Richards wins the XCC Mairipora World Cup

Evie Richards takes the victory in the Mairipora XCC World Cup. The British rider launched a beastly attack that allowed her to escape solo and secure the win in the first race of the competition season. Henderson and Keller fought for silver and finished in second and third place, respectively.

Richards dominates in the Mairipora XCC World Cup

The Brazilian heat welcomed the forty riders called to compete in the first XCC World Cup race of the season. The battle of Mairipora started punctually and, after a clean and incident-free start, Martina Berta took the lead. The Italian champion assumed the initial lead while Richards, Courtney, Keller, Neff, and company latched onto her wheel.

After a fast first lap, the passage through the finish line also marked a change in the race leadership. Keller first and Henderson shortly after emerged as the new protagonists, although as usual the equality in this type of race filled the final outcome with uncertainty.

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Keller returned to the front, with Rissveds close behind this time. The differences were minimal and all the riders formed a large group that stretched and contracted at times. Loana Lecomte stumbled in the undulating section but resolved it without consequences.

The pace started to take its toll on the main group when Courtney intensified the race halfway through. Richards and Rissveds held on well, while the others tried to hold on to minimize the time lost.

The fifth lap further selected the group and only five riders survived the relentless pace that was leaving many participants behind: Cortney, Richards, Rissveds, Neff, and Keller presented themselves as contenders for the victory.

And Richards broke away. The British rider showed her cards with a strategy of creating a gap in a continuous sprint to the finish line. The pursuers tried to respond when it became clear that Richards meant business. Nevertheless, the gap continued to increase to 5 seconds.

Richards' lead was established and she put some more distance between her bike and the rest, led at that point by a Keller whose strength was gradually fading. Despite that, she held on and battled with Henderson for the second spot on the podium in a final showdown. 

Richards crossed the finish line after successfully breaking the race and securing the victory in the opening day of the 2024 XCC World Cup. Behind her, finally Henderson -coming back from injury- outpaced Keller.

XCC World Cup Mairipora 2024 Results - Women

1. Evie Richards 20'21"
2. Rebecca Henderson +7"
3. Alessandra Keller +9"
4. Jenny Rissveds +19"
5. Kate Courtney +21"
6. Sina Frei +21"
7. Haley Batten +24"
8. Anne Tauber +25"
9. Jennifer Jackson +25"
10. Greta Seiwald +26"