Mountain bike action moves to Albstadt for second round of cross-country World Cup

The second round of the cross-country mountain bike season will take place this weekend from 6-8 May in the Swabian Alps of Germany for the much-loved Albstadt leg of the World Cup tour.

Find out everything you know about the race below.

Where will the race take place?

This weekend’s race will be competed in Albstadt, Germany, where riders will attempt to improve or cement their standings in the cross-country World Cup following the first cross-country round that took place in early April in Petropolis, Brazil. 

Albstadt has been a regular stop on the tour since 2013 and features non-stop action to the very last as riders battle for position and rankings.

What happened in the last round?

The first round of the World Cup saw the season opener take place in Petropolis, Brazil for the very first time.

In the men’s race, world champion Nino Schurter rolled back the years to take his 33rd World Cup win - equalling the record held by Julien Absalon. Second place went to Maxime Marotte with the bronze won by Vlad Dascalu. It means that Schurter enters the next round in Albstadt top of the overall rankings.

The Petropolis race saw Schurter surge to the front on the final stretch, catching and passing Marotte in a thrilling finish. Expect much of the same in Albstadt, where previous races have featured last gasp victories that have kept the crowd on their toes for the entirety of the race.

The women’s race in Petropolis saw Australian Rebecca McConnell take her maiden World Cup victory, as she beat second-place Anne Terpstra and last year’s overall champion Loana Lecomte.

McConnell’s victory was the first by an Australian woman in over 20 years and sees her enter the race in Germany in pole position in the overall championship.

Who were the big winners in last year’s Albstadt race?

In last year’s women’s race, Lecomte was in a league of her own as she laid down a marker for the season as French riders went 1-2 in Germany. Pauline Ferrand Prevot - who won the Short Track race that weekend - was second and came away with the overall leader’s jersey, despite finishing 53 seconds behind her compatriot. The USA’s Haley Batten came home third.

Victor Koretzky won the men’s race, beating European Champion Nino Schurter with ​​Mathias Flueckiger finishing third. Tom Pidcock, who went on to win the MTB Olympic title at Tokyo 2020, finished in fifth, despite starting the race in 93rd place on the grid.

Schedule of the Mountain Bike World Cup in Albstadt

Friday 6 May

17:30: World Cup Cross-country Short Track - Women

18:15: World Cup Cross-country Short Track - Men

Sunday 8 May

11:20: World Cup Cross-country Olympic - Women Elite

14:35: World Cup Cross-country Olympic - Men Elite