We are back with another packed weekend of World Cup racing in 2023 and the first test of the new live broadcast coverage from Warner Brothers Discovery. Not only do we have the XCO World Cup on Sunday but there is an extended weekend of racing as we also get the lung-busting XCC Short Track World Cup and the new long-distance XCM Marathon World Cup series all kicking off at the classic venue of Nove Mesto. Here is everything you need to know ahead of the 2023 XC World Cup opening weekend.
There’s no better place to kick start a World Cup season than at Nové Město na Moravě in the Czech Republic. Since it first joined the World circuit in 2011 the challenging course has produced many incredible racing moments and continues to be a favorite amongst most of the riders. Not only is it the top of most riders’ choice of venues it is a fan favorite with a packed finish area and frantic fans spread out across the woods to cheer riders on. XC racing doesn’t get better than Nove Mesto.
2022 XC World Cup course preview with the Pivot Cycles – OTE team.
Relentless is possibly the best way to describe the circuit at Nove Mesto, with constant technical descents and punchy climbs there isn’t a moment to rest here. Even the tarmac straight into the finish area is always a prime spot for overtaking and sprints leaving riders always checking over their shoulders for some sneaky overtakes.
For 2023 we also have the new XC Marathon World Cup series at Nove Mesto and the event team have built a fresh new course for riders wanting a long-distance gruelling challenge this weekend.
New commentator for the 2023 World Cup Ric McLaughlin takes a lap of Nove Mesto with Anton Cooper in 2019.
XCO Course Map:
XCC Course Map:
XCM Course Map:
With three World Cup events all in one weekend it is a pretty stacked schedule, here is what you can expect to find happening this weekend.
All times CEST
Thursday, May 11
• 10:00-12:00 // Official XCO Training – Women
• 12:00-14:00 // Official XCO Training – All Riders
• 16:15-17:15 // Official XCO Training – Men
• 15:00-17:00 // Official XCC Training – U23
• 17:30-18:15 // World Cup Cross-country Short Track – U23 Women
• 18:15-19:00 // World Cup Cross-country Short Track – U23 Men
Friday, May 12
• 09:00-11:00 // Official XCO Training – Women
• 11:00-13:00 // Official XCO Training – Men
• 16:15-17:15 // Official XCC Training – Elite
• 18:00-18:22 // World Cup Cross-country Short Track – Women
• 18:45-19:07 // World Cup Cross-country Short Track – Men
Saturday, May 13
• 08:00 // World Cup Cross-Country Marathon – Men
• 08:05 // World Cup Cross-Country Marathon – Women
• 08:45 // XCO Junior Series – Men
• 10:30 // XCO Junior Series – Women
• 12:05-14:00 // Official XCO Training – All Riders
• 15:00-16:10 // World Cup Cross-Country Olympic – Men Under 23
• 17:00-18:10 // World Cup Cross-Country Olympic – Women Under 23
Sunday, May 14
• 08:30-10:30 // Official XCO Training – Men and Women Elite
• 11:30 // World Cup Cross-Country Olympic – Women Elite
• 15:00 // World Cup Cross-Country Olympic – Men Elite
Note: All times are local and subject to change by the UCI/event organizer.
The weather is looking pretty mixed for the opening weekend of World Cup XC racing. While riders will get plenty of practice on a mostly dry course the Elite racing on Sunday may be the victim of some wet weather although hopefully this isn’t too bad and we get to see riders going flat out on the challenging course.
Thursday, May 11
Mostly cloudy // 16°C // 1% probability of precipitation // wind 19km/h
Friday, May 12
Mostly cloudy and cooler with a shower in places // 12°C // 48% probability of precipitation // wind 15km/h
Saturday, May 13
Mostly cloudy // 14°C // 25% probability of precipitation // wind 17km/h
Sunday, May 14
Cloudy with areas of drizzle // 14°C // 91% probability of precipitation // wind 19km/h
Weather forecast as of Thursday, May 11 from Accuweather.
Here are the entry lists showing who you can expect to see at this weekend’s races.
XC
Elite Men
Elite Women
U23 Men
U23 Women
XCM
Elite Men
Elite Women
It was a Swiss domination of the Elite overalls in 2022 as after a dramatic season of racing we saw Alessandra Keller and Nino Schurter crowned the overall champions.
The third XC World Cup of 2022 provided the goods with some amazing moments and massive wins. The Elite Women’s race saw a dominant performance from Rebecca Henderson who proved she was unstoppable in the early part of the season. Nove Mesto wasn’t an easy win with Loana Lecomte and Jenny Rissveds staying in sight for most of the race. The last two laps knocked both chasing riders out of contention with Loana Lecomte being the only rider coming within one minute of the hard-charging Australian.
In the Elite Men’s race, it was an incredibly close race with no rider really launching an attack until the last lap of the race. In the end it was a sprint between Vlad Dascalu and Thomas Pidcock, but it was the Olympic champion who got to the line fastest. Nino Schurter did the impossible and fought back over a minute of time after a rear flat tire. Despite the massive disadvantage Nino Schurter rode back to the front of the race and crossed the line in third place.
Nove Mesto has a history of producing first-time winners with Pidcock, Lecomte, Avancini, Andreassen and Van der Poel all breaking their ducks here since 2019. Beyond that, the results list reads like a who’s who of 2010s cross country with successes for Pendrel, Neff, Prevot and Kulhavy. Tom Pidcock has won the last two times we have visited Nove Mesto and the big question of the weekend is can he make it three in a row.
2011:
Elite Men: Jaroslav Kulhavy
Elite Women: Catharine Pendrel
2012:
Elite Men: Nino Schurter
Elite Women: Catharine Pendrel
2013:
Elite Men: Nino Schurter
Elite Women: Tanja Zakelj
2014:
Elite Men: Nino Schurter
Elite Women: Pauline Ferrand Prevot
2015:
Elite Men: Jaroslav Kulhavy
Elite Women: Jolanda Neff
2016:
Elite Men: Nino Schurter
Elite Women: Annika Langvad
2017:
Elite Men: Nino Schurter
Elite Women: Annika Langvad
2018:
Elite Men: Nino Schurter
Elite Women: Annika Langvad
2019:
Elite Men: Mathieu van der Poel
Elite Women: Kate Courtney
2020 double-header:
Elite Men: Simon Andreassen, Henrique Avancini
Elite Women: Loana Lecomte, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot
2021:
Elite Men: Tom Pidcock
Elite Women: Loana Lecomte
2022:
Elite Men: Tom Pidcock
Elite Women: Rebecca Henderson
Tune in to Pinkbike to catch all the Nove Mesto coverage throughout the week with results, photo epics, race analysis and more.
This weekend is the first test for the new broadcast coverage and you can find out all the ways to watch the action here.