Pac Peters of Alpecin-Decunink emerged victorious in the women’s elite cross-country Olympic World Cup race on Sunday, as part of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, with Pauline Ferrand-Prévot of Ineos Grenadiers finishing second and Roana Lecomte of Canyon CLLCTV finishing third. On Friday’s UCI Cross-Country Short Track World Cup Women’s Elite Race, Laura Stigger of Specialized Factory Racing won and secured the top eight front-row seats.
In the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, Peters won the race and the top eight Olympic World Cup winners were Steiger, Alessandra Keller, Sheena Frye, Ferran Prevost, Evie Richards, Hayley Batten, Peters, and Ann Tauber. Peters crossed the starting line early to secure the lead and joined a group of racers. Batten overtook Richards and led the pack at the end of the starting lap. Eventually, Richards took the lead and established a gap with Batten. Ferran Prevost soon joined the chase group, and Richards suffered a puncture in her back tire, causing her to slip from her 1st place to 9th place.
Ferran Prevost and Peters were then in contention for the win, with Peters attacking on the next lap. As the riders tackled the penultimate lap, Ferran-Prévot quickly extended her lead, and Richards managed to rejoin the group. Peters attacked again and created a small gap, maintaining her advantage for the rest of the course and securing her victory by five seconds.
The UCI Mountain Bike World Series will be live and on-demand on discovery+ and eurosport.com for the 2023 cycling season. Pedersen also won the U23 UCI Cross-Country Olympic World Cup in style and savored the moment of her grand victory.