Bec Henderson and Ben Oliver win a water-soaked HERO ABU DHABI

Oceania's double in the premiere of the HERO ABU DHABI XCO. Cyclist Bec Henderson from Primaflor Mondraker had a perfect weekend winning the Short Track on Friday and the XCO race on Sunday, while New Zealander Ben Oliver was the surprise of this edition winning the XCO ahead of the rest of the favorites.

The HERO ABU DHABI 2024 kicks off with rain and victories from Bec Henderson and Ben Oliver

As we said in the preview of the race, the HERO ABU DHABI started with good conditions to become a regular at the start of the XCO season. Both for its good weather at this time of year and for the huge prize pool and a first edition full of stars.

But the truth is that the rain accompanied the main race on Sunday. After the sunny Shor Track race on Friday where Australian Bec Henderson and Swiss Thomas Litscher took the victory, Sunday was marked by rain in the Saudi capital.

A climate that the Primaflor Mondraker cyclist knew how to overcome to also win the XCO. After riding the whole race in a group, the Australian knew how to launch a last attack when half a lap was missing, with which she reached the finish line ahead of Swiss Noell Buri (Lapierre Mavic Unity) and Italian Martina Berta (Santacruz RockShox Pro Team).

In the men's XCO race, New Zealander Ben Oliver (Denver Disruptors) was the surprise after knowing how to manage the test better than anyone else and imposing himself ahead of Thomas Litscher (Lapierre Mavic Unity) and German David List ( LEXWARE MOUNTAINBIKE TEAM). Italian Luca Braidot, who started as a big favorite, ended up retiring and without the possibility of fighting for the victory.