PHOTOGRAPHS BARTOSZ WOLINSKI / RED BULL CONTENT POOL

8-10 APRIL The cross-country elite began their campaign in the exotic surroundings of a new venue . Petrópolis is the heartland of mountain biking in Brazil – and it showed in the droves of enthusiastic fans who descended on the São José Bike Club . Set in and out of rainforest , the 4.5km track delivered some steep climbs , huge jumps and drops to test athletes ’ technical and handling skills .

First up were the intense XCC races . The top seven men were separated by a mere five seconds – and it was Saffa hero Alan Hatherly who sprinted across the line first . The women ’ s race was as tight , with Pauline Ferrand-Prévot just seconds ahead of her rivals . Nino Schurter won the men ’ s XCO in a dramatic sprint finish , finally equalling Julien Absalon ’ s World Cup record of 33 victories . In the women ’ s race , it was a sweet first-time World Cup win for Australian Rebecca McConnell .

6-8 MAY Next up was the classic European venue in the Swabian Alps in Germany ’ s Baden- Württemberg region . Dominated by two big climbs , races here are usually exciting right up to the last few metres , which often feature nail-biting sprint finishes .

Rebecca McConnell was on a roll , scoring a perfect weekend by taking the win in both the women ’ s XCC and the XCO . In the men ’ s XCC it was Kiwi Sam Gaze who put in an explosive burst of power to break away from the field in the last lap .

It was another multidisciplinary cyclist who cantered to an easy win in the XCO race – Tom Pidcock took a hold midway through , getting away from Nino Schurter and Mathias Flückiger on the Shimano Dual Climb on lap 3 .

13-15 MAY Renowned for being a riders ' favourite , the iconic Czech venue has one of the most technical XCO courses in the world . Here Rebecca McConnell continued her dominance to take three out of three wins , becoming only the fifth woman ever to do so . In the men ’ s race it was Tom Pidcock who prevailed in a sprint finish dual with Vlad Dascălu to take a backto-back win .

In the XCC races , the organisers revealed a significantly different 1.1km course from previous years – now less technical and essentially an all-out speed fest . Both the men ’ s and women ’ s races ended in showdowns on the tarmac leading to the finish line . Switzerland ’ s Jolanda Neff claimed victory in the women ’ s race , while Germany ’ s Luca Schwarzbauer took his firstever World Cup win in the men ’ s after an explosive burst of speed that saw him distance a big group of chasers .

Amaury Pierron ( top left ) celebrated victory in Lourdes ;

Rebecca McConnell ( top ) won three in three XCO Cups ; Tom Pidcock ( right ) took two XCO victories ; Pauline Ferrand-Prévot claimed the XCC in Brazil .

champion stakes | MTB | 25