Nové Město – Men Elite XCO Highlights | 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Cup

Watch the Men Elite XCO highlights from the race of the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Nové Město, Czech Republic.
 
Full Results and race calendar at https://www.uci.org/discipline/mountain-bike/4LArSj7CKcytMrGEDtKwkb?discipline=MTB
 
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and they are off and racing in Novear big big start as always from Luca Schwarzbar vidar is with him so is Aldridge blevens tucking in in the middle of track in fourth place but it’s Luca Schwarz off again shameless short track gets off like a rocket blebins as well good into the grass and then it’s another oh there’s hit the elbow shoulders being mixed there on the way through there we should point out as well it’s not just about Vanderpool today there he is on the left hand side of your shot alan Herley did the double last season got the overall title and the UCI World Championships and we see although it’s wide here there’s over 100 guys you see Marcel Garini struggling to move through there as well vanderpole you see there just looking for spaces but yes it’s Luca Schwarz i say had great short track one big last week the HC cross country race in Hoyback really big win for him and great for confidence fluker towards the front as well so all the big names mixing it and you see just oh Vanderpole just leaning in machu Vanderpool down early doors here in Nova Mesto Namarave just lent over schwarzbar pulls into the tech feed zone for the first time this area where they can take on technical assistance get a bottle get a gel doesn’t take anything schwarz bars as Machu Vanderpool in more trouble off to one side of the course the glasses have gone let’s see it ollie talk us through it yeah just coming off here oh big slam from Vanderpool whoa jumps up looks at the ground vanderpool in trouble here what a terrible start loop for Machu Vanderpool at the front it is the UCI world champion the reigning UCI cross country Olympic World Cup overall title holder Alan Haley for the first time on a giant out the front and looking good are we going to see Mons and Allen again yeah it’s great to have Allan back missing the first two races in Brazil due to his mixed career now with Jacol Lula Giant on the road so and then Giant Factory on the mountain bike but it’s Hav’s pushing on you see on this climb that his little punch he’s caused a gap and it’s Luca Schwarz who’s going with him so interesting to see after Specializ having their own way in the first two races at the moment they’re on the back foot they’re in that second group but it’s one two three for that league group all Specialize they’re going to have to do a bit of a team time trial to pull this one back and these two the German national champion and the world champion two of the cleverest riders in the pro group in terms of their tactics as well so they’ll know here and you see up here now out the saddle it just shows how much grip we’ve got today look winding his way through missing the biggest of roots look at the whoop wall absolutely lined with fans temperatures continue to rise out here the red hot out in the track at the minute and it’s thanks to the pace Alan Hy setting but they’re back together now caretsky Blevens Vidari the big red machine back towards the front of it [Applause] the establishment start to set up and start looking around at each other yeah this front groups time for a little snack gel take a drink just get over the excitement of the first couple of laps aaro leads Ketsky though still with the glasses up so just obviously struggling for vision slightly out there sun is at now at its highest above the Fosina Arena so what we seeing now that is Matthew Vanderpool leaving the bike race he’s had enough matthew Vanderpool is out of Novameto Namarave the Dutchman right away despondently from his return to cross country mountain bike racing [Music] christopher Blevens now leads the race for the first time blevens so so dominant in 2025 but he’s got a big group of riders around him here happily still in there as well in the white and the rainbow stripes this gets a bit sketchy now and as we get back to the action Ollie back in sales just made the international motorbike throttle being applied hand signal you think this one’s going up a notch yeah heavily wanting to wind it up a little bit now you saw he went hard for a couple laps sat in and you can see now and he soon as those shoulders start to roll you know there’s a bit more wattage going down yeah this is a bit of an attack now not 100% but I think he’s keen to just make this group a little bit smaller putting it to the sword at the minute out the front is the UCI world champion Alan Harly won the overall competition last season as well south African first time we’ve seen him back this year on a mountain bike done some road racing on a new team as well and it looks like he’s doing a bit of damage here like he’s distancing uh distancing yeah it’s punted and then there’s a gap now things Alburn on the back so the pace is working it’s turned a big group of one into two groups levens leads here in Noveount World Cup in 2025 those last two laps 10:04 10:05 where is that third main lap was 10:34 10:24 sorry that’s when everyone just grouped back together again it’s just getting stretched now and this is the calm before the storm and Fleven’s following the gap appearing now to Happily yeah vital Alban ratcheting up a few clicks here at the top of the whoop whoa really big move happily now squealing aaro looking a is this going to be the move that ignites this race and gets it underway properly here in the Messto Namarave it’s been tentative so far after a high action first couple of laps alban from Blevens happily Azaro Caretsky the top five but all of a sudden this is looking slightly more strung out and it’s because of the work of this man on the front Val Alban [Music] and he’s given it absolutely full gas up here and it’s can’t follow all of a sudden Alan Hley has pegged these two back as well are a different line on the descent so he’s had to uh to use to use your one O he’s had to burn a match there happily to get back across worth worth burning at that point there yeah I just wondered if Christopher Blevens would fancy using that attack of Alvin to slingshot himself off into the distance but Alban still digging out the front aaro still in there as well and I think Chris Fles we know he’s we know how good he is in a short track we know what punch he’s got so actually leaving it a little bit late in the race is probably a good tactic for him whereas someone like Alan Havly Alan Havly wants to go long he probably want to go this lap or at least early in lap eight yeah we’ve seen Herly couple of times actually deploy that very tactic it’s Printer in second now all of a sudden in the blue helmet the privateeer pitting out of the DT Swiss garage this week the crowds on the wall now perhaps starting to thin slightly as fans making their way down to the grand stands here in the arena for the final stages of this one but Ollie you like what you’re seeing blevins just putting the hammer down punting are going with him hitski struggling to follow there he is there is that attack so this one’s working from Blevens it’s beginning to stick as Puno struggling with the pace of Christopher Blevens here in Novear these are big gaps appearing you see the rod is back starting to labor a little bit and as well these that attack from Christopher Blevens went on top of the attacks from Vital Alban the the lap before so there’s a bit of fatigue in the legs already christopher Blevens is riding away from the man in second place Fabio Puner and that gap going up to 11 seconds already to Kitky in third as Aaro fourth horse forced to [Music] fifth there’s the bell christopher Blevens in leads them on to the final lap here in Nova [Music] Namarave knowing that he’s got a lead but is tempted one mistake here and it will put him straight back into the clutch as a Lars Forester forester now Zaro’s got the gap over Caretsky gap to puna happily as well has another look so he is looking back a lot ollie just trying to work out I think the computations of how much effort to deploy where and when but 9 seconds it’s gone back out again and this climb being so straight you can see right in front of you yeah and it’ll be low you know good morale for the last for you’ll be able to see Blevens in front of him you can see the speed of Forester blevens stands on the pedals up the whoop wall for the last time today can anybody make any progress look at Lars Forester in the bottom right hand of your screen bringing the race back towards the American but what is the gap going to be at the top of this one look how brutal this is but Blebin still holding strong saw Forester as well he was out the Sally he was forced to sit down the legs just packing up a little bit is that name going to be joined by Christopher Blevens here today look at you see these guys for that’s what P looks like all over the bike doing everything they can just to get the pedals round i mean it’s rare you see these guys just doing everything they can just to finish a hill or finish a lap huge huge efforts here from all concerned alan Haley in six currently looking like he’s not going to challenge this one at the front as they head into one of the last descents of this race it’s still Christopher Blevens the gap’s 13 seconds now the Lars Forcer Levens was it a smile was it a grimace probably the latter heads down through the jump section shaking the head and there is Forster right in the grip of Victor Caretsky now Christopher Blevens on his way to equaling net overend’s record of two UCI cross country Olympic World Cup wins in a season for an American but it’s behind him where all the attention’s going can Lars Forester oh hold off Victor Keski keski goes really really wide they’re on the climb now here comes Chris Plevens take absolutely nothing away from this man it’s going to be his second cross country Olympic win of the season but here comes Matisaro behind him blevens can’t believe it blevens to the line christopher Blevens wins in Nova Navar behind him it’s going to be a sprint and it’s going to be L for no it’s going to be Aaro on the outside aaro goes wide and Zaro takes second place ahead of Large Forester and Victor Caretsky where did he come from chris chris Cleven though borderline unstoppable in 2025 [Music]