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What you need to know about the XCO World Cup in Nové Město
It's time for Round 3 of the 2022 Mercedes-Benz UCI Cross-country Mountain Bike World Cup for 2021, and we're off to the Czech Republic.
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Nové Město routinely provides some of the most exciting cross-country racing on the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup calendar. No wonder it is a firm favourite track of the riders who take part in the World Cup, and probably the reason why Nové Město has been a regular on UCI World Cup calendar over the last 10 years.
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What's the schedule for the 2022 Nové Město World Cup
- May 13 – UCI MTB World Cup Nové Město XCC
Watch the racing live on Red Bull TV from 4.50pm UTC:
XC short track final – Nové Město
Watch the action from the women's and men's XC short track races on the newly modified cross-country course.
- May 15 – UCI MTB World Cup Nové Město XCO Women Final
Watch the racing live on Red Bull TV from 10am UTC:
Women's XCO final – Nové Město
Watch the action from the women's XCO race at Nové Město na Moravě on the newly modified cross-country course.
- May 15 – UCI MTB World Cup Nové Město XCO Men Final
Watch the racing live on Red Bull TV from 2pm UTC:
Men's XCO final – Nové Město
Watch the action from the men's XCO race at Nové Město na Moravě on the newly modified cross-country course.
Related
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What's the track like?
The secret to Nové Město's popularity among the riders? Well, the track boasts a series of short, sharp climbs punctuated by fast, flowing descents. In short, those who race here find it an enjoyable ride despite the 3.9km course being relentless in its nature.
The climbs are obviously lung-busting, but they're relatively straight forward if the weather is dry. The first of those climbs – the Shimano Expert Climb – is filled with rocks, and if it is raining it can become tricky to climb due to lack of grip. The downhill sections mirror the kind of fun, engaging trails that most mountain bikers savour riding with fast rocky, rooty descents. A flowy pump track section towards the end of the course offers the riders some respite before they enter the Vysočina Arena where the start/finish line is situated.
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XCO track explanation – Nové Město
Denmark's Sebastian Fini takes us through the technical cross-country course at Nové Město na Moravě.
More on the Mercedes-Benz Mountain Bike World Cup
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Where are we racing?
Nové Město na Moravě is a small town in the Vysočina region, pretty much slap bang in the centre of the Czech Republic. In Czech and Slovak languages, Nové Město literally means 'New Town'. With 10,500 people calling it home, the town itself is relatively compact in stature.
An idyllic setting for some cross-country
© Bartek Woliński/Red Bull Content Pool
Fields as far as the eye can see
© Bartek Woliński/Red Bull Content Pool
The grandstand will be quieter than usual this year
© Bartek Woliński/Red Bull Content Pool
Nové Město is famous in the Czech Republic for being the centre of biathlon in the country. The Vysočina Arena next to the town hosts regular biathlon events and the area sees a regular influx of domestic tourists seeking some winter sports fun. In the spring and the summer, mountain biking is the sport that dominates the area in and around the town. No doubt this has been helped by it hosting the mountain biking World Cup here since 2011.
Given the lack of any great gradient around the course, it's an easy course to navigate for spectators and the huge rock garden towards the start of the lap allows plenty of chances for people to get around the course and see the racing up close.
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What happened last time out in Nové Město
Athletes and teams arriving in Nové Město for the 2021 edition of the Mercedes-Benz UCI Cross-country Mountain Bike World Cup were met with weather and course conditions that were distinctly wet in nature. The athletes who started Friday's XCC also had to contend with getting used to a slightly different course from what's been used in previous years. Riders faced a slightly longer course at 1.5km with an additional climb being added along with a new short, technical rock garden section.
It's all mud and games
© Bartek Wolinski
The XCC racing began with the women, and it was the American Haley Batten who came out on top. France's Loana Lecomte came in second with Sweden's Jenny Rissveds in third. The men's XCC saw the Netherland's Mathieu van der Poel and Britain's Tom Pidcock duel it out for the win in a epic sprint finish. Van der Poel just about did enough to nudge ahead of Pidcock to take the win, with Jordan Sarrou in third.
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Men's XCC finish – Nové Město
Tom Pidcock and Mathieu van der Poel sprint for the win at the XCC men's race at Nové Město on May 14, 2021.
Track conditions hadn't improved greatly by the time the main XCO racing took place on Sunday. Loana Lecomte dominated the women's race, leading from the opening lap to the last. Haley Batten finished in second place. Australia's Rebecca McConnell came third.
Lecomte looked extremely relaxed for such a big win
© Bartek Wolinski
The men's race also saw one rider dominate proceedings. Pidcock attacked van der Poel on Lap 3 and never looked back, riding away solo to the finish on Lap 6. In the end Pidcock won the race by a minute from the Dutchman. Switzerland's Mathias Flückiger took third place.
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Tom Pidcock wins his first UCI MTB World Cup at Nové Město
Tom Pidcock crosses the finish line to win the Nové Město XCO men's race on May 16, 2021.
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Who's going to win the XCO in 2022
With Nové Město coming just a week after the end of the Albstadt World Cup it's easy to see who has good condition and form going into the race in the Czech Republic.
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XCO final highlights – Albstadt
Here’s what went down on the hillside of Albstadt for the second UCI XCO battle of 2022.
Tom Pidcock returned to mountain bike racing with a bang in Albstadt, winning the men's race and with some ease. Having won in Nové Město last year, the Brit is easily the standout favourite to win again. He stated after his win in Albstadt that he still had some full gas to give going into racing at Nové Město. Elsewhere, Nino Schurter and Romanian Vlad Dascălu look the best of the rest given their podium returns already this season. Mathias Flückiger also looked good in Albstadt and was up in the lead group before a puncture put an end to his ambitions in Germany.
A seamless return to mountain bike racing for Tom Pidcock
© Bartek Woliński/@wolisphoto
We're fairly sure Rebecca McConnell can't quite believe the start to her 2022 season. Two World Cup wins already in the XCO and a maiden XCC win. Her growing confidence saw her stamp her authority on the race in Albstadt, and who's not to say she won't lead from the front again in Nové Město.
Among the other women, Austria's Mona Mitterwallner is climbing up the podium places race by race. If she can get a faster start from the opening lap she may just be able to get away from others in the style of Loana Lecomte, and disappear over the horizon.
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