RACE HIGHLIGHTS | Elite Women’s XCO World Cup Les Gets Haute-Savoie, France

Useful Links:
Where to watch 👉 https://ucimtbworldseries.com/watch
Learn about each format 👉 https://ucimtbworldseries.com/formats
News from the UCI Mountain Bike World Series 👉 https://ucimtbworldseries.com/news
Sign-up for our newsletter 👉 https://rb.gy/akj501

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).

Comprehensive coverage from the races captures the excitement through exclusive interviews, analysis, reactions and event highlights. In-between events and through the off-season there are regular features covering technical and rider-based topics. All embedded with the latest mountain bike action from the world’s best riders.

Thanks to our 2024 partners: 👇
Whoop: https://www.whoop.com/
Shimano: https://www.instagram.com/shimanomtb/
Motul: https://new.motul.com/en-GB
Michelin: https://www.instagram.com/michelinbicycle/
GoPro: https://gopro.com/
Oakley: https://www.oakley.com/

[Music] [Applause] [Music] this is it guys the final round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup before the Olympics get started in just under 3 weeks time and what a Fitting Place For It the French Alps where historic Le provides the perfect testing ground by the end of today we will have a clear idea of what we can expect when our athletes take the starting line in Paris plus there are just three rounds remaining towards the overall World Cup title adding plenty of spice into the [Music] mix so it starts with that famously tough long climb a never ending climb certainly feels like it when you’re riding it then heads up into the wood line technical descents are plenty lots and lots of roots in there before it heads back up again really A Tail of Two climbs and two descends drops down through the big bike park turns heads through this really really tricky piece section it’s been soaked all night massive amounts of water falling last night and the lights go green and they are racing in Le Jay Keller slips her pedal moves backward gobbled up by the pack but it’s Rebecca Henderson and gwend and Gibson going two to two of the first clim Richards is with them as well yeah good start for an tster as well coming back from injury good short track and leading them up this first Hill yeah this climb so synonymous with cross country racing in Le it’s long it’s Steep and it’s really uneven really tricky conditions few B now another good start Kate Corney Scott shammer and she was the winner here 2019 so good history on this course so Samara Maxwell currently in 45th then remains to be seen if she did in fact get tangled up with that crash there’s Puck Peterson that was moving into the lead of the race now Puck Peterson at the top of that climb can she make it pay for p Peters are going straight down the middle off that big steep rolling we saw the under 23 women some of them at the very front struggling with that feature earlier this morning but the Elite’s taking it off at full chat Holly what are you seeing here yeah just coming down just coming off blind and just breaking there’s a really fast line if you cut across the bridge P Peters you can see the effort 178 beats per minute right out there in zone five 90 to 100% giving it gas yeah we saw Candace L just going past blunk on the climb and just getting into a rhythm I mean she got good great form this year good climbing leg struggled a little bit than the last round in CR Montana but you know podium in val as well top three so almost the revelation of the season so far Candace yeah candy Le what a time having Henderson just having to uncp there and holding up K Courtney in the process that’ll help P Peterson here we see where that overtake might have happen Courtney having to hang a leg off behind them blur linger tries to get up the inside I did just spot a bit of dirt on the Jersey as she got past tsta you get extra points for taking out a camera guy well nearly as we see Henderson moving past Courtney now so Rebecca Henderson D played her chances the chasing group now a forward C and Candace Le but we know she must have been playing a bit of poker with that one so hearing from cor side apparently Alexandra Keller has got a really really good line through those grassy turns on that descent where we saw R blur linger US champion there we go so 193 beats per minute s BLS Max currently RAV at about 185 so that’s pretty high with K gney behind her not qualified for Olympics that’s Haley Bon who’s not here well here’s somebody we haven’t seen in a while p out front L one by 54 seconds just having to run across that little awkward Rock section and with her cycle across pedigree see how quickly she was back on the bite there she’ll be absolutely no stranger to the mud out there shows how slippery it is also for big there time for her to play with and Candy Le has broken free of this pair Le now in second place Henderson and Keller on your screens now lock together Keller fany’s getting back ahead off the Australian Rider and is there a danger OE that you can get caught up racing the rider around you and you can actually slow each other down yeah I think sometimes it’s a Synergy of being together the fight amongst yourself drives you forward but I think on this course with technical you always getting each other’s way Richard o talk us through yeah she got into that midsection where there’s no grip but lir play to ad just gets the foot out pins it in who well saved oh you look at that little pouette as well straight back on nearly a full all the way around there is Place cand Le gritting the teeth through this descent on the canondale the [Music] Privateer so easy Bart on that section in particular just to end up being a bit of a passenger on the bike it looks like P she’s a little bit faster in the desense gain a little bit time again but K is very strong in the climbs today it looks like Puck’s really taking them on only being really aggressive with these descents yeah he’s throwing himself in and this in particular that drop in blind and then halfway down it’s Roots Roots roots and then you have a drop off what we’ve seen in some of the other race under 23 women Olivia and Esty kind of getting a bit out of shape in the first bit and then by the time you get to the bottom you’re all over the play especially with that drop off and it’s it’s a really tough section now looks like she’s riding away yeah and in a good Rhythm looking smooth and she did a what was quite a smart thing was her own start left a lot of riders tried to go with Peters like Henderson and Courtney it’s easy to blow up whereas she just went okay this pace is maybe a bit hot for me I got seven laps of this to do I’m just going to back off a little bit take my time use your experience but now I say super smooth here’s Keller off the ramp and into the really off camber slick section look at her look at her line here really wide that’s the perfect line and then cuts across that’s that’s how you have to yeah yeah that has been met with lot of NDS of approval in the commentary boo that’s the way you do it like you say you come in a little bit slower go out wider but then you set up to the technical bit and that’s that’s like kind of that higher level [Music] skill sevil Blanc Dex at the bottom of that Des sent yeah at all cost time and then also her grip covered in mud annoying I think that’s like said the approach we spoke to her after the short track win yesterday and she said it’s my first games I’m going to go well relaxed and um yeah it’s sometimes is also how the race start and what kind of Mo while you get into this race um and definitely for some of the Riders it will take the best out of the self Peters almost the highest point of the course coming into The Descent again still taking on that really aggressive position on the bike that she has same way she rides a sight across bar uh just really over the bike gets the elbows out yeah sometimes you have to work hard also with your upper body to move your your bike yeah underneath to jump over these rocks so it’s it’s a lot of balancing it’s not only pushing your legs but also working with your upper body oh just bike want to go the opposite direction gets tangle up in the course marker she gets away with that you this is the thing this last couple of laps you’re just starting to forget bit with the fatigues kicking in there we go she’s crossed the two-minute Mark now wow two minute lead for p Peters ahead of and Le on lap six out of seven here in Le has been a while ago that we have seen such a big gap yeah in between the number one and two in the race yeah the South African Riders they do well yeah yeah really really good out harly super strong in the short track and we’re going to see the elite men’s race coming up next canondale Factory RAC and all three of them onto the front row bit of formation flying maybe on the first lap miles and sometimes you need a race like who who look at the over here pet unclipped Red Rock Ru something has gone on the top of that I mean she’s got 2 minutes 23 to play with and yeah in trouble pet now going to drop into this bridge a bit out of shape just walk front puncture oh I don’t think so Keller third place at the minute pet set not far to go now just these two Little Rock sections takes one off celebrates yeah heard team pits it that’s over there on the right side heads through the last one safely pu Peterson is going to head towards the line and win her opening UCI cross country Olympic World Cup off the season P Peterson takes the win in Le absolutely smashes them in France P Peterson takes the [Applause] win by an incredible margin we’ll wait for the clock to stop on it but on the way into an Olympic Games shots fired that was a statement of inent from Puck Peterson and she knows it taking on the world’s best as a privateer and winning Candi Le heads towards the line for second place today Candi s is a to get her career best UCI cross country Olympic World Cup finish in some style Candi Le second place today behind pck Peterson fantastic result absolutely superb it was never just a flash in the pal this season Candi Le is right up there with the very best mountain bikers in the world and speaking of which here comes the series overall title lead holder alisand Keller on the number one tumas as we always say with Keller she has battled every step of the way today Keller trats herself to a hot full of points for third place a successful weekends Racing for her and another Rider who will be full of confidence heading into those Summer Games she’s had to dig deep today Sweden’s golden girl and she’s going to be rewarded with fourth place for jny RS yeah rightly so she’d be super happy with that having had a I said that clash in amesto just took her out of a rhythm a bit but to come back and get a good race in Europe yeah I’m just super happy uh on Friday I already felt that good legs but maybe yeah like I said then not didn’t take the smartest tactic and now yeah I know if I have good legs uh that I can do it uh from the start and I just uh yeah try to go full guas from the start and luckily it worked out we had a really good training camp with the team and uh yeah I’m just happy to show my good form here P Peterson on the podium after her most dominant cross country Olympic UCI World Cup win to date [Music] the Dutch woman hitting her career best cross country form right when it matters heading in the Paris [Music] 2024 P takes the win by 2 minutes 47 seconds from Keller rfids tster Richards blun steer boet M valner Keller still has that chunk but Puck Peterson is 225 points behind her now it’s come down and it’s baton missing an action this weekend blun Le RZ Richard steager endand