AMERICAN WINS MARATHON XC RACE AT SNOWSHOE WORLD CUP

America’s Hannah Otto (riding for Pivot Cycles and DT Swiss) took the win in the Women’s Marathon event at Snowshoe, West Virginia.

After several days of drizzle and fog, the ground was muddy, slippery, and technical.

The course was 105 kilometers (65.24 miles) long, with 2275 meters (7463.91 feet) of climbing, and the weather was foggy.

Otto won with a gap of over five minutes between her and second-place finisher Haley Smith of Canada. Former American XC National Champion Erin Huck placed fifth in the event.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Lejla Njemcevic took fourth place which was enough to land her the 2023 champion’s title.

In the Elite Men’s race, the Americans didn’t fare nearly as well, dominating the bottom half of the results page. Germany’s Simon Stiebjahn won the race after a three-way sprint to the finish against France’s Axel Roudel Cortinat and Switzerland’s Casey South, who finished second and third, respectively.

Here’s the video of the event:

Italy’s Fabian Rabensteiner (Wilier-Pirelli Factory Team MX) ended up fifth to claim the 2023 World Cup title in the event after this final event of the four Marathon rounds this year.

Lukas Vrouenvelder was the top American in the Elite Men’s ranks, placing 16th.

Despite America’s disappointing finish in the men’s event, it was good to see so many Americans competing in the race, and great to see Jeremiah Bishop’s name showing up in the results column. Bishop, who is now 47 years old, was one of America’s top cross-country racers for many years, with two national titles and a Pan American Games gold medal to his credit. In recent years he has been one of America’s top ultra-endurance racers and now rides for the Canyon-Topeak-Ergon team.