Five out of five for Chris Blevins and an undisputed victory for Puck Pieterse in the Short Track of Val di Sole

The Val di Sole World Cup has started with a very physical and agonizing Short Track that has left us two frenetic races. In the women's race, Puck Pieterse and in the men's race, Chris Blevins took the victory with an explosive finish.

Puck Pieterse wins in Val di Sole with a rhythmic and devastating final attack

The 2025 Val di Sole World Cup started with an elite women's Short Track race that did not disappoint. Despite the last-minute absence of Evie Richards, the overall leader, the race brought together a cast of favorites among which once again stood out the Dutch Puck Pieterse, who won a tight final sprint against the Swedish Jenny Rissveds.

From the start, the race maintained a high pace marked by the dry and dusty Italian track. Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford) was in charge of leading the group in the initial stages, while an inspired Puck Pieterse was making her way up from behind, needing just four laps to reach the front.

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The XCO world champion wasted no time in testing the rest with a pace that stretched the peloton and caused the first major split. The front group, very crowded, was the scene of multiple attacks in the middle of the race, highlighting the attempts of Bec Henderson (Orbea) and Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon), to which Pieterse responded with authority.

In the last two laps, the heat and dust took their toll. Only the strongest ones resisted the pace: Pieterse, Rissveds, Jennifer Jackson, or Laura Stigger, among others. A final attack by Jackson as the bell rang was answered by Pieterse with an explosive change of pace that only Rissveds could follow.

Finally, the Dutch rider from Alpecin-Deceuninck crossed the finish line first, with the Swedish rider close behind and Stigger closing the podium after a great final comeback.

Top 10 - Women's Short Track Val di Sole 2025

1. Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) - 20:53
2. Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) - +0s
3. Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) - +1s
4. Jennifer Jackson (Orbea Fox Factory Team) - +5s
5. Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) - +5s
6. Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing) - +8s
7. Linda Indergand (LIV Factory Racing) - +9s
8. Steffi Häberlin - +10s
9. Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) - +11s
10. Rebecca Henderson (Orbea Fox Factory Team) - +12s

Chris Blevins remains unbeatable and conquers his fifth victory in Short Track

Five out of five. The American Chris Blevins continues his absolute dominance in the Short Track discipline this season and has once again left his mark in the fifth round of the World Cup held in Val di Sole. In an explosive and very tactical race, the rider from Specialized Factory Racing launched a devastating attack in the last lap that earned him another victory ahead of his teammate Victor Koretzky and the combative German Luca Schwarzbauer.

The men's race started with the last-minute withdrawal of XCO world champion Alan Hatherly, but the show did not suffer. From the first corner, the Specialized team took the lead with a luxury trio: Blevins, Koretzky, and the Chilean Martin Vidaurre. Only Schwarzbauer managed to sneak in among them in the top positions.

The pace was extremely high from the start, with a 12-lap circuit where the battle for positioning was constant. Nino Schurter and Filippo Colombo tried to respond from SCOTT-SRAM, but the front group remained compact for most of the race, despite the pulls.

The most generous in effort was Schwarzbauer, who led for several laps with courage, although always with a dozen rivals on his tail.

Everything was decided in the last lap, when Blevins changed pace with an acceleration that no one could match. Koretzky secured the one-two for Specialized and Schwarzbauer held onto the podium by crossing the finish line in third position.

Top 10 - Men's Short Track Val di Sole 2025

1. Chris Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) - 20:13
2. Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) - +1s
3. Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) - +1s
4. Thomas Litscher (Cabtech Racing Team) - +1s
5. Dario Lillo (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) - +3s
6. Lars Forster (Thömus Maxon) - +4s
7. Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing) - +4s
8. Carter Woods (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) - +4s
9. Marcel Guerrini (Bixs Performance Race Team) - +4s
10. Vital Albin (Thömus Maxon) - +5s

All results at MTBDATA.com