UCI World Cup form can betray reality in an Olympic mountain biking year. Riders might be saving themselves for Olympic glory in France, sacrificing UCI performance but the Ineos Grenadiers lead riders have Olympic ambitions and were strikingly on-form in the Czech Republic. 

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The first ‘real’ XCO of the season

What made the Nové Mĕsto event most noteworthy was the return of Tim Pidcock and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, who had both missed the season’s opening two events in Brazil. Pidcock and Ferrand-Prévot are always potential winners in any race they enter, and their absence in Brazil created an artificial sense of hierarchy for this season’s UCI XCO racing. The Ineos Grenadiers’ star riders started their season at a venue where they are untouchable. 

CAhZnRWIY3OVwdAuBKVzFTFSj7A0jJQj3hFPCKBk.jpg, by Liam Mercer

Before the weekend’s racing, Pidcock had never ridden to anything but a win at Nové Mĕsto, in a men’s elite UCI World Cup event. Pidcock’s teammate, Ferrand-Prévot, tallied three Nové Mĕsto victories before this year’s event, and there was little doubting her motivation in a final pro racing season. 

Nové Mĕsto is one of the most established venues in UCI XCO racing, and the course has evolved with an enhanced grade of technical features. Add rain and resultingly muddy conditions, and Nové Mĕsto becomes one of the most challenging races when hassling for position in a stacked pro field. 

The XCC short-course race saw Victor Koretzky take the win from Christopher Blevins, with Thomas Litscher completing the podium. Pidcock could not assert himself in the XCC race, with Swiss legend, Nino Schurter, also failing to finish in the top five. In the women’s XCC race, Alessandra Keller won, followed in second by Ferrand-Prévot and Haley Batten in third. Former Olympic gold medallist Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds crashed heavily, suffering a facial injury during the XCC race, forcing her to withdraw from the full course XCO. 

The true Olympic form reveals

Although only two months out from a home Olympics, Ferrand-Prévot proved that her final UCI season is anything but a benefit ride. The French off-road cycling phenom used her technical riding skills to get into a strong position early in the race, taking advantage of the course's muddy, rooty, step-section. From there, Ferrand-Prévot’s powerful climbing meant she was never troubled and won by just over a minute, from Haley Batten, with Alessandra Keller in third, 

Considering his dominance of recent Nové Mĕsto events, Pidcock was unquestionably the favourite. The British rider had precious little mountain bike training time thus far this season, with road riding commitments occupying his schedule, but true to his generational talent, Pidcock delivered. 

Despite the Nové Mĕsto trail surface’s caking mud adding weight to disadvantaging ultra-light riders, Pidcock used his outstanding technical riding skills and climbing power to humble the elite men’s field. Pidcock conquered the slickest and most treacherous rock gardens at speed, and on Nové Mĕsto’s longer climb, he ensured that nobody could shrink his advantage before speeding ahead in the technical singletrack sections. 
Pidcock’s fourth successive Nové Mĕsto win was at a 32-second margin to UCI XCO’s greatest-ever rider, Nino Schurter, with Marcel Guerrini trailing a further 44 seconds behind to finish third. 

2024 ferrand prevot riding.jpg, by Liam Mercer

In an Olympic year where Ferrand-Prévot carries a significant expectation to take gold at home, the Nové Mĕsto win will buoy her confidence and certainly rank her as the favourite for Paris. 

Defending men’s Olympic champion Pidcock looks untouchable after Nové Mĕsto, although Schurter will be riding his fifth Olympics in Paris and wishes to finish her career with gold. 

Illustrating how comfortable and in-form Pidcock is this season, he rode to his Andorran home base after the Czech Republic race. Pidcock covered the 140-mile distance in 7:38:05, proving that his ambitions of riding the Tour de France, which finishes a week before the Olympics, might just be part of an extraordinary year of achievements for the British rider. 

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