Cannondale clutches muddy Banyoles XCO
Jolanda Neff and Ana Santos go 1-2 while men fight for top-10s
Thick mud couldn’t stop Cannondale Factory Racing from a dominant showing at the Banyoles round of the Shimano Supercup Massi XCO series near Girona, Spain this past weekend.
Jolanda Neff mastered the tough conditions and took an early lead to win the four lap race by more than 4 minutes. Cannondale teammate Ana Santos placed second, in the young rider’s first elite race, and Sunn’s Falvie Guille finished third on the podium.
“It was a really good race. It was so muddy, crazy muddy, but I had an amazing set up,” Neff said. “I had a good start. I was second after the first uphill and then as soon as we got in to the muddy part I understood I need to go to the front otherwise I lose too much time so I went to the front. I already had a gap and I was just riding my own race. I really, really enjoyed it. It was super fun and super nice. I wanted to do another lap, I thought we had one more.
Everything was so muddy. Every turn, every corner, every uphill, every downhill. I never crashed, I always stayed on my bike. I think the gap always just got a bit bigger.”
The men’s race also saw a solo leader in Thömus maxon’s Lars Forster, who beat Charlie Aldridge by 6 seconds. Specialized’s Victor Koretzky rounded out the podium in third place.
“A perfect day,” Forster said. "After an intensive training camp, I didn't expect to feel so good. I didn't want to lead the race so early on. But once I was in front, I just kept up my pace.”
Aldridge’s second place led an impressive top-10 coup for Cannondale, with Cole Punchard in fifth and Luca Martin finishing ninth.
Neff now leads the Supercup series overall, and Orbea’s Simon Andreassen leads the men’s overall.
The next big European early season races are the French Cup and Internazionali d’Italia series, both taking place the weekend of March 15.
Check out the race replay from Banyoles below.
Early season XC races to watch
World Cup racing doesn’t start until April, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t high-level international racing to watch. In February and March, top talent heads to warmer locales to tune their legs and find their race pace. Read on for Ryan MTB’s guide to early season XC racing.
Team Analysis: Cannondale Factory Racing
Cannondale Factory Racing has a refreshed team this year led by veteran rider Jolanda Neff, the 2020 Olympic MTB champion. Notable departures this year include Alan Hatherly, Simon Andreassen, and Mona Mitterwallner, but Cannondale held onto Charlie Aldridge who is expected to keep a fast presence at the front of the men’s elite field.
With mud that thick it makes me wonder if the Lefty’s superior clearance didn’t play at least a small part in the race outcome.