Short track – explained
Today’s race is made up of laps around a circuit that’s just over 1km on a condensed track. It’s a mass start, so expect lots of chaos! The results this evening will determine the starting grid for the longer event, the Olympic cross country race on Sunday.
Welcome!
Hello and welcome to the first weekend of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series! The action starts today in Nové Město na Moravě with the women’s short track.
Key reading ahead of cross-country opener
Ferrand-Prevot exclusive: How Ineos are helping fuel Olympic dream
Ahead of the inaugural UCI Mountain Bike World Series, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot has told Eurosport she hopes her new regime at Ineos Grenadiers can propel her to victory at the Olympics next summer.
The French star became the first woman to sign for Ineos ahead of the 2023 season in a bid to boost her prospects for Paris 2024. She has won 10 rainbow jerseys throughout a stellar career across mountain bike, road, cyclo-cross and gravel – and will target victory at the Games on home soil on her trusted MTB.
Ferrand-Prevot said she was looking forward to getting her season underway at the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic this weekend, where she will compete in the short-track (XCC) on Friday, which serves as qualifying for the Olympic distance race (XCO) on Sunday.
The event forms part of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, which you can watch live and on-demand on discovery+ and Eurosport. The action starts on Friday with the women’s elite short track race coming at 16:45 UK time and the men’s at 17:40.
“I’m feeling quite good and happy to start the World Cup season, it’s always an exciting moment to see where you are,” she told Eurosport. “I had a busy winter with my move to Ineos and I’ve trained hard. I know I’m not at 100% but I know that even if I’m at 85-90% I can still be good, so I’m looking forward to seeing where I am.”
Ferrand-Prevot piled praise on her new team-mates and staff, reserving special mention for fellow multi-discipline star Tom Pidcock.
“I’m super happy with everything in the team,” she said. “It’s just crazy how hard they work for us.
“Almost everything you ask for, you get it. I already have the feeling that someone understands me. It’s great to have these people.
“Ineos Grenadiers is 130 people. When I came the first time, the first woman for the team, it was like ‘woah’.
“Everyone is really friendly, they accept me. The riders could have been like ‘what is she doing here?’ But they were really nice and I could also go to training camps with them.
“For me it’s good because I’m normally training alone, so it’s good to have some riders to train with.
“Also having Tom in the team is really good. He’s a funny guy but he’s really good and helpful with me. It’s good to have him as a team-mate.”
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Read the full article here
