In a post-race interview, Sofie Pedersen spoke of her tactic to lead from the start saying: “It is very important on this course for me to be alone. I think I’m good on the downhills so when I’m by myself I can do my own pace and take my lines. So it was super important for me to be in the front alone.”
Next up was the turn of the U23 Men where we saw a very strong group of six riders control the front of the race for the first four laps before the fifth lap would see the group shrink to five riders. It was on the final lap that the pace really lifted and a mistake would give Swiss racer and this week’s XCC winner Dario Lillo the chance to push hard and build a gap into the last part of the lap. Carter Woods tried his best to shut the gap down but in a sprint to the line, he couldn’t get on the rear wheel of Lillo.
Following the race Dario Lillo said: “At the moment it is still unbelievable. I already had goosebumps at the start as to race in front of the home crowd is special, especially when you can race in the Swiss Champs jersey.
My expectations were high after the short track race but I just wanted to enjoy the race. I felt good from the beginning but there was always quite a big group. I just tried to see a little bit of the lines from the other riders and then in the last lap, I knew it would be an all-out sprint to the line.”
Check out the results and how the racing unfolded below.
Results:
U23 Women
1st. Sofie Pedersen: 1:12:42
2nd. Ronja Blöchlinger: 1:12:53
3rd. Sara Cortinovis: 1:13:31
4th. Ginia Caluori: 1:13:49
5th. Zoe Cuthbert: 1:14:49
U23 Men
1st. Dario Lillo: 1:12:58
2nd. Carter Woods: 1:13:00
3rd. Adrien Boichis: 1:13:10
4th. Brayden Johnson: 1:13:16
5th. Luca Martin: 1:13:30
23:30 pm PDT: The U23 Women are Off
The U23 women are off the line with Ronja Blöchlinger leading into the shortened start loop.
23:43 pm PDT: Sofie Pedersen Leads After the Start Loop
Following the shortened start loop round one winner Sofie Pedersen leads with Zoe Cuthbert second and Ronja Blöchlinger third.
23:52 pm PDT: The Chasing Group are Closing in on the Leader
The chasing group led by Ronja Blöchlinger seem to be getting closer to the race leader as the gap between first and second has dropped to 11 seconds.
23:56 pm PDT: A Dropped Chain for Ronja Blöchlinger
Just as it looked like Ronja Blöchlinger was closing down the gap to race leader Sofie Pedersen her chain dropped. Luckily she is able to fix it quickly, it appears to have cost her around seven seconds so far.
0:00 am PDT: Top Five After Lap 2
After the start loop and the first full lap the top five are:
1st. Sofie Pedersen: 27:56
2nd. Zoe Cuthbert: +17
3rd. Ronja Blöchlinger: +19
4th. Sara Cortinovis: +20
5th. Ginia Caluori: +23
0:14 am PDT: Top Five After Lap 3
After lap three the top five are:
1st. Sofie Pedersen: 32:59
2nd. Ronja Blöchlinger: +11
3rd. Zoe Cuthbert: +26
4th. Ginia Caluori: +26
5th. Sara Cortinovis: +26
0:20 am PDT: Sofie Pedersen Still Holds a Strong Lead
Despite the best efforts of Ronja Blöchlinger and the following chase group the gap to Sofie Pedersen is holding strong. It’s looking like she might be on her way to another win in 2023.
0:25 am PDT: Sofie Pedersen Extends her Lead
The front of the race is starting to get stretched out as the gap from 1st to 2nd extends to 22 seconds with third place now over thirty seconds off the pace.
0:29 am PDT: Top Five Heading into the Final Lap
As riders make their way onto the final lap the top five are:
1st. Sofie Pedersen: 57:54
2nd. Ronja Blöchlinger: +21
3rd. Sara Cortinovis: +30
4th. Ginia Caluori: +43
5th. Zoe Cuthbert: +1:07
0:42 am PDT: Sofie Pedersen Leads from the Start Loop to Take the Win
Sofie Pedersen has a perfect ride to take another XCO win in 2023.
1:30 am PDT: The U23 Men are Off
The U23 Men are off the line as they head into the shortened start loop.
1:41 am PDT: Andreas Emanuele Vittone Leads After the Start Loop
Andreas Emanuele Vittone is leading the race following the shortened start loop as XCC winner Dario Lillo sits in 2nd.
1:54 am PDT: The Top Riders After Lap Two
After the start loop and the first full lap we have a group of six riders at the front of the race.
1st. Luca Martin: 23:24
2nd. Andreas Emanuele Vittone: +0
3rd. Dario Lillo: +0
4th. Adrien Boichis: +0
5th. Carter Woods: +1
6th. Brayden Johnson: +1
2:06 am PDT: The Top Riders After Lap Three
After the second full lap we still have a group of six riders at the front of the race.
1st. Andreas Emanuele Vittone: 35:57
2nd. Dario Lillo: +0
3rd. Brayden Johnson: +1
4th. Adrien Boichis: +1
5th. Luca Martin: +1
6th. Carter Woods: +1
2:10 am PDT: The Front Riders are Spreading Out
The top six riders are beginning to separate as a gap is building between the top four to Luca Martin and Carter Woods.
2:13 am PDT: Carter Woods is Pushing Hard to Catch the Top 4
Carter Woods was initially falling back at the start of lap four but he is now making his way back to the front as he is not going to let the four leading riders drop him just yet.
2:19 am PDT: The Top Riders After Lap four
After the third full lap we now have a group of five riders at the front of the race.
1st. Dario Lillo: 48:16
2nd. Andreas Emanuele Vittone: +0
3rd. Adrien Boichis: +1
4th. Brayden Johnson: +1
5th. Carter Woods: +2
2:31 am PDT: The Top Five Riders Heading into the Final Lap
Going into the final lap of racing it is still a group of five at the front of the race. The rider in this group will want to attack soon to avoid a sprint finish.
1st. Andreas Emanuele Vittone: 1:00:59
2nd. Dario Lillo: +1
3rd. Brayden Johnson: +1
4th. Adrien Boichis: +1
5th. Carter Woods: +2
2:40 am PDT: Dario Lillo is Trying to Build a Gap
Swiss rider Dario Lillo could be on his way to a win as a mistake in the chasing pack has led to a gap of six seconds forming.
2:43 am PDT: Dario Lillo Takes the Win
Dario Lillo faced a sprint from Carter Woods but he just couldn’t close the gap allowing the Swiss rider to take a win at home.
U23 Women
U23 Men
