Pac Peters, also known as Phoenix Decunink, secured her first Elite World Cup triumph in the elite women’s cross-country race in Mesut last November. She outpaced reigning world champion Pauline Ferrand Prévot from Ineos in the final lap. Leona Lecomte from Canyon CLLCTV trailed 11 seconds behind and secured third place on the podium.
The race began with Hayley Batten from Specialized Factory Racing and Evie Richards from Trek Factory Racing launching an attack on the first lap. Batten took the lead by four seconds and surpassed Richards and Sheena Frye from Specialized Factory Racing. On Lap 2, Martina Berta from Santa Cruz RockShox Pro Team and Rebecca Henderson from Primaflor Mondraker Jenne Racing Team joined the three riders, and Richards took the world lead. She separated champion Ferran Prevost from the trailing field.
Richards gained a 15-second lead before Peters ran a grueling third lap and joined Ferran Prevost. Disaster struck Richards shortly after, as her puncture sent her into the tech zone, robbing her of the lead. Ferrand Prevost and Peters led until the fourth lap when the Dutch riders launched their first attack. The world champion shut it out and launched her own attack on the penultimate lap but was unable to dislodge the young talent.
Ferrand Prévot went into the last lap with a six-second lead, but Peters narrowed the gap with a surge on the climb. She then attacked down the stairs to take her first World Cup win. Lecomte broke out of the tsuiso group and took third place, while Richards made a remarkable comeback to secure fourth place in 16 seconds.
Overall, Peters demonstrated exceptional endurance and skill, proving herself as a young, rising star in the world of elite women’s cross-country racing.