Blevins wins again with a devastating final attack in the XCC World Cup

The heat once again set the pace for the second round of the XCC World Cup in Araxá, Brazil, where American Chris Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) repeated his victory from the previous week in a men's Short Track race that was decided with a powerful attack in the final meters.

Chris Blevins repeats victory in Araxá after an explosive second Short Track

On the same technical and fast track that opened the season, the race started with a fast start and a very compact peloton.

After the first lap, it was determined that there would be eight total laps. Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM), Victor Koretzky (Specialized), Martin Vidaurre (Specialized), Simon Andreassen (Orbea FOX), and Filippo Colombo (Scott-SRAM) quickly positioned themselves at the front, setting the pace for a very tactical race.

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The positions constantly changed, especially in the most broken section of the track, where breakaway attempts were quickly neutralized by the favorites. It was in the fourth lap when Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV) took the lead, leading the race with a strong pace for more than two laps, in an attempt to break up the group.

But the real surprise came from Canadian Carter Woods (Giant Factory Off-Road), who, starting from the last row, managed to make an incredible comeback to take the lead in the penultimate lap. However, his effort was neutralized by a devastating attack from world champion Victor Koretzky as the bell rang for the final lap. Only Chris Blevins and Nino Schurter were able to respond to his acceleration.

In the final lap, Blevins once again showed his excellent form and composure to launch a perfect counterattack. With a powerful change of pace, he pulled away from Koretzky and Schurter, crossing the finish line alone to claim his second consecutive victory at the start of the season.

1. Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) - United States - 21:02
2. Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) - France +0:05
3. Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) - Switzerland +0:07
4. Carter Woods (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) - Canada +0:09
5. Luca Braidot (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team) - Italy +0:09
6. Simon Andreassen (Orbea FOX Factory Team) - Denmark +0:11
7. Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) - Germany +0:14
8. Thomas Litscher - Switzerland +0:14
9. Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing) - France +0:14
10. Filippo Colombo (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) - Switzerland +0:15

With this victory, Blevins solidifies himself as the man to beat in the men's Short Track, while the Specialized team confirms their absolute dominance at the start of the World Cup.

All results on MTBDATA.com