Olympic champion Jolanda Neff (Trek Factory) took her first XCO World Cup win since 2018 on Sunday at Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada.
Mona Mitterwallner (Cannondale Factory) came back from a crash to outsprint Haley Batten (Specialized Factory) for third. Despite finishing seventh, Anne Terpstra (Ghost Factory) managed to hold onto the leader’s jersey with one round to go.
Neff joined legends Juli Furtado of the USA and Catharine Pendrel of Canada as the only riders to have won four times on this oldest race on the World Cup circuit.
Mont-Ste-Anne has been part of the World Cup circuit since it began in 1991, as well as hosting three world championships. It is considered a monument of the sport, one of the only remaining classic natural courses, with roots, rocks, steep climbs and technical descents. This was only made more difficult when torrential rain swept through for 30 minutes in the middle of the race, making descents especially treacherous.
One rider who seems to revel in harsh conditions is Neff, who started the weekend by winning the XCC on Friday night.
Through the opening two start loops and the first lap, she was content to follow as former World Cup leader Rebecca McConnell (Primaflora Mondraker Genuins) set a hard pace, opening a small gap on the start loops, which she held through the first full lap. Terpstra, Batten, Neff, XCC World Cup leader Alessandra Keller (Thomus Maxon) and Italian champion Martina Berta (Santa Cruz FSA) all caught up to the Australian on the main climb of Lap 2; the steep, rocky switchback climb called ‘La Marmotte’. McConnell faded through the remainder of the race to finish a distant 19th.
Neff then pulled away on La Marmotte, gapping Terpstra, Keller, Batten and Berta, and then really starting to opening some space as the rain began, starting the third lap over 30 seconds up. Keller was…
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