In Episode 10 of Season 2, the Diverge Podcast looks back at Luke Moir’s breakthrough performance at the UCI MTB World Series. During the second race in Araxá, Brazil, the 22-year-old notched up his first top 5 placing and heralded his arrival as a force to be reckoned with on the biggest stage. Candice Lill had a rare off day, finishing 17th, while Tyler Jacobs showed remarkable consistency with an 11th and a 6th place finish in the XCC and XCO. Alongside the cross-country and cross-country eliminator coverage, we also reflected on the first three days of the 4Islands Epic racing in Croatia.

 

The second round of the UCI MTB World Series took place on Friday, 11 April, and Saturday, 12 April. The short track XCC races were won by Evie Richards and Chris Blevins, as both the Brit and the American went back-to-back in Brazil. The South Africans put in mixed performances, with Jacobs achieving the best result of 6th. Lill was 12th, and Moir failed to finish after enduring a rear wheel puncture. The U23 men, Luca Ruwiel and Ernie Roets, put in solid rides to 18th and 22nd, respectively.

Saturday’s XCO provided Moir with the opportunity for redemption, which he seized with both hands. But only after Jacobs raced to 6th for the 3rd time across 4 races and 2 weekends in Araxá. Ruwiel and Roets were 23rd and 26th in the U23 XCO race, but Lill, who started strongly, faded through the field from being in contention for victory to cross the line 2:37 behind the winner, Jenny Rissveds. The Swede had stuck out alone in lap 7 and won by 28 seconds over Samara Maxwell, with Richards a further 6 seconds back.

After 2 rounds of racing, Maxwell leads the Elite Women’s XCO rankings by 105 points from Rissveds. Nicole Koller, who backed her Round 1 podium up with an XCC podium during Round 2, is third with 425 points, 125 off the leaders’ 550. Lill is 10th on 279 points. In the U23 Women’s standings, Jacobs is 5th, on 161 points, just 1 behind Ella Maclean-Howell and 169 behind Isabella Holmgren in 1st.

In the Elite Men’s XCO race, the Specialized Factory Racing quartet put on another masterclass performance. Though this time, Blevins and Victor Koretzky were unable to entirely shake off the chasing pack. Moir, who had started at the back of the grid, finished the first lap in 25th position and proceeded to work his way through the field, even clocking the fastest time of Lap 4 to join the leading group. While Koretzky and Nino Schurter slipped off the pace, Moir was able to remain in contention into the final lap. He was unable to follow Adrien Boichis’s searing attack on the penultimate climb. Only Blevins and Martin Vidaurre Kossmann were able to go with the young Frenchman, while Moir and Simone Avondetto chased behind; holding off Fabio Püntener, who had been on a tear during Laps 8 and 9, along with Jordan Sarrou and Koretzky.

Dragging to the final corner, both Blevins and then Vidaurre Kossmann forced their way past Boichis. The American sprinted to the line to complete the XCO/XCC double for Round 2 and move into the overall series lead, too. Vidaurre Kossmann was second, with Boichis completing the second all-Specialized podium of the season. Having been unable to reel in Avondetto on the long final descent, Moir crossed the line behind the Italian to secure what would have in previous years been a podium finish. Still, 5th is a remarkable effort for the first-year Elite campaigner, as a privateer, in just his second Elite World Series start.

Leaving Brazil, the Elite Men’s rankings are topped by Blevins, on 610 points, with his teammate Koretzky 100 points back in 2nd. Vidaurre Kossmann is 3rd, on 420 points. Moir is 11th on 234 points, ahead of celebrated names like Filippo Colombo and Simon Andreassen.

The UCI MTB World Series now takes a hiatus from XCC and XCO racing for nearly 6 weeks before reconvening in Nové Město na Moravě on the 23rd to the 25th of May. The Czech Republic will see the return of World Champion Alan Hatherly to mountain bike racing, after an early season on the road. Before switching to wider tyres, the South African time trial champion will start at the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday, 20 April, and the Tour de Romandie from 29 April to 4 May.

Off-road stage racing has already been taking place this week, too. The 10th edition of 4Islands Epic got underway on Tuesday, 15 April. Starting with a Prologue time trial on the island of Lošinj, after the initial Prologue on Unije had to be replanned due to adverse weather. Stayed on Lošinj for Stage 1 before travelling to Cres for Stage 2. Going into the weekend, on Krk, Buff Megamo and Cannondale ISB Sport lead the UCI Men’s and Women’s categories, respectively. Hans Becking and Wout Alleman hold a 6 minute and 37 second advantage over Nicholas Pettinà and Ramon Vantaggiato, of KTM Spada Powered by Brenta Brakes 2. HEXATRI are 3rd, a further 1 minute and 49 seconds back. Monica Calderon and Tessa Kortekaas’s lead is 1 minute and 29 seconds in the women’s race over Bianca Haw and Vera Looser of Safari Essence Efficient Insure. Cannondale ISB Sport 2 are 3rd, 5 minutes behind their teammates.

To read more about 4Islands Epic and all the other mountain biking news covered by Diverge, visit Diverge.info:

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