SNOWBOARD SBX. The FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup got back to action today in Feldberg (GER), with the first races since late December taking to the slopes of the Black Forest resort, where Lindsey Jacobellis (USA) claimed the 30th SBX win of her incredible career and Cameron Bolton (AUS) claimed his career’s first in an exciting day of riding.

Jacobellis came into Feldberg fresh off a mixed team SBX win at the Utah 2019 with her partner Mick Dierdorf, and on Saturday the winningest snowboard cross athlete of all time kept that momentum going by taking a historic 30th win in some challenging conditions at Feldberg.

The ladies’ big final was about as talent-loaded as you could hope to see, with Jacobellis lined up alongside Utah 2019 two-time medallist Michela Moioli (ITA), Utah 2019 individual SBX world champion Eva Samkova, and the resurgent Chloe Trespeuch (FRA).

Fighting from the rider’s-left lane, Jacobellis was able to out-pump her competitors through the start section to pull into an early lead that she would not relinquish through the twisty Feldberg course, leaving Moioli and Samkova for battle for second while Trespeuch - who missed the first part of the season due to injury - looked for an opening from the back.

Across the line it would be Jacobellis with the win, followed by Moioli in seconds, Samkova in third, and Trespeuch forced to settle for fourth.

“I’m really happy with the way my starts are coming together,” said Jacobellis after her win, “It makes things a lot easier when you don’t have to battle through traffic. I got out front and tried to stay in the smallest tuck possible so that I wasn’t creating a lot of draft for the girls behind me

While the winningest rider of all time added to her legacy in the ladies’ competition, over on the men’s side a rider without a single World Cup podium to his credit changed all that with a win on Saturday, as Cameron Bolton of Australia earned his maiden victory in the 40th start of his career.

Matched up in a tough final heat against a pair of German athletes in Paul Berg and Konstantin Schad, as well as young Japanese rider Yoshiki Takahara, Bolton took out a page out of Jacobellis’ book, jumping quickly out of the left gate and into the lead before the first corner with the Germans hot on his tail.

With Takahara clipping Schad’s board and nearly crashing on the first corner, Schad and Berg would be free to battle for second while Bolton opened up a comfortable lead, holding on easily through the finish for the win.

“It feels really, really good,” said Bolton of his first World Cup win, “It was a tricky race today and ’m happy I was able to come out here and do it. Three years ago I broke my back on this course, so to come out here and qualify first and then take the win, it feels like I have a little bit of redemption. And to share the podium with a couple of German riders on their home turf is nice, too.

It was an excellent day for the host German squad with Berg finishing in second and Schad in third, while 21 year old Takahara, competing in just his 10th World Cup event, had the best finish of his career in fourth.

Action at Feldberg continues on Sunday with what will be the first-ever mixed team snowboard cross World Cup event, after the new format made its debut last weekend at the Utah 2019 world championships in a highly entertaining affair. The first heat on Sunday will be out of the gate at 9:50 CET.

text: FIS Snowboard
photos: Miha Matavz/FIS Snowboard

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