In Araxa, the Elite Men’s Cross Country Olympic (KSCO) race was full of excitement as Simon Andreasen (Cannondale Factory Racing) emerged victorious in a thrilling sprint finish during the second round of the Race to Brazil. The race started off with Mairipora winner Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) being pushed back to the back of the field by a crash on the first lap, setting up a competitive contest between four riders.
As the race progressed, it became clear that this would be a close battle between Andreasen and his teammate Alan Hatherley, along with Viktor Korecki from Specialized Factory Racing and Filipe Colombo from Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team. In the end, it was Andreasen who held off Korecki’s attempts to overtake him in a thrilling sprint finish, securing his place on top of the podium. Hatherley finished third just behind him, while Colombo finished fourth in what was an incredibly close race.
Andreasen couldn’t contain his joy at securing a World Championship victory after several years. He expressed surprise at how well he performed in this event and thanked his teammates for their support throughout the race. Meanwhile, Korecki praised Andreasen for his strength and impressive sprint performance in the final stretch, even though he initially led the race but faced a mechanical problem that hindered his chances of winning.
Despite his mechanical failure, Korecki remains atop the overall standings with 520 points going into next month’s cross country round in Novo mesto na Morava from May 24 to 26. This sets up another exciting showdown between these two riders as they continue their rivalry throughout this season’s World Cup series.