Lise Revol claimed a stunning home win for France in a thrilling junior women's race at the 2025 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Liévin.
After a gripping battle with Czechia's Barbora Bukovská which ebbed and flowed throughout the five-lap race, Revol fought back on the last lap to catch her opponent and drop her for the victory in the final few corners.
Revol had taken an early lead on lap one only to be chased down and passed by Bukovská mid-way through the race. The Czech rider then looked the stronger of the pair and celebrated at the end of lap four after thinking she had won the race.
She was being brought back by Revol who maintained her strength over the steps and was more adept in the technical sectors, pushing Bukovská down to second after making a small mistake which gave the French rider breathing space to celebrate at the finish.
Rafaelle Carrier (Canada) won the closely fought battle for third place 1:43 behind the two leaders, beating junior European CX champion Anja Grossmann (Switzerland) to the final podium spot.
How it unfolded
After the mixed-relay got action underway on Friday at at Cyclo-cross Worlds, the junior women took centre stage on Saturday morning, with the 42 riders getting underway in frosty, cold conditions in Liévin.
The French riders brought roars from the home crown with an aggressive start, as Revol and Lison Desprez took an early lead. Soon Revol showed herself as the strongest, leaving her compatriot and the whole field behind on the opening lap.
Revol crossed the line at the of lap one with a 24-second lead on Carrier, who led a large chase group.
The French rider looked to be riding away to solo victory until Bukovská shot out of the chasers at the start of lap two and began to chip away at Revol's advantage. Soon, the Czech rider had halved the deficit and was just 12 seconds down at the end of lap 2.
Small mistakes from Revol allowed Bukovská to make contact midway through the third lap, before the home nation finally lost the lead after 23-minutes of racing.
A great battle ensued between the two 16-year-olds, with Revol fighting back towards the enf of lap 3 and almost retaking the lead before a mistake undid all of her good work. She was sent out of deep rut, almost crashing in the process, but did stay on two wheels despite losing time.
Bukovská took a ten-second lead into the fourth lap and defended it well until the final sector, where Revol's technical advantage started to shine through and she make contact ahead of the final corner.
The Czech rider then looked as though she was attacking but it turned out she thought it was the end of the race, celebrating at the line one lap too early before realising she had to continue.
She refocused and did maintain her lead going into the final lap but had wasted a bullet, allowing Revol to slowly claw back the advantage and start a fierce shoulder-to-shoulder fight for the world title.
Revol proved too strong after making contact and putting the pressure on her opponent. She looked to have it sewn up but the victory for France was confirmed when Bukovská make a final mistake and got stuck in the mud, allowing Revol to celebrate emotionally at the finish.
Results
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