Both British XCC hopefuls pipped on the line in thrilling finishes to opening Elite Mountain Bike World Championships

Evie Richards and Charlie Aldridge both came within a photo finish of winning gold in the Elite XCC Mountain Bike World Championships on Thursday. Laura Stigger of Switzerland won the women's race, coming from the back with a well timed sprint to pip defending champion Richards. In the next race, the Men's Elite XCC, Adrian Boichis, the young Frenchman who defeated Van der Poel in Les Gets last week, just got the better of Aldridge on the line.

Austria's Laura Stigger became the women's mountain bike Short Race world champion on Thursday. Lead WorldTour road cyclist Puck Pieterse (NED) got off to a strong start but ultimately had to drop back in the decisive phase. Britain's Evie Richards rode a strong race for second place despite suffering serious crashes in the early parts of the year.

The first half of the race was a cagey affair. On lap four, Swiss Ronja Blöchlinger came together with her teammate Alessandra Keller, costing the defending champion a proper defense of her title. She was forced into a frantic chase, but was not able to make the difference. At the front, Jenny Rissveds set the tempo and led the Short Track almost to the end.

On the final lap Evie Richards took control, only to be overhauled on the finish line by Stigger, who nicked it on the line in an incredibly close photo finish. The 26-year-old Austrian had already won a Short Track in Val di Sole, at the 2023 World Cup round.

“I have no words. These have been really difficult weeks," Said Stigger. "But I had so much support from my coach, who is always by my side, and from my family, who were here cheering for me. Jenny Rissveds set a furious pace, but in the end I came out of the last corner well and won. Val di Sole is a special place for me. I have goosebumps. This is a dream coming true,” the new World Champion concluded.

Adrien Boichis won the men’s Short Track race at the Mountain Bike World Championships. In a very exciting race, the Frenchman proved too strong in the sprint for Charlie Aldridge (Great Britain) and Luca Martin (France), who took silver and bronze. On Sunday, the winner of this race will face off against Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock in the Men's Elite XCO.

Adrien Boichis had shown what a talent he is by beating Van der Poel last week in Les Gets. It was the Chilean Vidaurre Kossmann who took the lead, but Charlie Aldridge (Great Britain) took over. However, we saw the Frenchman Boichis and his compatriot Luca Martin lurking in the background. They were perhaps the two top favorites for the day.

Victor Koretzky, the defending champion, was already having a less-than-ideal season and was once again quite far back in the pack. It was tough to move up on the lightning-fast course, but it was also difficult to make a difference. So the pack stayed together, but we did see a sort of mini-breakaway form with the top favorites.

Briton Aldridge put in a very strong performance and often took the lead, but Boichis took over in the sixth lap and pushed hard uphill. His compatriots Martin and Mathis Azzarro kept up easily, but Aldridge and Swiss rider Dario Lillo also stayed with the group. The rest of the field closed in as well, but it became increasingly clear who would be in contention for the podium spots.

Germany’s Luca Schwarzbauer and the American Bjorn Riley also joined the lead group. A group of about ten riders remained with four laps to go. Things were quiet for a moment, but with two laps to go, the battle began. Boichis picked up the pace, but Aldridge responded. Suddenly, we also saw Sam Gaze—a two-time Short Track world champion who had been out of sight all year—up front as well.

The New Zealander joined the fray. Boichis entered the final lap in the lead, with Aldridge on his wheel. Aldridge took the lead again and opened up a small gap: Boichis and Martin wanted to follow, but so did Riley and Tobias Lillelund (Switzerland). They turned out to be the strongest, but no gap was created. It came down to a sprint, where Aldridge started out in the lead but Boichis easily overtook him.

1. Laura Stigger (Austria)
2. Evie Richards (Great Britain)
3. Sina Frei (Switzerland)

1. Adrian Boichis (France)