Specialized Factory Racing sweep Lake Placid World Cup
Sina Frei, Laura Stigger, and Victor Koretzky impress in the US
Laura Stigger sprinted to the line after a fast, tactical race in Lake Placid. The race came down to a 4-woman battle, and Stigger just edged out her Specialized teammate Sina Frei. A few meters past the line, the two riders grabbed hands and raised them in victory—rivals but also teammates.
The weekend was already going well for the Specialized Factory Racing team after Frei’s victory in yesterday’s short track. Thirty minutes and some change later, Specialized made it two Ws with Victor Koretzky. It’s not uncommon for one of the bigger factory teams—Specialized, Trek, and Cannondale the most prominent—to rack up multiple wins across a race weekend, but the change for a sweep is a rarity.
After the women’s race wrapped up, Lake Placid’s eyes turned to two men: Koretzky and Christopher Blevins. Blevins had a disappointing short track, placing himself perfectly before sliding out in the closing laps. Today’s 80-minute race would be his only chance to impress in front of a home country crowd, Lake Placid being the only US World Cup this season.
The anonymous short track result led to a less than ideal start position in the XCO for Blevins, but Koretzky was on the front line. The Frenchman and Olympic silver medalist was placed well, while Blevins had his work cut out for him. As the laps wore on, Blevins moved up, buoyed by American fans and a course that led to tight racing dynamics. With two to go, he moved up from fourth or fifth wheel and hit the front. There were six-odd riders set to face off in the final lap with two Specialized riders ready to pounce.
Attacks followed and the pace was too much for Blevins, who almost made his way back to the group but ran out of track. Koretzky channeled the same energy as in the XCC, powering his way to a decisive victory with his explosive finishing power, with Blevins rolling in for sixth. The sweep is certainly a high point for the team, sponsored by California-based Specialized, and winning on the bike brand’s home country turf.
Blevins told me after the race that he and the team were happy for Frei and Stigger’s results, finally a payoff for all of their hard work.
“The ride of the day was Sina and Laura,” Blevins said. “That was one of the most exciting races I've seen. And I think we all were a little emotional, just because you see how much work everyone puts in, and both of those girls have been close all year but never really had a breakthrough race. So I'm just really happy for them.”
Koretzy and Blevins have often raced together at the front of World Cups. The duo went 1-2 at the short track in Brazil, and Blevins was hoping for a similar fate this weekend.
“When I'm on a good day, I think we can kind of play off each other, and I think we were going to do that yesterday in the short track,” he said. “I don't usually say this, but I think I was on it for a 1-2 yesterday, today. Obviously, I didn't quite have the legs, but it's still a little motivating having a teammate up there.”
The American says that what makes his French teammate such a threat is his ability to make the race fast at the start but also finish with a strong kick to the line.
“We're getting used to Victor winning, which is good,” Blevins said. “He's just really asserting himself as one of the best all around mountain bikers of this generation.”
The Specialized riders and team have one more chance to power their multi-color kits to the line next week in Canada before the World Cup goes into off-season hibernation.
Blevins’ goal?
“One better, a few better. Get on the podium. That's the goal.”