Nové Město, UCI MTB World Series Round 3 - Full Recap

It was a weekend of ups and downs for the Wilier-Vittoria MTB Factory Team at the Nové Město World Cup. While the U23 squad delivered strong performances and two wins, luck wasn’t on the side of the elite riders, who were forced into comeback races both in Saturday’s short track and Sunday’s XCO due to crashes and misfortune.

European champion Simone Avondetto, after a promising 10th place in the XCC, was involved in a crash during Sunday’s longer XCO race on a faster and more technical course than in previous years. The incident dashed any hopes of a top finish. The Italian went down early in the race after making contact with legend Nino Schurter, got back up, and managed a gritty ride to 17th place — the best he could do in the circumstances. After three rounds, Avondetto sits 8th in the overall World Cup standings.

“I was behind Nino when he flatted and braked suddenly. We touched wheels on a jump and I crashed,” Avondetto explained. “I lost a bit of time — it’s a shame, but honestly my legs weren’t at their best. I’d been sick recently and couldn’t come here at 100%. I started feeling better toward the end, but by then there wasn’t much I could do. That’s how this weekend went; now we look ahead to what’s next.”

Italian champion Luca Braidot was also unlucky, going down in Saturday’s XCC and, in a short and intense race like the short track, had no chance to chase back into the lead group. Juri Zanotti, still working his way back after some health issues, finished 19th in the XCC and further down in Sunday’s XCO. On the women’s side, Sofie Heby Pedersen turned in two solid performances with 12th in the short track and 18th in the XCO.

U23 Riders Steal the Spotlight

The standout of the weekend, however, was Ella MacPhee. She finished 3rd in the XCC — a discipline that doesn’t usually suit her — and then dominated the XCO on Sunday to take her first World Cup win. The race was marked by a crash and withdrawal from her fellow Canadian and reigning world champion, Isabella Holmgren. With this victory, MacPhee now leads the U23 overall standings.“I’m speechless — it’s such an amazing feeling to take my first World Cup win and to be leading the standings,” said an emotional MacPhee. “I feel bad for Isabella and hope she recovers quickly. Overall, this weekend went incredibly well. Even Saturday exceeded my expectations — I made the podium in an XCC race for the first time, even though my start wasn’t great and I slipped a pedal. But I managed to stay near the front and fight for it in the final with my Canadian teammates. Now it’s time to keep building on this.”

The U23 men also had reason to celebrate, especially in Saturday’s XCC, where Gustav Heby Pedersen took his first World Cup win, while Elian Paccagnella — winner of the same discipline in round two at Araxá — finished 3rd, putting two Wilier-Vittoria jerseys on the Nové Město podium. “I won, but it was a brutal race,” said Gustav. “In the XCC there were constant surges, riders getting dropped and coming back — it felt like a washing machine. The race really exploded with three laps to go, and it came down to a sprint. Having Elian up front with me was huge — you know you can trust a teammate. There’s not much room for tactics in these races; you’ve just got to push flat out. It was another good weekend.” The Danish rider followed up with a 6th place in Sunday’s XCO, while Italian champion Paccagnella had a tougher day and finished outside the top 20. Still, both U23 riders have had a stellar start to the World Cup season: Pedersen now sits 2nd overall, with Paccagnella in 4th.