Durango’s Christopher Blevins probably wishes the UCI Mountain World Cup would never leave Brazil. After a strong opening to the season last year in Brazil, Blevins looked super strong this weekend in Araxá, Brazil, finishing first in the men’s elite short track (XCC) and second in the cross-country race (XCO).
From the beginning of both races, Blevins was at the front with his Specialized Factory Racing teammate Victor Koretzky. Blevins looked strong in all parts of the Araxá short track and cross-country track, especially the jump section, in which commentators quickly brought up his background in BMX.
Blevins won the eight-lap short track race on Saturday in 21 minutes and 40 seconds, a second ahead of Koretzky. His French teammate had the upper hand on Saturday, winning the nine-lap cross-country race in 1:19:32. Blevins was second in 1:19:42.
“I'm just happy with how I rode,” Blevins said. “I showed up really taking the race on from the start was the mentality I wanted to start the year with and that definitely paid off. It's not so much the result that I'm really happy with. It's more the process to get there and then the team aspect is really special. We knew we could go theoretically, 1-2-3, but it's so hard to actually have it fall in place.”
The opening round for men’s elite started on Saturday with the short track race. Blevins got a great start and led the first lap. He dropped back to seventh at the start of the third lap in a crowded front group.
Blevins bounced back and was either first or second in the fifth lap, including forcing the issue heading into the rock section and getting his elbows out in tight quarters to take second.
The 27-year-old Durangoan led in the sixth lap and took control during the seventh lap. He attacked on the climb to spread out the top group as they chased after him during the seventh lap.
Blevins lost the lead early in the final lap but battled back and had an incredible attack on the climb to take the lead from his teammate.
He gapped Koretzky but the Frenchman fought back, side by side with Blevins with a few corners left. But Blevins had enough around the final corner and the home straight to take the win.
“Short tracks are always a fight for position the entire time,” Blevins said. “So I told myself, ‘I'm going to win that fight this time. I'm going to spend a little more time, maybe in the wind, a little more energy to be out in front, but to be safe and in a good position.’ That's exactly what I did. I was quite confident in my kick up that climb.”
On Sunday in the men’s elite cross-country race, Blevins and Koretzky pulled away from the field in the first lap like their lives depended on it. The commentators were shocked at the early gap.
Blevins had to look back a few times, almost in surprise, as the two put a 10-second gap on the field by the second lap.
“We were a bit surprised,” Blevins said. “I haven't led the whole first lap of World Cup ever. I went for it, and as soon as I saw we had separation, it was a pretty clear plan with Victor. I knew all you needed was one person to roll together on that course. You can't ask for someone better to do that with than Victor. It was not a plan we had talked about before, but as soon as it presented itself, it was clear what to do.”
After the first lap, Blevins and Koretzky worked together at the front, with the pair switching who led at the start of a new lap. The gap kept increasing to the chase group and by the middle of the race, the gap was 45 seconds.
Blevins said the Specialized racers had new tires and wheels this year which really helped on the technical descent.
The teamwork ended when Koretzky made a move halfway through the eighth lap and put eight seconds on his teammate. Blevins didn’t have a response and cruised to a lonely second.
Blevins said he was cramping a bit during the race. When Koretzky attacked, he didn’t want to push it too much, seize up and throw away second.
After an incredible 1-2-3 finish for Specialized Factory Racing, Blevins said the team celebrated with some champagne at dinner but quickly refocused on the next round in Aráxa this weekend. Blevins said he hasn’t raced the same World Cup venue on back-to-back weekends since COVID-19.
Durango resident Savilia Blunk had a great start to her women’s elite World Cup season, finishing third in the women’s elite cross-country race on Sunday.
Blunk finished third in 1:24:07, barely behind second-place Nicole Koller, who finished with the same time. Blunk’s Decathlon Ford Racing teammate Samara Maxwell won the women’s elite cross-country race in 1:24:03.
On Saturday, Blunk finished 13th in the women’s elite short track race in 21:57. Evie Richards won the short track race in 21:25.
“What a day,” Blunk wrote on Instagram. “Third at the first World Cup and a huge win for Samara Maxwell!! I’m super proud of my fight today mentally and physically. Finally feeling back in my flow after an up and down winter. Really happy to execute mentally thanks to so many (years) of work with Enso Mental Performance and a lot of good recent talks.”
Blunk started the short track race with a decent start but fell back to 17th by the third lap. She battled back with a fast fourth and fifth lap and made it to 13th at the end of the race.
On Sunday, Blunk had an average start, stayed at 13th early on and got up to sixth. She was in the chasing group that caught up to the leaders. Blunk crossed the line near the front as a lead group of 10 started the second lap
Blunk dropped back to fifth at the start of the third lap but caught up with the leaders on the fourth lap and made a big leading group.
Jenny Rissveds had a lead of over 15 seconds on Blunk and the chasing group in the fifth lap, but Blunk caught her and briefly took the lead in the sixth lap. She fell back to sixth at the start of the seventh lap but battled back to fourth to start the final lap in the chase group.
Blunk had multiple seconds to make up late in the final lap to catch Koller for second. She did it but Koller outkicked Blunk at the line.
Riley Amos didn’t have the start to his men’s elite career he hoped, finishing 26th in the men’s elite short track race and not finishing the cross-country race.
Amos finished in 22:04 in the short track race, 24 seconds behind Blevins. He didn’t get the start he needed but was up to 15th by the fourth lap. Amos then dropped down to 30th by the end of the sixth lap.
In the cross-country race, Amos was up to 17th after two laps before he retired.
“Apologies for the radio silence since the weekend, unfortunately not much good news to report from race day,” Amos wrote on Instagram. “Nobody said it was going to be easy but my first ever World Cup DNF was not what I thought that meant. A great start to the race but ended up hitting the ground a couple times and the second one rang my head pretty hard and pulled the plug. I’ve had some light concussion symptoms but doing much better each day and hoping to be clear to race this weekend but going to take it day by day.”
Bailey Cioppa represented Durango well in the women’s U-23 class on her first trip to Brazil. She finished 15th in the short track and cross-country race.
Cioppa finished the short track race in 19:58, 59 seconds behind winner Isabella Holmgren. On Sunday, Cioppa finished the cross-country race in 1:09:04, 4:37 behind Holmgren.
“I’m super happy with it,” Cioppa said. “It’s a really good starting point and I’m hungry for more.”
Cioppa said the conditions were hot but could’ve been worse since the U-23 women raced in the morning.
She said she didn’t have the greatest start in either race but made up places with ample passing opportunities around the Araxá courses.
Cioppa was happy with her consistency to start the season after a disappointing end to last year. She changed coaches and has a more steady build to this year.
Fellow Durangoan Lauren Aggeler competed in women’s U-23, finishing 25th in XCC and 28th in XCO.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
