Today, Pal Arinsal crowned the first world champions of MTB 2024, out of a total of 17 champions to be crowned this week, in the finals of the cross-country e-bike (E-MTB) and the team relay race (XCR), which kicked off today as part of the competitive action in the 2024 UCI MTB World Championships. Both disciplines made their debut at La Massana, as neither the 9 editions of the World Cup held there nor the 2015 UCI MTB World Championships had hosted these finals. The members of the United States team —Brayden Johnson, Nicholas Konecny, Haley Batten, Vida Lopez de San Román, Madigan Munro, and Christopher Blevins— (XCR), France’s Jerome Gilloux (men’s E-MTB), and Germany’s Sofia Lena Wiedenroth (women’s E-MTB) were the big winners of the day at Pal Arinsal.
 

Team Relay Final (XCR)

The United States and France starred in a spectacular duel in the mixed team relay final, which was not decided until practically the finish line after six laps of the 4-kilometer circuit. In the race, teams consisted of two junior cyclists, two U23 cyclists, and two Elite cyclists (one female and one male in each category), each completing one lap and passing the relay to their respective teammates in the finish area. Teams could choose the order in which their riders started, regardless of category or gender. The French team, composed of Luca Martin, Nicolas Kalanquin, Loana Lecomte, Olivia Onesti, Anais Moulin, and Mathis Azzaro, began by competing for the lead with the Italian team, made up of Luca Braidot, Matteo Siffredi, Martina Berta, Giada Martinoli, Valentina Corvi, and Mattia Stenico, who placed their strongest riders in the early relays. In the first three laps, both countries exchanged the lead until France gained a one-minute margin in the fourth relay, but in the fifth, American Madigan Munro (U23) closed the gap with France. Only one second separated France from the United States before the sixth and final lap, for which both teams had left their respective Elite male riders, Christopher Blevins (USA) and Mathis Azzaro (FRA). Finally, the American accelerated to give the United States the world team title (1 h 19'38'') with just three seconds to spare over France, who took the silver. Meanwhile, Italy held on in the final relays, with their junior riders participating, to claim the bronze with just an eight-second margin over Canada, who finished fourth.
 

E-MTB Finals

The first race of the day was the women’s e-bike event, where Germany’s Sofia Lena Wiedenroth dominated from start to finish, securing the rainbow jersey of the discipline. The German completed the 9 laps of the 2.4 km circuit in the La Caubella area in 1 hour and 9 seconds, with a clear advantage over her closest rivals, Switzerland’s Nathalie Schneitter, who crossed the finish line in second place (+1'03''), and Chile’s Florencia Espineira Herreros (+2'06''), who surprised many by taking third place.

In the men’s e-bike race, France’s Jerome Gilloux was the fastest and reclaimed the world champion title after finishing second in last year’s World Championship. The Frenchman showed great determination and managed to maintain a small lead over his pursuers at all times, even gradually extending it. He eventually completed the 10 laps of the circuit in 1 h 1'32'' to win the men’s e-bike final, while Chile’s Martin Vidaurre Kossmann took second place, finishing just 29 seconds behind Gilloux. Another Frenchman, Hugo Pigeon, completed the men’s E-MTB podium, finishing 45 seconds behind his compatriot.
 

Downhill Takes Center Stage Tomorrow

The UCI MTB World Championships in Pal Arinsal will see another dose of excitement tomorrow, focused on the Fontanals area, the venue for the downhill events. Today saw the qualifying rounds for the junior downhill races, where the United States’ Asa Vermette, with a run of 2'41''000, and New Zealand’s Erice Van Leuven (2'59''533), were the fastest in their respective categories. The decisive runs, however, will take place tomorrow starting at 11:45 a.m. in the junior finals, where the UCI MTB World Champions in this category will be crowned.

In the afternoon, starting at 3:45 p.m., the qualifying rounds for the Elite downhill will be held, with 97 male and 42 female riders competing to qualify for the World Championship finals scheduled for Saturday, as well as to secure a better starting position. This will be the first opportunity to see downhill stars in action, such as Valentina Höll, Marine Cabirou, or Nina Hoffman in the women’s category; or Loic Bruni, Charlie Hatton, or Loris Vergier, among many others, as well as Andorra’s Arnau Graslaub, who will be fighting for one of the 80 spots that grant access to the final.