{"id":244881,"date":"2026-05-23T21:28:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T21:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/23\/puck-pieterse-sprints-to-mountain-bike-xcc-world-series-victory-as-tom-pidcock-is-denied-by-mathis-azzaro-at-nove-mesto-na-morave\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T21:28:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T21:28:28","slug":"puck-pieterse-sprints-to-mountain-bike-xcc-world-series-victory-as-tom-pidcock-is-denied-by-mathis-azzaro-at-nove-mesto-na-morave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/23\/puck-pieterse-sprints-to-mountain-bike-xcc-world-series-victory-as-tom-pidcock-is-denied-by-mathis-azzaro-at-nove-mesto-na-morave\/","title":{"rendered":"Puck Pieterse sprints to Mountain Bike XCC World Series victory as Tom Pidcock is denied by Mathis Azzaro at Nov\u00e9 M\u011bsto Na Morav\u011b"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"elk-95612807-0b3a-410a-89b6-37680ded9529\">After a spring spent racing on the road in Classics, multi-discipline riders <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/puck-pieterse\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/puck-pieterse\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/puck-pieterse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Puck Pieterse<\/a> (Fenix-Premier Tech) and <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/tom-pidcock\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/tom-pidcock\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/tom-pidcock\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tom Pidcock<\/a> (Pinarello Q36.5) made their WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series debuts Saturday in Czechia. Both fought through the field to contend for victory, but the decisive final straight settled the outcome differently in each race.<\/p>\n<p>After a fast start, Pieterse made her way through traffic from close to the back of the pack to hit the front at the start of lap three. From then on, the Dutch rider attacked up the climb every lap in the second half of the race, putting her competition in the red each time, even if she couldn\u2019t shake them off.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<aside data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-95612807-0b3a-410a-89b6-37680ded9529-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">However, the selection was not made on the climb but on the start\/finish straight when XCC World Champion Alessandra Keller (Th\u00f6mus maxon) crashed into the barriers alongside Jolanda Neff (Cannondale Factory Racing) after getting caught up in Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing)\u2019s handlebars.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-6 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-[10px] lg:my-8\" data-component-name=\"JwPlayer:Carousel\" data-jwp-carousel=\"\" data-jwp-carousel-payload=\"{&quot;ids&quot;:{&quot;playerID&quot;:&quot;jYDCcabO&quot;,&quot;searchPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;divID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;fallbackPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;fallbackDivID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;key&quot;:&quot;X9\\\/mXVGac0NphghLH9hZaqWA5d3dhAM\\\/Ih07grnEyMLjuO2E&quot;,&quot;tintLogo&quot;:true,&quot;useSearchPlaylist&quot;:false,&quot;enabled&quot;:true},&quot;signPostingEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;signPostingLinkEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;waitForAdLoad&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnDesktop&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnMobile&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnTablet&quot;:false}\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-nowrap items-center justify-between gap-3 bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-header=\"\">\n<div class=\"flex min-w-0 shrink items-center\"><span class=\"inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm font-article-heading capitalize leading-5 text-white whitespace-nowrap\"><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-mobile\"\/><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-desktop\">Latest Videos From<\/span><span class=\"jwp-carousel-brand inline-flex items-center\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aspect-video w-full min-h-[200px] lg:min-h-[330px] relative overflow-hidden bg-black\" data-jwp-carousel-container=\"\">\n<div class=\"absolute inset-0 size-full items-center justify-center bg-white\" data-jwp-carousel-fallback=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] max-h-12 w-auto\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Jenny Rissveds (Canyon XC Racing) swept to the front on the inside to lead over the summit on the final lap, but Pieterse used the leadout to unleash her sprint on the final straight, going around Nicole Koller (Lapierre PXR Racing) for the win. Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) came home second, with Koller holding on for third.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">\u201cI\u2019ve missed it,\u201d said Pieterse who claimed five victories last season WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, including a XCC win in Nov\u00e9 M\u011bsto na Morav\u011b.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">\u201cHere it always gets quite bunchy on the road and slows down a bit, however this year Jenny [Rissveds] was setting such a high pace that it took me a bit to get to the front. When I was there, I just decided to stay there, and tried to keep in control for the final sprint.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">\u201cI saw Nicole [Koller] coming from the left and she was starting to step on the pedals. I thought \u2018now I have to kick\u2019, so I did. It\u2019s super cool, flashbacks to last year\u2019s Short Track here. The goal for tomorrow is just to keep the material [equipment] good and see from there how a one and a half-hour effort compares to the four-hour road sessions.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-JZvbi3CNyLFMVESboWKVcH\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-JZvbi3CNyLFMVESboWKVcH slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\" id=\"elk-db9215d4-60bd-4b0c-9200-e33c06a5d751\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:1343px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:66.49%;\"> <picture data-new-v2-image=\"true\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/UaFC37dfFoNLs3QCtGyxw6-1200-80.png.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/UaFC37dfFoNLs3QCtGyxw6-1024-80.png.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/UaFC37dfFoNLs3QCtGyxw6-970-80.png.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/UaFC37dfFoNLs3QCtGyxw6-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/UaFC37dfFoNLs3QCtGyxw6-480-80.png.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/UaFC37dfFoNLs3QCtGyxw6-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5) finished second at Nov&amp;amp;eacute; M&amp;amp;#283;sto Na Morav&amp;amp;#283; XCC\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/UaFC37dfFoNLs3QCtGyxw6-1200-80.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/UaFC37dfFoNLs3QCtGyxw6-1024-80.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/UaFC37dfFoNLs3QCtGyxw6-970-80.png 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/UaFC37dfFoNLs3QCtGyxw6-650-80.png 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/UaFC37dfFoNLs3QCtGyxw6-480-80.png 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/UaFC37dfFoNLs3QCtGyxw6-320-80.png 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/UaFC37dfFoNLs3QCtGyxw6.png\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/UaFC37dfFoNLs3QCtGyxw6.png\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] inline\"\/>\n<\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5) finished second at Nov\u00e9 M\u011bsto Na Morav\u011b XCC <\/span><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Series)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-647eed01-b28e-451e-9a04-10a035df713d\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">In the men\u2019s race, Pidcock spent the first four laps dead last to avoid the potential pitfalls of a much bigger bunch at the front. After accelerations by Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon XC Racing) and Jordan Sarrou (BMC Factory Racing), Pidcock started to move up on the fifth lap to reach the front one lap later.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The group stayed mostly together until the bell lap sparked a drag race into the bottom of the final ascent before Pidcock put in a massive turn off speed on the climb to take the lead.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division) immediately jumped on the wheel but Pidcock was not able to shake the pack and was forced to lead going into the final straight, where Azzaro was able to slingshot off to accelerate to the line and take the win ahead of Pidcock. Dario Lillo (Giant Factory Off-Road Team XC) rounded out the podium.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            What to read next<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">\u201cI knew that Tom [Pidcock] was coming from the back, I just waited, he came the last lap like a Formula 1 car, and I just jumped into the wheel. It\u2019s a name that everyone knows and I\u2019m super proud to beat him, it\u2019s great to race with a champion like this,\u201d Azzaro said.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">\u201cI knew when he was straight on my wheel. It\u2019s hard coming back to mountain bike from some time away. I feel like I\u2019ve no idea what I\u2019m doing when I come back, so it\u2019s just nice to get that first race out the way, know that I\u2019ve still got the legs. It\u2019s always a doubt when I come back,\u201d Pidcock said.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">\u201cI\u2019m here to try and win, I\u2019ve done it every other time. I\u2019m here so need to keep that streak going [tomorrow], added Pidcock, XCO winner in 2024, the last time he competed in Nov\u00e9 M\u011bsto na Morav\u011b.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Both Peterse and Pidcock will line up for the XCO race on Sunday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/puck-pieterse-sprints-to-mountain-bike-xcc-world-series-victory-as-tom-pidcock-is-denied-by-mathis-azzaro-at-nove-mesto-na-morave\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After a spring spent racing on the road in Classics, multi-discipline riders Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) and Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5) made their WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series debuts Saturday in Czechia. Both fought through the field to contend for victory, but the decisive final straight settled the outcome differently in each race. After [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":244882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6804],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-244881","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}