Puck Pieterse wins the XCC in Nové Město after a crash involving several favorites

The Dutch Puck Pieterse returned to the XCC World Cup, winning in a massive sprint after a very fast race, marked by the fall of world champion Alessandra Keller with one lap to go.

Puck Pieterse wins the Short Track in Nové Město after a wild final lap and a decisive fall from Alessandra Keller

Puck Pieterse has returned to mountain biking as if she never left. The Dutch rider from Alpecin-Premier Tech took victory in the XCC World Cup in Nové Město 2026 after an explosive, very fast, and completely open race until the last meters. Pieterse triumphed in a final massive sprint against Laura Stigger and Nicole Koller after a grueling last lap where the front group was pushed to the limit.

The race was completely marked by Alessandra Keller's fall with one lap to go. The current XCC world champion fell on the asphalt straight, causing a decisive split that definitively broke the main group just before the finish.

A race launched from the first corner with no second of respite

Jolanda Neff was the fastest off the line, but the first major acceleration came immediately after, with Sina Frei taking the lead into the first corner. Still, it was Jenny Rissveds who really took control during the first lap. The Swede also set the best time for the first lap with an impressive 2:39.5, making it clear from the start that the pace was going to be brutal.

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The race quickly settled into eight laps of the short Czech circuit, and from that moment on, the group of favorites remained incredibly compact. No one could break away despite the constant speed and continuous accelerations.

Rissveds continued to carry much of the weight of the race during the early stages while names like Puck Pieterse, Alessandra Keller, Ronja Blöchlinger, Jolanda Neff, Martina Berta, Evie Richards, and Laura Stigger stayed permanently at the front. In the fast sections, the group was rolling close to 40 km/h, and the feeling was the usual in Nové Město: an XCC completely at the limit from the first lap.

Both Rissveds and Pieterse tried several times to break the race with very aggressive pace changes, but no one could get away. The group remained practically intact with two laps to go, and the pace was already completely agonizing.

Keller's fall completely changed the race

The decisive moment came on the asphalt straight at the finish during the seventh lap. Alessandra Keller lost control and ended up taking several riders down with her, including Jolanda Neff. The world champion withdrew immediately after the fall while Neff, clearly in pain, managed to get back on track but was completely out of the fight for the top positions.

The accident definitively broke the main group and left a block of eleven riders at the front who heard the bell for the last lap together.

The reaction was immediate. Evie Richards, Puck Pieterse, and Jenny Rissveds practically sprinted as soon as the last lap began, and from there the race entered a constant exchange of accelerations. No one could break away, but everyone was completely at the limit.

Ultimately, everything was decided in the final uphill straight. Pieterse launched the final sprint and managed to win by a very narrow margin over Laura Stigger and Nicole Koller to take her triumphant return to the XCC World Cup.

Top 10 XCC Elite Women – Nové Město 2026

1. Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Premier Tech) – 21:37
2. Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) – 21:37
3. Nicole Koller (Lapierre PXR Racing) – 21:37
4. Evie Richards (Trek-Unbroken XC) – +1
5. Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing) – +1
6. Ronja Blöchlinger (Liv Factory Racing) – +3
7. Gwendalyn Gibson (Trek-Unbroken XC) – +3
8. Jenny Rissveds (Canyon XC Racing) – +4
9. Martina Berta (Origine Racing Division) – +7
10. Sara Cortinovis (UNNO Factory Racing) – +11

The Nové Město World Cup will continue tomorrow, Sunday, with the highly anticipated elite XCO races. The women's race will start at 12:00 and the men's at 15:00, both in GMT+2 time.