‘There’s your winner’ – Richards storms to XCC short track World Cup win
Evie Richards secured a dominant first victory of the UCI World Cup 2023 season with success in Snowshoe, West Virginia on Friday.
The Trek Factory rider had come agonisingly close to a triumph throughout the campaign, but she took her performance up a level to finally cross the line first, in a time of 19:54.
The Briton was 0:05s ahead of second-placed Puck Pieterse, of Alpecin-Deceuninck, who extended her lead in the overall rankings over Alessandra Keller (Thomus Maxon), who was fourth.
Primaflor Mondraker Genuins rider Rebecca Henderson completed the podium, 0:09s behind the winner.
“I can’t believe it, I’m well happy,” a delighted Richards began.
“I’ve got no words, really, it’s just great.”
Asked to recall the moment she felt victory could be hers, Richards responded: “I wasn’t really thinking, I feel a bit jet-lagged still, maybe. I felt like in a bit of a daydream.
“Paulo shouted ‘two laps to go’ and I was like, ‘right I need two good laps to get a good gap’, so I was like, ‘right, let’s go’.
“And there wasn’t much of a plan other than that!”
“I’m just really happy with that,” she continued.
“To finally get a win at the end of the year with my new coach is sick, and we’re really happy.”
Meanwhile, Victor Koretzky took victory in the men’s race.
‘Mr Perfection’ – Koretsky wins men’s UCI World Cup XCC Short Track in Snowshoe
Specialized Factory Racing’s Koretzky clinched the win in 20:54, ahead of Jordan Sarrou (Team BMC) who was 0:02s adrift.
Canyon CLLCTV’s Luca Schwarzbauer, who remains in the overall lead with 1,430 points, was 0:04s behind the race winner.
It was a third straight victory for Koretzky.
“I’m super happy about the race today,” the Frenchman told Eurosport.
“I feel super good. At the end it was the strongest who won. I think it was a little bit less strategy compared to another short race.”
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