Crans Montana XCO World Cup 2024 : times and how to watch the new Schurter vs Pidcock

The XCO World Cup returns this weekend to compete in the fifth round of the competition in the Swiss town of Crans Montana. The return of Tom Pidcock and a winning Nino Schurter in Val di Sole promise a high-level duel. In the women's category, another spectacle will be witnessed with the duel between Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and Puck Pieterse, who will be eager to make amends.

Schedule and how to watch the XCO World Cup in Crans Montana 2024

The calendar continues its journey through European soil, and after the races in Nove Mesto and Val di Sole, it is now the turn of Crans Montana. The weekend will return to its usual structure, with XCC races for the Elite category on Saturday and XCO races on Sunday. The broadcasts can be followed on Max and on Eurosport channels or app -according to the schedule-.

Friday, June 21

• 14:00 Women's U23 Short Track
• 14:35 Men's U23 Short Track

Saturday, June 22

• 13:00 Women's Short Track
• 13:35 Men's Short Track
• 15:30 Men's U23 XCO

Sunday, June 23

• 10:00 Women's U23 XCO
• 12:00 Women's XCO
• 14:30 Men's XCO

Platforms to follow the races

• Argentina - Claro
• Germany - Eurosport, discovery+
• Austria - Eurosport, discovery+
• Australia - discovery+
• Belgium - Eurosport
• Bolivia - Claro
• Brazil - TNT Sports, YouTube Channel
• Bulgaria - Eurosport
• Canada - Flosports
• Chile - Claro
• China - Zhibo.tv
• Colombia - Claro
• Costa Rica - Claro
• Denmark - Max, Eurosport, Czech TV
• Ecuador - Claro
• El Salvador - Claro
• United States - Max
• Finland - Eurosport
• France - Eurosport, L'Equipe
• Greece - Eurosport
• Guatemala - Claro
• Honduras - Claro
• Hungary - Max, Eurosport
• Ireland - discovery+
• Italy - Eurosport Channels, discovery+
• Mexico - Claro
• Nicaragua - Claro
• Norway - Max
• Netherlands - discovery+
• Panama - Claro
• Paraguay - Claro
• Peru - Claro
• Poland - Eurosport
• Portugal - Max, Eurosport
• Puerto Rico - Max
• United Kingdom - Eurosport, discovery+
• Czech Republic - Max, Eurosport, Czech TV
• Dominican Republic - Claro
• Romania - Max, Eurosport
• Serbia - Eurosport
• Sweden - Max, Eurosport
• Switzerland - Eurosport, SRG
• Turkey - Eurosport
• Uganda - Claro
• Uruguay - Claro
• Venezuela - Claro

What happened in the last race and how is the overall standings?

The XCO World Cup visited the iconic Val di Sole circuit last weekend. The race in the Italian alpine town was the first major international stage after the Olympic qualification period closed. Nino Schurter emerged as the main protagonist by claiming his 36th victory and 80th podium in the World Cup. The Swiss rider wanted the spotlight from the start, attacked, and escaped solo to once again challenge history.

Alan Hathery was able to withstand Schurter's attacks for more kilometers and had a great race. The poor results of Victor Koretzky -24th- and Chris Blevins -26th- put Nino in the fight for the overall standings.

This is how the overall standings look:

1. Victor Koretzky 789 points
2. Nino Schurter 755 points
3. Alan Hatherly 709 points
4. Filippo Colombo 664 points
5. Sam Gaze 601 points

In the women's category, the race was a monologue in the form of an exhibition by Ferrand-Prevot; the rainbow jersey left in the early stages of the race and no one could follow her, not even a Puck Pieterse who was clearly outperformed by her great rival. The Frenchwoman has won two out of two in her personal account -Nove Mesto and Val di Sole- and is already showing in the overall standings.

This is how the overall standings look:

1. Haley Batten 901 points
2. Alessandra Keller 743 points
3. Savilia Blunk 738 points
4. Jenny Rissveds 631 points
5. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot 630 points

The battle of Crans Montana: Tom Pidcock, Nino Schurter, and their particular preview of the Olympics.

The Swiss alpine town of Crans Montana will dress up to welcome the best riders on the planet. The circuit -venue of next year's World Championships and final stage in the 2023 Giro- has a length of 3.5 km and 162 m of positive elevation. Tom Pidcock returns to the fat tires after skipping the Val di Sole race and will do so just before heading to the Tour de France.

The British rider won in Nove Mesto with a brutal performance and is one of the clear favorites for victory. On the other side of the scale will be Nino Schurter, who comes from a sensational race in Val di Sole and will have the extra motivation of racing at home. Both riders will fight for the top step of the podium in an assault that can serve as a preview to the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Beyond these two great figures, it is inevitable to think that Victor Koretzky, Sam Gaze, Filippo Colombo, Luca Schwarzbauer, Jordan Sarrou, Martin Vidaurre, and company may be involved in the fight.

Ferrand-Prevot and Pieterse meet in another duel

The women's category is currently ruled by Ferrand-Prevot. The Frenchwoman has imposed a tyranny that highlights the superiority she maintains over the rest of the riders. Pieterse's talent seems insufficient to challenge Pauline, but things change quickly and the Dutchwoman hopes to reverse the trend of the last races.

Ferrand-Prevot aims to extend this state of grace to arrive in full condition for Paris, the real goal of the Frenchwoman; Pieterse seeks to end her rival's hegemony and win the first direct confrontation in XCO since the Les Gets World Cup 2023 -beyond the 2024 European Championship where Pauline retired-.

In addition, usual suspects like Mona Mitterwallner, Haley Batten, Jenny Rissveds, or Alessandra Keller will seek to be in the battle for victory.