Pieterse debuts the rainbow jersey with a victory in Heubach

The classic BikeTheRock in Heubach, one of the most prestigious events on the German XCO calendar, brought together some of the best stars in the discipline once again, with world champion Puck Pieterse and German Luca Schwarzbauer being the fastest.

Schwarzbauer and Pieterse shine in Heubach: victory for the German champion and the XCO world champion

The main protagonists of the day were Dutch Puck Pieterse and German Luca Schwarzbauer, who won the women's and men's elite races respectively, showing promising form a week before the next World Cup in Nove Mesto.

Pieterse dominates clearly in the women's race

The current cross-country world champion, Puck Pieterse, left no room for surprises and put on a true exhibition in Heubach. From the start, she broke away with German Nina Graf, forming a leading duo that quickly opened a gap of over a minute on their pursuers: Kelsey Urban, Ronja Eibl, and Kira Böhm. However, halfway through the race, Pieterse increased the pace and left Graf behind, signing a solo breakaway that she solidly maintained until crossing the finish line with almost two minutes of advantage.

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Nina Graf, from Lapierre Racing Unity, managed to hold onto second place, while American Kelsey Urban claimed the third step of the podium after winning the final sprint against Ronja Eibl and Kira Böhm. Meanwhile, Olympic champion Jolanda Neff, who did not have her best day, finished sixth.

Top 5 - Women's Elite

1. Puck Pieterse (Netherlands)
2. Nina Graf (Germany)
3. Kelsey Urban (USA)
4. Ronja Eibl (Germany)
5. Kira Böhm (Germany)

Schwarzbauer wins the duel against Azzaro at home

In the men's race, Luca Schwarzbauer took advantage of the support of the local crowd to conquer a hard-fought victory on one of his favorite circuits. The German from Canyon CLLCTV emerged victorious after a tactical and intense race that started with a leading trio formed by himself, Frenchman Mathis Azzaro, and South African Alan Hatherly, the current world champion.

Midway through the race, an incident knocked Hatherly out of contention, relegating him to fifth place, and allowing Schwarzbauer to take the lead on his own. Azzaro closed the gap in the final lap, but the German resisted the Frenchman's push and sealed the victory with a 13-second margin, celebrating a very special win after his triumph in 2022.

Behind them, Belgian Pierre de Froidmont completed the podium after an intense battle with German Leon Kaiser, who slightly conceded in the final meters. Kaiser, the current German Short Track champion, secured a notable fourth place ahead of the aforementioned Hatherly.

Top 5 - Men's Elite

1. Luca Schwarzbauer (Germany)
2. Mathis Azzaro (France) - 13 s
3. Pierre de Froidmont (Belgium) - 1:31
4. Leon Kaiser (Germany)
5. Alan Hatherly (South Africa)