Rissveds makes it two in a row with masterful wet-weather win

Jenny Rissveds stormed to her second consecutive XCC World Cup victory, attacking solo on the final lap of Friday's race in Pal Arinsal, Andorra. The race was held in treacherous, rainy conditions, making the technical course a severe test of bike handling skill as well as outright power.

In a furious sprint for the remaining podium places, Laura Stigger edged out Ronja Blöchlinger for second, with both riders finishing on the same time as the winner. Nicole Koller crossed the line two seconds later to take fourth, with Alessandra Keller in fifth.

The 20-minute race began in a downpour, with the entire field sprinting for position on the slick gravel track ahead of the first corner. Jenny Rissveds established herself at the front early, controlling the pace.

On the sixth of nine laps, Rissveds launched her first major attack on a steep, wooded climb. The acceleration put the chasers under immense pressure, and her advantage was amplified when a mistake behind caused chaos in the pack, creating a bottleneck that gave the Swede an instant gap.

Rissveds attacked again on the penultimate lap, briefly distancing Alessandra Keller. While the group came back together, the repeated accelerations had taken their toll, and on the final circuit Rissveds made her decisive move, powering away to enter the finishing straight alone.

• Rissveds delivered a masterclass in wet-weather racing. She used the technical climbs to launch her attacks, correctly gambling that the slick conditions would create errors in the chase.
• The incident on lap six was pivotal. While Rissveds's attack was already causing splits, the bottleneck behind her gifted her a gap that allowed her to control the race from the front.
• Laura Stigger showed excellent power and awareness. She took up the chase when others faltered and her strong sprint secured a well-deserved second place.
• Despite finishing eighth, Sina Frei maintained her lead in the overall XCC standings. Rissveds's win, however, moves her into second place and sets up a compelling battle for the title.
• Mona Mitterwallner (Human Powered Health) finished 18th, keeping her in the overall top 10 but underlining the challenge for endurance specialists in the short track format.