Jenny Rissveds and Christopher Blevins win the first MTB World Cup race of the 2024 season

The first race of the season is an important benchmark for mountain bike riders for the new season and especially this year for the Olympic Games, which will be held in Paris this summer. One day earlier, on Saturday, April 13, 2024, the short track races were held. When the favorites meet for the first time, you obviously want to cut the best possible figure compared to the competition from a driver's point of view. Accordingly, everyone got on the pedals with determination. The well-known favorites from the previous year such as Jordan Sarrou, Nino Schurter, Luca Schwarzbauer were also joined by other talents such as the Chilean Martin Vidaurre Kossmann or the Dane Simon Andreassen, who want to be at the forefront in 2024 and make it to the places in the short track race 3 and 9 managed. In a strong finish, Samuel Gaze took victory in the short track ahead of Luca Schwarzbauer. Christopher Blevins crossed the finish line in 37th place out of 39 riders who arrived. This disgrace was probably motivation enough to show everyone at the Olympic distance over 7 laps. The start of Sunday's cross-country race was marked by a commotion of bikes, which led to collisions and falls uphill. A leadership group of 4 riders soon developed including Vidaurre Kossmann, Colombo, Koretzky and Dubau. On the fourth lap, Sarrou, Blevins and Gaze were able to catch up with the leading four riders. In the final lap, Koretzky, Colombo and Blevins led. After a long climb, Christopher Blevins was able to pull away and gradually distance himself from his pursuers to celebrate his surprising victory.

In the women's race, Britain's Evie Richards won the short rack race on Saturday ahead of Rebecca Henderson, Alessandra Keller and Jenny Rissveds. The Swede, who won the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, will certainly be eyeing victory at the Olympic Games in France this year. Jenny Rissveds seemed even more determined at Sunday's cross-country race. She rode in the lead from the start with Haley Batten and Savilia Blunk. In the 5th and final lap, the Swede was able to overtake the American on a climb and take the lead. She quickly pulled away and was 17 seconds behind her two followers. On the downhill section, Batten crashed in the curve and Blunk was able to take second place. Jenny Rissveds crossed the finish line as the winner with a commanding gap of 27 seconds, followed by Blunk and Batten in second and third place. For Jenny Rissveds, the victory came at just the right time, as it will give her momentum and confidence for the 2024 Olympic season.