seconds back. Round one XCO winner Sofie Pedersen matched her round one XCC results as she completed the top three riders. In the U23 Men's race, we saw a new winner as Daio Lillo made it another Swiss win and improved upon his 5th place at Nove Mesto. Last-round winner Adrien Boichis took the second place spot on the podium with Carter Woods slotting into third.

A day later and with a packed crowd it was the turn of the elite riders to take on the challenging Lenzerheide course. From the off, it looked like Laura Stigger was on her way to another short track win. With both Pauline Ferrand Prevot and Puck Pieterse in the mix, it was always going to be a tough fight for anyone wanting the win. As the leading group continued to stay together throughout the first eight laps it was a final lap attack from Jenny Rissveds that ultimately decided the winner. Jenny had been right on the top rider's wheel for most of the racing holding back to see who was looking fast. As the race made its way into the final lap Jenny says she realised that she may be the strongest rider in the group and went on the attack building a strong lead to take the win by two seconds.

The Men's racing had no shortage of drama as Luca Schwarzbauer took control of the race from early on and keep the top riders honest as the pace remained high through the early laps. As the race progressed we saw plenty of riders move around at the front with Sam Gaze, Nino Schurter, Jordan Sarrou and more taking a turn at the front. The big moment in the race came when at the start of lap eight the then-current race leader Sam Gaze lost control of his front wheel through the first turn and went down while also taking Nino Schurter with him. Neither rider could get back to the front of the race with Sam taking 14th and Nino 16th.

As the race was reaching its conclusion Jordan Sarrou led a big pack of riders into the final lap. While the French racer was looking strong it was the powerhouse of Luca Schwarzbauer who punched into the lead with a huge sprint early in the lap and kept his lead going to the finish. Luca ended the race two seconds up on Jordan Sarrou with Sebastian Fini Carstensen securing third.

The elite and U23 now have a short rest before the XCO action gets underway on Sunday.