"Greta, this is for you": Samara Maxwell overcomes everything and conquers the XCO World Cup

Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) achieved a brilliant and hard-fought victory in the XCO World Cup in Andorra this Sunday after one of the most exciting races of the season. The New Zealander managed to recover from a puncture in the early laps, climbed positions, and finished by launching a devastating attack in the last lap to cross the finish line alone with a time of 1:25:31.

She was joined on the podium by Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon), who finished second just 9 seconds behind, and Swedish Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV XCO), third 15 seconds behind, after leading part of the final stretch of the race.

Samara Maxwell wins the XCO World Cup in Andorra in a race where everything happened

The race started with a strong pace set by Isla Short, but soon it was Ronja Blöchlinger who took the lead, making the first moves alongside Maxwell. In the second lap, Samara took the lead strongly, while world champion Puck Pieterse began to climb positions.

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In the third lap came the first major turn: Maxwell suffered a puncture losing several positions. At that moment, Pieterse took the lead and began to open a gap. However, the Dutch rider had a fall in the fourth lap that took her out of the fight for the victory and shook up the classification again.

It was then that a group of favorites formed with Rissveds, Berta, Keller, and Maxwell back in the mix. Attacks followed, with Rissveds setting the pace in the fifth lap and Keller responding in the next.

The last lap was simply spectacular. Maxwell and Rissveds battled wheel to wheel for the win, with constant attacks on the climbs. The New Zealander launched a decisive attack in the final meters, finally pulling away from Rissveds. Meanwhile, Keller, more consistent than explosive, overtook the Swedish rider in the final stages to secure second place.

Behind them, Martina Berta, who led after Pieterse's fall, finished fourth 26 seconds behind. Nicole Koller closed the top 5, 1 minute and 5 seconds behind the winner.

Top 5 - Final Classification

1. Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) - 1:25:31
2. Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) - 1:25:40 - +9
3. Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) - 1:25:46 - +15
4. Martina Berta (Origine Racing Division) - 1:25:57 - +26
5. Nicole Koller (Ghost Factory Racing) - 1:26:36 - +1:05