FULL RACE | Women’s U23 XCO World Cup Crans Montana | UCI Mountain Bike World Series

The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series returns in Crans Montana, Switzerland. Watch the U23 riders battling it out once again in what promises to be another unmissable race.

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The UCI Mountain Bike World Series unites mountain bike’s major formats under a single brand for the first time. The new UCI Mountain Bike World Series includes the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup for Cross-country Olympic (XCO), Cross-country Short Track (XCC), Cross-country Marathon (XCM), Downhill (DHI), Enduro (EDR) and E-enduro (E-EDR).

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and an action-packed day of racing here in cron Montana gets underway at the UCI cross country World Cup carahan leads them away El McLean har going well in the middle as is M Monroe as they head up towards the first hair pin B to turn left and head up the hill Carla Hound making a break for it early OE yeah not a great start by Emily Johnson just getting sucked back in the pack a little bit with saw this yesterday the 23 menri is so important to get some clear air headed into the first descent at the top of this climb yes we got one start Loop today and then four laps and this start Loop same as the xcc circuit his long climb about minute and a half 2 minutes and then into the woods like you say but it’s really important to get a good position yeah M monu on the number three bike in the white jersey for track the middle your picture going well the rider to her right caraan still has a lead by a nose you see how Riders battling really far down to stay on the really really wide asphalt road but positioning absolutely crucial on lap one this is the hard one today it’s up this road section so much drag on the tires on the mud tires but then we as soon as you drop into the woods it’s so slippery got first descent shoot couple of little climbs and then the roots and rolls Red Bull section it’s causing in chaos yesterday and they will be on F mod today won’t they yeah 100% yeah obviously there’s tires Wi on a on a real fast flat day you could use a tire it’s almost like a file tread on just with a little bit of an edge an intermediate Tire does what it says on the tin the of everything but to day full muds lot of traction honestly man the might times have asked bar over the years will they be on full mud today no it’s a relief to hear yes finally but look at the conditions up the top of the climb then really really wet sticky it’s actually it’s a funny one if you’re if you’re new to mountain bike racing this is kind of the most difficult conditions whenever it’s been really wet and it’s drying mug can get really sticky cling to the bikes fill the tires up oh the trinks the trinks par nudged out by a teammate but this time here you see once you go back into the Deep Woods then the sun hasn’t had an impact and it’s more slippery and this section now is just pure grass there’s hardly any traction at all and then we drop down a really difficult section through the woods and then it’s got a quite a lip that drops onto the road and the mud’s been getting dragged onto the road and making it super slick there our first look of kirab bomb in the red and white oh Ryder going down there just toppling over the left hand side of the [Music] track Louis doberman doberman going down then just over the left hand side see a couple of multi-line options few Riders taking that easier kind of b line or second option to the left which actually at the moment a lot faster once you get into traffic let’s have a look at the start again then you see caraan in the red jersey in the center of your screen there just blasting away Good Start M mle how as well straight into the pedals and off Emily Jackson just bubbled a little bit they well have been briefed by the teams as well look you see the big cloud just straight in front was there hopefully it stays over there and doesn’t head this way we had enough moisture this week but yeah they brief by the team managers and the coaches get yourself out there get out in front get clear yeah and the teams today everyone would have done a lap earlier not necessarily the Riders but either one of the staff or the the technical coach would have all done a lap and just come back and confirm the tires well it’s migan monu front now Valentina Cory Ming she had a poor short track and was back way at 27th on the grid so did a great first start clim she’s had good World Cup campaign so far fifth or third or 12th or fourth I respect the pro move of corvy today they go full sunglasses and white socks punching it’s a b move such are the conditions out there on course so that is the start Loop then completed what was the short track yesterday evening you can see the gaps already we’ve had that shoot down didn’t quite may we looking back at the start but that that shoot down caus absolute chaos so slippery Kira B who was winner of the first two races absolutely unbeatable in Brazil coming back to Europe just struggling a little bit with form and in the short track had a one Crasher at the bottom of that shoot there’s Emily Johnson track futurus and took a win in that short track race which kicked off this weekend’s racing here in Switzerland and really really clever race from Johnson as well looked like she’d sort of figured out the piercing she’s figured out the attacks yeah good in the technical and the muddy stuff and you it’s different in these conditions you get some riders that they’re technically amazing in terms of the big features the jumps but not so good in the mud the more kind of bit finesse that you have to do to have some more technical mud riding on the routes you can see clear a bomb there in the red and white jersey further back in the shot just trying to bridge across this front group now on the first climb proper Corby glued to the back of migan Monroe doesn’t want let her get away Monroe good short track yesterday for just off the back of johnon and yeah full of fight at the moment really pushing on on this Main Road climb and we’ve almost got kind of four climbs on this circuit this road one and then three big ones in the woods in the M there was Monique halter in the European champ Jersey the white and blue for thas Maxon Swiss racing a loot of support for Thomas Maxon here their home R in Switzerland yeah Olivia and SD as well had a cracking season so I’ve been really impressed with her you know real fighter comes back good at the end great climber and you can see her technical skills as the series is going on improving she started a season on a hard tail no drop approach which riding r a rash here in Brazil fear of life into me yeah they’ve got her a full sauce now and it’s it’s definitely working for her this is where the mud begins properly now this off camber sort of St it’s difficult here it’s slightly uphill here and real camber to the track and everything about it is trying to make the real whe just slip outside but there’s just this kind of hard pack line just to the right side but it’s line up here at the moment caran moving backwards slightly so Cory reminding then she obviously to push up that clim yeah two line options on this one there a steep steep little kick up which is super roty just to the left you can ride um if you get it right and you just hop over a couple little routes but it’s but it is difficult and can cost time so bit of a hard one to decide and we see lots of sections on this course where there’s in the natural sections there’s multi-line options it’s not just tapes really narrow dropping into the root and the climbs as well and it’s just having this real kind of like ideal skill where you can just lock in a line looking ahead anticipating picking the roots picking the mud section it’s kind of a real mud SK like a psycho cross skill really yep Josh Carson reporting in from the start line he said really interesting Madan Monroe she didn’t watch the start screen she just stared just underneath creates a quicker reflex he reckons marginal gamees marginal gains it’s a long long old fight this one today but battle playing out already on the start line migan Monroe it’s working for her so far yeah Johnson just coming back on as well and riding smart there so just maintaining momentum and see today sometimes the bike you’ll just feel it that just start to slow down is Johnson going to stay on now on this higher line whilst Monroe gets off and pushes no Haven it Abandoned Ship but a skill today is just before you feel that bike com into a hold you’re off you’re trying to maintain it’s kind of a bad bad technique to come to a dead stop you want if impossible anticipate that the bike’s going to stop and then get off before maintaining back on honesty staying in the saddle getting her way up there bit of a bit of a diagonal route up that climb but she’s managed to stay on and anesti was just aiming for that right side on the tape just trying to find a bit of that green grass is always good grip if you can find a bit of green but you can see Kira bomb there it is tricky OE cuz you can just sort of you can trick yourself into riding a lot slower can’t you than if you were running yeah sometimes it’s it seem as negative to run but conditions like this and sometimes it’s a it’s a real benefit and you can just maintain skill and when you get bogged down as well they end up in a huge gear and it’s a lot of torque puts a lot of stress on the muscles oh that’s exactly what you don’t want as a bike parked across your line see Gina just smart move there just dropping the dropper down one W walking for this next section this one really really rutted and troughed out from yesterday’s under 23 men’s Reus Luca martan we saw him struggle through there he saw a really tough little shoot that Roots his way in and there’s a few sections like that where again off campas steep big big routs coming across Emily Johnson four for the minute there for our short track winner from earlier in the weekend Monro on SD corvy your leaders 13 seconds back to third place now for Monro so we have seen this from Madan Monro in the past where she starts really really aggressively and then just kind of can get sucked in the moving backwards a wee but El mlan H six place there 38 seconds back off the leader for the British Rider should have no fear of the mud yeah there’s a definite mud skill and the more you ride the mud the more conditions you have to do in the winter you you do get used to it it doesn’t cause you problems mentally you can cope with it you know how to handle the bike the mud in the gears mle how I say just super smooth cling on B Bart I talked about it during the Men’s Under 23 race yesterday evening and it’s it becomes very easy to overthink these conditions doesn’t it let them get in your head and and mentally as well in the mud everyone will have a crash today of some sort you know you’re going to have an off you’re going to have an issue the bike at some point will have a small technical problem we saw Bor and Riley struggle yester if Bor and riy struggling then you know it’s tough out there yeah this is a really tough section the fastest line is right to the far left but you have to jump jump that huge big route you drop off that big route don’t you nasty triod away Diner gets it done French national champion corvy hangs a leg off as well both feet out for oh for Emily Johnson but manages to get Diner but it’s super steep that section yeah good J and then we’re into this hard climb which could be a run could be a walk you can see Emily Johnson trying to just anticipate like you said earlier on there and get off the bike before it comes to a halt but this bit super super tough is on going to clean this yeah she’s siding so well probably got to say and this is where the tires come in you know some of the Riders will have more of that intermediate so faster rolling but not be able to hook up in the mud and I I I would be on a full mod today 100% here bomb then down at the bottom of that descent kir B forced to walk clean how still able to ride I still it still blows me away whenever you this section is where Bor Riley got caught out at one stage towards the end of the race here evening some fresher drier material put down there there is the timber garden section it’s actually we’ve got the big man-made section but just after here super off camber quite Steep and it’s got a big right turn just as they’re dropping now and it’s a really tough section you’re just trying to keep the weight on the outside pedal but there’s no Ru burm just as we are here now no real BM on this corner and everything about it’s trying to push you towards those trees at the bottom yeah M mon manages to hit that little shelf that’s form there yeah staying clipped in good work good riding yeah it still blows my mind I think if you if you ride m bikes or you know endural trail bikes what cross country Riders call a mud tire in very very different from what everyone else in m bik and would call a mud tire yeah no Maxis shorties out here today no there’s no shorties out there sadly slight it’s very like it’s incremental isn’t it a very slightly taller tread profile and a bit space between the a little bit of space so the mud can clear what happens if you’ve got a a TI that still might have the the depth from the tread but if a pat it too close it packs the mud in it can’t escape and then you end up basically with a slick tire so it’s mon from Manesty Cory Johnson and mle O Monroe just on off camber looking super comfortable staying clipped in good weight on the outside foot carrying speed there Emily Johnson through the Tech Zone it was a busy place yesterday that Tech Z with punctures and wheel changes and OE this weeks like this is where professional bike mechanics earn their money isn’t it yeah they get the odd Sunny time and they can just cruise around Lube the OB chain I’m going to get shot this but no this weekend every time every practice lap bike needs to get stripped all weekend five six times the Riders will be out on different occasions and every time they’ve got to strip the whole bike back it’s got to be perfect every time and then on race day as well we saw yesterday under 23 men it was pretty sunny and dry and then while they were warming up in the pens it absolutely threw it down so we had Tire changes we had mud guards going on under a lot of pressure this weekend the mechanic next yeah long nights and I think it’s just all the staff in general and the riders in the muddy conditions everyone’s just got to work that much harder everyone has to do more practice laps you know the course is constantly changing there will be somebody who would have ridden the course or ran the course this morning from all the teams to check the tires to check the course come back feed back and we saw a lot of the skill cour skill coaches track Factor Oscar size yesterday I don’t I can’t believe how many laps it must be 30 40 every time I was out I saw him on the course just lap after lap working out with different Riders here is a crash then from a second ago kab bomb yeah oh think hopefully she finds something soft enough to land in but you can see all that crash started three or four bik lengths from where she landed just washed the front yeah not happy very stiff with the handle bars not loose not able to absorb that drop off next thing is like gets pitched to the side you go off balance but Kira bom is it’s really difficult for her at the moment she’s the current overall leader in the start of the season in Brazil she won both short tracks and both cross countries looked like she was going to just walk away with this Series this year but then came back to Europe forms maybe dropped a bit confidence maybe a bit of bow and then Isabella homr popped up smashed everyone CCH Republic and Val the young Rider Canadian from track little missing this weekend but the kind of it it’s an opportunity for The Other Women to come back and try and get a result but Thea bomb’s under a lot of pressure at the moment yeah Isabella hren what a pair of performances they were absolutely just blew them all away yeah another multi-discipline star onesty in the lead now ahe of [Music] Monroe they just come up to the first time to this big rock garden feature [Music] four lines we haven’t got an A and we got an AB c d this the first time I’ve ever seen it yeah and they’ve they have rotated those around as to what’s on this is the be line but it’s it’s pretty much the straightest shot down into this corner of the b line gives you the nicest entry into those rocks I say a corner that is just basically a pile of big rocks isn’t it yeah and the b line that’s the one that they’ve adapted during this week before the a was a big drop off the B was was a medium drop off and they’ve just put a little ramp to roll down so you can now roll the be line um and I think it’s a real great combination of it’s still fast but it’s quite a safe line as well it’s really it’s really blind as well isn’t it vision’s really really hard into it which makes you know flying through midair on a bike that bit more difficult when you can’t see where you’re going 100% you start it you’re climbing uphill before you drop in so here we have the waterfall section then treacherous on EST on the B line as she heads down through those stacked turns unclips briefly manages to get her foot back on the pedal again yeah so in on these tough mountain bike circuits we will get multiple line choices when something’s really difficult it normally they try the designers will try and make sure that the difference between the different lines a B and C is about two to 3 seconds on each one so there’s a small penalty for taking that b line saw nesty do it but I think on that particular section the Ali super difficult we’ve got a gap jump into a steep section it’ll be interesting in the elites later on how many clear it on EST first time leading the UCI cross country World Cup is this a difficult one to sort of I don’t know shut your brain up a bit and just focus on the job at hand yeah will this be a big moment for her I think as French champ she’s won some big races before currently seeing the French Champs top so she knows how to win races but putting it together in a world cup but yeah I think you just lock in in a day like today it’s it’s it’s very like I said before very difficult mentally because you are going to get slips you’re it’s you’re not going ever going to get the perfect race today even we saw Riley Amos yesterday bu Riley were both having issues during crash into the TCH zone for Cory nasty on the car oh looks like she’s in some pain as well which you can well imagine just hit the asphalt the front end folded underneath her hobbling to her feet now on EST right onto the hip as well oh we’ve all had the a big dead hip has a gel yeah that’ll help thanks on she goes I just need to get that moving quickly watch this just to a shot yeah and obviously the mud the TIR is completely full of mud and we can just see on the T that mud just getting drifted down into the corner oh poor old Valentina corvy third at the minute down into fourth now we talked about it a bit yesterday o during the under 23 men’s race is that it’s kind of a catch 22 the tires fill with mud and the thing that clears them is speed but whenever you’ve got no grip at speed because your tires are full of mud things that that can happen it’s just the the the combination of mud and drying mud as well asphal different tire com it it’s so tender the tires today I could talk about it for about an hour and a half before everyone’s but tires today are super critical if you get the right tires stare you fly if you’re going to get the wrong tires you won’t even be able to go straight saw earlier in the week when it was really really wet we saw a lot of riders out on a softer mud front tire and a regular mud compound uh for the reare because there was so much moisture around kind of a double soft wasn’t really necessary but now has it started to dry and get a bit clingy and it is heating up out there I say that very cautiously cuz every time I’ve said that this week has emptied shortly afterwards so M Monro back in the lead of this one now 6 seconds ahead of onest so they’re not quite together but they are distancing themselves from the rest of the pack but this is the part of the course where onest you feel is really dangerous up this big long climb yeah probably the best pure climber on the circuit in the under 23s at the moment and this road climb up here it’s about about take about 2 minutes stay in the slightly slower conditions that you’re going to get in XO you can see right the saddle and moving night on EST Emily Johnson’s just crossed the line 35 seconds back off the lead in third place this asphalt climb is just it flattens out just to touch but then we climb up into the woods and A lot’s been said about the descents on this course but it really is a tough climbing circuit yeah every inch of it tough really that is the thing about this technical challenge in CR Montana to test her the whole way around not dis similar in some ways to noao Namar in terms of it’s very hard to get a break on it there’s there there aren’t many places to rest but the climbs longer here compared to nevero that’s more Punchy stuff definitely still a climber circuit but these ones are just the length of them especially in the difficult conditions today it’s yeah going to be super difficult there’s Emily Johnson then track future and what a season that squad’s having yeah Lis Alman as well the German just coming through now poor short track had to start 31st on the GD but ninth in ofo so she got form we saw dber have that tip over as well on lap one there Cory seems to have recovered after that spill in the Tech Zone yeah good to see it get up and get going again lost position but you’ll quite quickly forget about that and get up to speed as you said everyone’s going to have a crash today so by our clocks in the booth on estd has brought it back to 5 Seconds the Gap to Madan mon at the front night as they head into this climbing section on EST stay on the bike until the very last minute curs the commentator anesty on these technical muddy climbs he’s riding really really well staying on the bike well looking for those edges trying to find a bit of grip where it’s possible Monroe just relying on probably more horsepower at the moment andd relying on skill just to clear these sections again we take this left turn then it climbs up again into the Deep Woods the mud gets worse those gaps going out now Johnson third 32 seconds you see absolutely nothing to choose between these two now just whenever we get into the climing sections on Esty is he able to R up towards the back of Monroe there we go good skills both off and running before the bike stopped and again it’s it’s difficult pushing a bike so hard on the on the cars on your back on your upper body pushing a heavy mudfield bike up the hills on nasty a teacher teacher and training whenever she’s not training are on a race bike four times a French national champion as well so here we see just passing Monroe Monroe just needs to hang in there get to top of the climb I think Technically she’s got the edge over anesti and an’s just got the upper hand on the climb so be a bit of a seesaw battle it’s kind of balancing itself out perfectly this one isn’t it it’s a war of attrition out the front third place behind them Emily Johnson and we have seen this from Johnson this season where she’s perfectly capable of just taking her time and riding back to the front of her race and being there right when it counts towards the end yeah one of their skills this year has been a consistency so far this year had three times on the podium at four races so she used to just plugging away getting it done but not with a win in the xco this year yeah one in the short track earlier in the weekend would dearly love to do the double and come on but she has got two Riders up the road in front of her by 30 seconds now Monroe and oneste and you can see that section looks like it is dry and get the sticky Ollie yeah he just come around the corner but we saw it again those skills getting off the bike getting off quick getting the run on Al McLean H currently in sixth place for the British Rider ahead of Monique halter the highest placed Swiss rider for tumas across young Stars feeder team for thas Max and Factory Squad we do have Alexander Keller Matas Fluker coming up later on this afternoon in the elite level races R now onest has gone on this climb and this is what we talked about this is where onesti seems to be able to yeah it’s a big long time and the game we get onto those muddy switch backs in a second it’s a long time we’re almost you know five 5 minutes or so of of being on the gas before you get a recovery here a bomb the overall points leader in the red and white jersey eighth place at the minute for the German yeah she needs to regroup now after that crash just get back in her Rhythm keep positive that can be extremely tough when conditions are like today yeah we will see a few riders in this race and also in the elite women’s and men’s later on as well where psychologically you just one mistake then another mistake then you keep drifting back the position is not where you would ever want to be and then eventually just go you know what I’m out you know there a crackage in the mud you get some you’re always going to get a few dnfs in these conditions ring the bell ref yep absolutely uh top work from Bjorn Riley in yesterday’s race where he had a crash needed to come into the Tech Zone as we see on nesty tripod in Way D descend gets it done had a crash had to call in The Tech Zone to get his stem handlebar stem straightened sa yeah crisis management at the end of that one and uh hands covered in mud and just start cleaning them on his mechanic ja I impressed by that good skills good thinking but it was an it just shows that mental strength you know you’re in a position that you would like then you drop back there’s Al mcle H young Brett on screen night sixth place today 1 minute 29 Ollie is it is it fair to say say that British Riders you know Riders from colder climbs will be more used to this stuff or is the amount of training these Young Riders doing different parts of the world kind of neutralizing that it does make a difference 100% I was always happy if I got a mud race i’ my position for the same level of Fitness would always be up a notch so I remember Nick Craig classic British racer he almost be in a rain dance the day before he used to love the mud even more than me and he was get his best results and we see Riders Canadians historically espe East Coast always it’s rainy up there the whole time and then they’re always out in the trails riding the routs oh look turned up that is getting Johnston oh and behind her so I think it’s partly living living in the climbs where you get muddy terrain and then the other part is actually going out and practicing in it that’s the other section so some Riders off chain is off for dman and that is two gloves Absolut Ely filled with chain lube and mod about to go on the foam handlebar grips that’s a nightmare itself I think dwan she’s having the best performance of the year so far so I think that makes such a difference psychologically you’ll get back on the bike you’ll get over it and you’ll stay positive it’s when you’re having a what you would call a bad day personally and then you have a problem that’s where the issues come and this is it you said everyone’s going to crash in there in that shot you saw Valentina corvy a straight away onto the back of dman having crashed already herself in the Texas but the leader on EST paring her way out of that feed Tech Zone looking really good yeah and you mentioned be Riley EST U23 is a classic example of it’s not the race isn’t done till it’s done went down big crash Dro back to fifth had to stop in a Tech Zone fought back got back to Second and regained the positions he’d lost so you know it’s um it’s about remaining positive today well I don’t want to speak too soon but Josh Carlson has just walked past the commentary booth window holding an umbrella the umbrella has not been unfurled yet so it’s not raining just yet but the big man’s ready should arrive see Gap going in Johnson just under a minute now that pressure from anesti from the front really piling it on on these [Music] climbs onesty looking super strong today best we’ve seen her yeah and technically as well we saw going on that descent tripoding down doing really well on the climbs on and off the bike it’s interesting we saw at the start of the year on the big man-made sections in a r not yeah relatively struggling and then on the more more yeah muddy slippery conditions riding really really well yeah this track really I mean following in the footsteps of that second round in Arisha really lifting the level of technicality in the sport we see Corby then just going through the tech feed zone so this is an area where they can’t take bottles here but they can take things to you know flat tires but we saw taking a bottle just to put spray on her cogs there just trying to clean out the mud from the rear cassette making the gears work better again just another thing to think about isn’t it in the mud yeah and as the mud gets stickier it dries out it really get clogged down in the gear especially in the rear cogs and it’s trying to keep those running and eventually sometimes you get to the end of the race and you’re kind of almost picking the gears at work you might have one or two [Music] available on this long climb up with the Drone you can see just the roots coming out off the ground as the week has gone on here this section here like you said before it’s similar to nesto in its gradient but also its technicality no recovery and the Riders having to stay sat in the saddle to get good traction so you can’t use body weights just got to rely on the on the quad and then we drop down here into a little dog leg we got a gap jump here A and B line a gap jump and then we come up the far side and then we’re into that big rock section and NTI last time as well Rod the be line which is really good carrying good speed it’s really really it’s a mentally taxing circuit as well isn’t there you’re thinking the whole way R you’ve got to be on the right line at all times 6 in either way and you can spin ey not enough traction yeah it’s similar to that Nero Vibe where you’ve only got the start finish straight where you can take a drink regroup yourself and then you’re back into it again yeah so anesty leads the way 22 seconds the Gap now to migan Monroe then it’s Emily Johnson 57 seconds now back Johnson so onesty is doing the damage out front of this one just dropping into the B line super hard cuz you climb right up to the lip and you have to keep the pressure on and as you’re climbing the bike gets a bit unstable using the upper body quite a bit and then you’ve got to drop straight in it’s makes it so difficult as I say really unsighted as well just an update for you Carlson’s got the umbrella up now so maybe just a few spots of moisture out there in the air again we’re getting a full run down this descent with aneste we’ve got the the rock garden bit of mud then we drop in now into the water to full section again it just comes thick and fast you can see the water running down that little mam slosh there and see there the two line options B going off to the left hand side steep shoot and it’s all muddy the right we drop down there’s a full Gap jump over the waterfall and then into a steep section into a burm faster but more difficult we are talking about an almost more downhill gravity skill set really of being able to adjust your lines every lap as the track continues to get eaten up and beaten yeah and it’s looking for those ruts trying to give you you know a rut will almost give you the a bit of a burm and give you something to dig into on Esty down past the wild carbon Hotel CR Montana putting on an absolutely spectacular week of riding here for everyone the valet Canton nesty doing a good descent there just gapping Monroe a little bit so it’s kind of it’s kind of a new venue CR Montana but also it’s not brand new to cross country or the UCI World Cup is it we had the UCI uro World Cup here couple of times in the past some of the best stages personally I ever rode were in this part of the world really really good Sher secret and a regular for the Swiss cup their national series and it Swiss Champs last season was on this circuit so we’ve added some extra features for this course but the nuts and bolts of it yeah say a well ridden course good trails but it’s just on this steep Hillside how steep the climbing is and how technical the trails are always going to be yeah the 250th UCI cross country World Cup Switzerland 21 overall UCI World Cup titles as a nation here we go the first time down the Red Bull roots and rolls again it’s an off camera it’s just pushing you towards that right hand sidey piecing it together well though over the roots Ary Tech was don’t look at the tree do not look at the tree the bike goes where the eyes are looking but nesty riding that really well just picking her way through again super steep but it’s the camber that makes it so difficult all trying to push you off towards right and once you’ve got to that right hand lane it’s pretty good for a while but as you drop onto the bottom it’s really slick and we saw riders in the short track yesterday and the U23 men’s just having a load of issues on that bottom left hand turn after that drop down small climb and then it’s into the asphalt and it’s a kind of false flat all the way up through the start and finish so you’re on the pedals the whole time time for Jael though NY just getting rid of Jael rapper eight seconds back you kind of feel that Monro is going to have to dig deep to stay with the French woman on this next set of climes to really avoid her disappearing on her Johnson just getting for forced onto that right hand side but downside is as well you didn’t lose a bit momentum and then you’ve got to hit this climb and we saw Riders further down the field yester the under 23 men’s forced to jump off andun [Music] yeah it’s gone out to over a minute now for Emily Johnson 1 minute 2 seconds back for the Canadian and it’s dber in fourth Alan mle H for the UK in fifth Monroe is not done yet Long Way only halfway 10 seconds I say one mistake on a descent that’s easily 10 seconds and Monroe similar to Johnson been super consistent all year but no win in the X yet yeah Emily Johnson just trying to regroup now St the losses a bit Johnson on that trk future racing team great little setup they’re doing so well great bunch of riders prob got a good vibe and there we go what a lovely couple brenon and Carlson yeah out sharing a Broly out front of the commentary booth now Josh Carlson’s had to make room underneath his umbrella for Bart Brenin two and them staying dry ahead of the elite races coming up later on this afternoon but we’re going to see an overtake in one of the most difficult places of the year to overtake Valentina corvey wow getting it done yeah you see M Clean about halfway down M Clean how just getting hung up in those routs fair play to her she adjusted line instead of trying to fight it went with it got pushed to the right clever riding from Cory that though spot that the rider in front was on trouble on the line that she was on and adjusted accordingly and then you see the momentum now she’s carried from that descent up the next climb gets the Gap there’s no better feeling in M biking whenever the bike’s loaded up on the brakes and you let them off and it’s just like dumping the clutch and the thing just grips underneath you and goes M Clean how in national champs top the best result so far this year 10th place in the X like second in never messed in X had good xcc so far hasn’t quite been able to back up the same performance as XO but so far sixth place today looking good on that single sided suspension fork canale left Theo e iteration of that fork K bomb series leader trying to regroup after that crash having a bad second lap kirom 2 minutes 16 back and seventh good day bad day for you bad day so far so you’d think with Isabella hung and out the winner of the last two races you’re thinking well this is an opportunity for me to get some good series points but also get another win and kind of get back on track and that momentum that she had in Brazil but yeah no seventh place and a and a pretty big off on the on the on the wood section is is not ideal by a long long way Monique halter having a little chat or sing to herself there the European Continental Champion the tumas young star Squad yeah I think it’s really cool with these development squads or or or under 23 Riders on Main squads being able to hang around with these kind of really experienced senior Riders and riding the course with them seeing how they prepare for a race recover from a race how they train I think you can gain so much as an under 23 by riding with the elite guys won Cub’s first ever UCI World Cup in marora Brazil 12th Place forgia kri one of the big Swiss favorites ahead of today formerly on that Tuma Squad made the move to viler Victoria in the off season and still really hasn’t recovered the form that we saw from our last season yeah and S similar to kir bomb a good start in Brazil but then as coming back to Europe and it’s you know a couple of months ago now and starting the season hot but then it’s it proves how difficult is to maintain that form and condition Monroe looking like she’s marching as opposed to running up this climb though three out of four it was 10 seconds going through the start finish dropped another five now I’m really into that Pan-American Champs Jersey I think that’s really cool yeah Haily sporting it as well yep in the [Applause] men’s yeah these gaps just getting blown to bits now 15 seconds onesti has the lead from Monro there she is the leader of the bike race but I say good work rate passed on her feet jumping on the bike super smooth those cross skills put to force and this has been coming from aneste as well hasn’t it throughout the year she’s been getting better and better and as you say one of those Riders who would have looked out the window this morning and thought right I’m having this I mean this is how you ride a World Cup Series last race is six fifth thirdd second we’ve talked about this before but I cannot get down with the mix gloves that that to me is trouble that would blow my mind that’s yeah that’s my tiny mind would be gone at that [Music] I I put Odd Socks on one day and I had the worst day ever and since then I’ve sworn against it but Mo valner also a fan the mix glove is there some sort of psychological benefit it’s interesting talk we talked in the downhill with Aaron Gwyn about the number 13 and he said he always preferred it cuz he said he thought it was an advantage because other people were so superstitious about it and wouldn’t have liked it and oh oh a chain off for care of bomb Oh alarm Bells here thought that was a snap chain then for a second but yeah just looks like it’s just come off the front cogs and this is an issue we’re going to get today is these bikes have one Cog on the front and and 12 on the back and um we don’t have a a derailer some people have a device just to make sure the the front Cog stays on the Chain stays on the front Cog sorry but it’s the downside is once the mud gets packed in you don’t get that grip from the chain ring and then you’re more likely to get slip and but the the chance of Mechanicals day in these conditions goes through the roof compared to a dry day they actually stepped um stepped teeth on the front chain rings with different profiles the grip the chin is UN nesty she takes a chance every time down there you know that Big Wide Bar twice the width of her shoulders gives a good leverage yeah it’s a wide all handle bar isn’t it but that is good power there to been able to power through that deep mud section keep on the gas and then maintain the momentum that’s why she’s leading this bik race on EST she’s been absolutely superb up this particular climb as well all R long hasn’t lost a second up it yeah she’s gained another 6 seconds over Monroe that’s 11 seconds now since we stopped that’s one climb 1 minute 13 back for Emily Johnson as well which gives you a sense of how well on est’s riding at the front clean how place in that Podium position at the [Music] moment this section they much much trickier than it looks really soft Big R you see the bike just getting the huab on down there a weit yeah those drop offs pretty deep not enough to kind of catch the front chain ring as you drop over but what’s happening is they the downside is then they filled it with um chippings but it’s it’s getting deeper and deeper and it’s sucking the front wheel and just trying to encourage the pitch over well an up there for you Bart brenon is left Josh Carlson alone under his umbrella but the umbrella remains up so we are getting spots are in on the commentary Booth window all eyes on the Heavens to see if we’re going to get a pair of wet races for the elites this afternoon in this section here where Monro really good we saw just down the log section just by carrying a bit more speed she didn’t get that kind of bucking effect as she jumped over the logs and just had to maintain some momentum and then we’re into the off camber and this is where she’s going to hopefully I think we’ll close some time back in a nest it’s classic UK rut rider that isn’t it whenever you get a a buck in the middle of a rut it can just the pressure you’ve got on the brake lever can translate to the wheel locking up and then you land with a wheel locked and your troubles just increase from [Music] there third place on a track Like This plus a win in the cross country short track Emily Johnson might just be happy with this weekend’s work so far I think at the moment I think if she stayed in this position with a win in a third she take it and the overall looking good like say another consistent result she has got um a healthy margin of about 33 seconds back to dber and the German behind her we have seen dber off the bike a couple of times so Johnson needs to keep the head here and there’s an overall to fight for as well we’re in round five of eight currently bomb leading that one but Johnson and Monroe hot on the heels temperature dropping out there at the minute as well Alman just getting [Applause] squirly they’re doing a cracking race so far diman looking super aggressive every time we see her in [Music] shot M how just dropping into this section weight back keeping that hips over the bottom bracket [Applause] that uh latest iteration of the canondale cross country race machine scalpel almost like a mini uro bike I don’t think that’s an exaggeration to say really aggressive angles and it will be going well out there today another one going well Cori on the Santa Cruz BL carrying really really good speed on that descent probably closing back a little bit on the clean how really really enjoy watching Valentina Cory race she’s just really aggressive never gives up on everything Kira Bal dropping in really tentative not enjoying these conditions today no not one for her today Kira Bal but you win titles on your bad days very true I will that one out a lot but it is true it is it is true especially in Cross Country Mountain B RAC and the days never it’s stacked against you if you can just get a handful of points yeah we looked at in the men’s Nino shter you know currently back to second now possibility of taking the master offer the absolute Master off the first couple of rounds we were we were talking about Nino having his worst start to a season for years and now all of a sudden the tre’s back on but he crashed really heavily in that first race and was sick all the way back in marora in Brazil that eye infection as well but he raced his heart out for 36th and at the time you’re thinking n 36 but those points he collected then could be the difference between a first and second overall in the back end of the year no second in the UCI World Cup overall the guy leading it isn’t here with a cracked rib and what we’re going to see here is this diber in trouble oh van vanel sorry excuse me oh straight down into that rot and the worst of all IGN minties gets hit by the bike on the way down there isn’t much worse than getting hit by your own bike dant on the lexware team having a cracking weekend so far for the [Music] Germans yeah it’s such mean the overall title races in cross country in the UCI World Cup you really they are essentially one big cross country race in the you’ve got to hang in there and You’ got to keep swinging at it and then all of a sudden you look at and alisandra Keller as well quiet start of the year now right up there yeah really really tough to mean we’re going back from 8 FL all the way through till October the traveling the gaps that you’ve got to try and work out when to train hard and this year recover and this year the Olympic Games right in the middle of it all and the World Championships to 10 big races for a lot of these Riders and that’s the thing it’s one of the things I always find really really interesting about the uh the Olympic Games year is that you have a lot of the the Olympians you know really Under Pressure throughout the whole season and all that does is present the likes of the matisa Aros yeah the possibility to come through make names for themselves no pressure on them whatsoever yeah other than what they put on themselves and all of a sudden as Aro and a chance for the U23 Riders to shine as well there whether domestically or in the World Cup like this and and even an opportunity depending on the selection process so we saw as far as we’re aware Isabella homegrown is going to Canada as a result of winning the last two World Cup races in U2 could well be a force in that Olympic race Isabella hren there is corvey 2 minutes 45 back now for the Italian crashed in the TCH Zone on the second lap tires filled with Mod we’ve seen in races Cory is a real fighter especially today as well going down really hard in that sometimes sometimes even to the point that she delivers people on the bottom of clim because she’s attacking and hasn’t really kind of sorted it out in her head but it’s really combative and really great to watch kir bomb then 3 minutes 1 back off the lead and that’s a pretty miserable looking set of circumstances Jin Cur he’s been in the wars here’s a replay oh horrible crash over the front those ones all you get so long to think about it midair as well yeah it again it went wrong on that first log just got bit out of shape then caught the pedal on the next one straight out the front door thankfully as well pretty soft landing on that way out but you see that a line to the right that’s going to be opened up for the elite men and women in the next races that a line formidable the Red Bull roots and rules section very similar let’s watch onesty the race leader down at n yeah she’s got a real sweet little line just to the side of that tree and then cuts across Cuts back in again there’s a really narrow it’s not even a rut it’s kind of a shelf that you have to get and turn the bike left and point it down towards the bottom of it really smart she’s got not just a fast line but a real safe line through there as well so well worth a bit of a troll on social media to watch uh Riley OS down there last night on 23 man just launching his way D in the worst of conditions absolutely pinning it Amos went five for five last night a another Rider on his way to the Olympic as we see M Monroe really fast down there that middle line was flying down again teammate Monroe hitting that one carrying good speed but not quite getting up the next kick [Music] up nasty kicks the Bell then and heads out onto the final lap four four the French woman has got her first UCI cross country world winr TRS Factory team patially kind of signs that she’s not under pressure just breathing hard good focus and this is it you just need to shut off that bit that starts telling you about what you’re on the verge of and focus on hitting the next Rod yeah one of those Riders we see a few that a lot of riders use a drop seat post so they can get get sent of gravity lower on the more technical sections but anest losing the solid fix post as well so brave move but that’s a style yeah behind her then M Monroe she is 38 seconds back now off the leader but still looking comfortable yeah good Rhythm as well and it’s just about like say today it’s talks about how difficult the conditions are and just maintaining your focus locking into your your pace I think that’s the word isn’t it we see a lot of it under 23 racing you know a stellar lap one lap and then moving backwards on the second lap and it’s that Rhythm here is a big moment though from Emily Johnson oh gets away with it just about just whenever that front wheel started to tuck there I worried for her again it’s that last place so soon as you get pushed over onto the right on that cber you’ve then got nowhere to go if you get a mistake or technical problem whereas if you start on the left if you do make a mistake you can get pushed over we saw clean how the previous lap down just saw Emily Johnson there very very cleverly great awareness looking over at the timing screen as she Rod past the start finish Arch just getting a bit of a situation update and she’s going to find out that dman is about 40 seconds behind at the moment and the lead l races a minute 35 up the road it’s a nice feeling there you’re into that last lap start counting down ticking off the technical sections ticking off the climbs and we saw it in the last lap 23 men’s race last night I mean deep into a race like this with this much mud yeah people can have problems in front of you you can be gifted positions if you just keep things calm nail your lines diman anything but Cal on the bike really going for this one fourth place currently Under Pressure Lisa duberman under pressure from this woman Ella McLean h again cracking Race by the Brits so far this is looking like this one is going to boil Up N nicely on this final up dman versus McLean H and Cory and Cory now this is what I talked about Valentina Cory just so up for the fight at all times and there’s a lot of stake here three Riders Racing for fourth and fifth that sixth place ride is going to go home empty-handed said this yesterday I’ll say it again I love a mod r love a mod R it’s always unpredictable these three are going to take it to the line then by the look of it dber McLean Hile and corvy they’ve all been in the wars at different times here we go this race is on now what we might find is as these three race together that might put a lot of pressure on Johnston as well in third she’s in kind of No Man’s Land just stuck there and it’s easy when you when you can’t see the riders in front you just kind of lose focus a little bit how difficult is that to to pace yourself when there’s no one else around you on a day like today yeah it’s difficult and you see a lot of times the fastest laps of the race are normally come from riders that are scrapping it out you get this kind of synergy and they all fight together and then the lap time goes through the roof and if you’re just that Rider one in front 30 seconds 40 seconds like Johnson is now that’s when you’re going to get put under pressure and it almost will catch you by surprise before you know it you turn around and you see fre riders coming you at PACE in PB position at the moment Goldin forer as is McLean Howell cor’s been here before this season on the podium and slightly less pressure on her this one really it’s going to be really really tight to call Louisa Doberman is on as all he said is a personal best performance Al mle hu starting to get too close for comfort and she’s bringing Valentina Cory of Santa Cruz Rock shocks P team dagman just riding that first climb really well just stretching out just opening the Gap to mle how just a touch I like that Santa Cruz uh Rock shocks pro team squad some really really good Rider as well Ron they always seem to be having fun yeah be just coming back into some form as well Marta coming up later on this afternoon Elite women’s race and lucao after a good short track race Cory now going to go past or is she no just throttles back behind El mcanal but so far we’ve seen this year Cory’s got habit of finishing really strong coming back fighting to the end again for for Cory as well we talked about big big Advantage I think being on with on a factory team with Elite rid to train with and ride with and how’s off Howell off and running corvy behind her if you’re Cory do you want to get McLean H dispatched quickly and get on the hunt for dman or is this a head-to-head now I think this is the head-to-head D’s just got to Gap these two so I think this is the big fight for that last Podium position in fifth mle how the Brit versus the factory Rider Cori clean how riding for the national team good support for the young Brits in the in the national squad on the factory team Cory off the bike again this section so so steep camera angle doesn’t really do it justice you can see the difference though between the constant speed of the push and just being able to grind out the CL for mle H great R and deep in a from mle really really strong and it means now she’s drop off run this section going to run the next bidle ride Brave dropping in at the top of that one clean how just getting the Gap in that one just been able to ride that one section the Gap goes out five six meters in the tables turn back again towards mle how on Esty meanwhile is out front by 52 seconds now the Gap back to Second Place Mara Monroe then 1 minute 37 back to Emily Johnson so Olivia on S for TRX Factory team closing in on her debut UCI cross country World Cup win but these two are locked together for that last spot on the podium big big scrap now and Johnson’s going to have to be careful with these guys coming back at down now that Gap closing who well Johnson recovering a little bit 57 to our last timing point but that’s nothing compared to some of the crashes that are available to have out there today in this mod still very light drizzle at the start Finish Line so the first section we got this drop off the routy drop not one of the kind of big big man-made sections but I think proving in these conditions to be one of the most technical and a result here today Ollie that matters that little bit more doesn’t it when conditions are tough like this yeah 100% and we’ve got a gap next week so these Riders have got time to recover before we then head to Le for round six I think it’s we’ve got three races in four weeks it’s super tough this European block and we had another M only a few weeks before that so this is like the key chunk of the season and if you have good momentum here you then go into the the kind of summer break that we have corvey having to grab a hold of that one nearly got away from her see this course is just drying out a little bit where the Riders are going there’s a kind of a solid line now it’s going to be really important as we get into the elite races later on first time we came here with the endural World Cup a French woman won that race Melanie pamp the second time in 2022 Isabel cordier another French woman took Victory are we going to see on estate take the win here today as we see that just cut a new Furrow there corvy so the French been successful here in cron Montana in the past looking to add to that today different line Choice as well there at the bottom of that climb how just dropping in well ridden which Rider would you rather be here o the one in front or the one I at the moment you’d rather be in front you got a clear line you’re not getting held up by anybody else and I think if I if if I had Cory and I had I had I thought I had the beating of mle how I’d look to get pass pretty sharpish but I think technically they’re really even the match these two Riders nothing to choose between them I think it’s going a real big scrap and I think what M decided in more will be one of them will make a mistake when they’re under pressure and you can see McLean H is there a bit bit of gamesmanship there maybe just slowing that climb slightly I think Cory attack slly better legs just up the inside Cory goes up the inside of el mle and gets the move M at the top of that climb I wondered if McLean H was just trying to put the brakes on her slightly but Cory having none of it now they’re going to drop into the to the log section mle how get back on terms this SE line getting really rotted and dog out now Cory is out the bottom off at cleanly k h stay with her kby looking more confident faster on that section where the fatigue just starting to kick in now white sock still in pretty good neck as well still with the full Shades yeah yeah extra mile hour for those extra Pro points as they drop in to The Descent but here is the leader a young woman closing in un writing her own page in the history books Olivia oneste has been absolutely superb today take absolutely nothing away from her she’s rid by herself for a lot the second half of the race she hasn’t needed anyone around her I would say anest we see her confidence growing with each race her skills I think I can see him getting better and she’s loving these mud conditions today riding really well and not just on the climbs that she’s getting a gap but on the tech stuff as well she’s definitely in a rhythm here isn’t she she’s getting a shift on just always seems to be at the perfect Cadence as she nears a back marker in front of her and a really good skill today is on these climbs you see her she’s been riding further and staying on the bike more than the other women races and this drop off now nailing this really difficult you can see how blind it is as you drop in you cannot see anything the little roll line big rocks bit of a gap jump at the bottom you see the energy going through the bik yeah we like an hour in now and the upper body’s getting tired as well and on these climbs with the mud you’re having to use the upper body more to stabilize the bike so when you hit those Rock sections you already got a bit of fatigue and it just makes things so much harder than when it’s in the dry and is re in in heavier now at the start Finish Line it’s uh it’s got a lot cooler since the start this morning Ole as well yeah the kind of ambient tension it’s actually quite cold here if the sun pops out it warms up pretty sharpish but as soon as the cloud comes in again the temperatures drop and if the rain hits in it’s actually enough to get really cold we saw beon Riley yesterday struggling with his not mud on his hands but also cold cold hands too it has been a week of just struggling against the conditions here in Crown Montana the amount of rain not really it’s been cold not freezing cold but it’s just been constantly wet through out just looking at the timings now Nest finishing this race really really strong a minute now to Monroe over two minutes now to Johnson fastest lap the r no surprise Goldfield Livia onesty 16.7 seconds faster than that of Madigan Monro and the last timing is well just gives McLean H 6 seconds up on Cory in that fight for fifth yep so mle H has got past Valentina corvy again and as in fifth there’s diber full credit to diber today she was in the war’s early doors but she’s kept it together kept it rubber side down yeah cracking race not on the podium the best results so far ninth never MTO [Music] there’s McLean H coming in the shot now 3 minutes it team back off the leader but crucially has clear air between herself and Valentina corvy yeah getting a let’s have a look at what happened in the tech area so they came in together corvy looks down McAn H rid straight past her it almost looks like she having some gear issues struggling to get a decent gear and we saw previously a couple laps ago spraying water in in a rear Cog so it’s just getting packed up with mud a bit we see on EST on the red bu roots and rules the C for the last time bike just getting under underneath her across those routes just that bit of fatigue kicking in upper body getting tight as he yet tired that punch clim out of there super super steep as well but she’ll hit the asphalt now you can ride that kick just coming out of now you gain so much time it’s that one section it’s in the dry it would be nothing but in the wet here that roots and rolls Red Bull section and then into the climb just causes loads of problems and now she can start to enjoy it she can start to believe Olivia oneste taking no chances still moving forward checks over her shoulder there’s nobody there Olivia onesty take a you are a UCI cross country Olympic World Cup winner oliviae chocks her first win in the under 23 category huge relief huge emotions what a ride from aneste today perfect throughout a one of the most challenging tracks in some of the most challenging conditions we’ve had all year a mountain biker ride a mountain biker victory for Olivia on SD that’s how you ride a mug race right there you can see the tires there full mugs on NY just takes it all in look how deep she’s had to go behind her migan Monroe she’s been really really good today migan Monroe solid race took it on early on but then realized didn’t quite have the legs to go the nest in Ro a smart race just backed off and instead of trying to keep anes making a big mistake just un a to go steady Mar Monroe then celebrates second place and a half full of points for the overall solid solid performance from M Monroe celebrates with hesty great to see these two get the feeling are going to see plenty of finished Corrals together over the years yeah I think overall rid we’re going to see a lot of riders getting very close together in that fight for first yeah cuz we’ve had bman hren tra and BLS at the front of it taking points off each other but coming through now pack by behind them have been getting closer as they continue to to share the wins so you can add a third name to that list of winners in 2024 belongs to Olivia onesty Here Comes Emily Johnson then track future racing one short track that got us underway at the start of the weekend and I’d say given how tough a week this has been and given how tough a course that was probably would have settled for a Podium and a really mature performance as well just taking riding your own race your own pace cross the line injury free fit and healthy good ride today third place for Emily Johnson backing up that short track win in style in Crome Montana third place for Emily Johnson a rewarding weekend for the