Olympic mountain bike champion Tom Pidcock made it two World Cup wins from two with a stunning sprint to victory in Nové Město.
The Yorkshire star scorched past Romanian rising star Vlad Dascalu to register a third career victory on the cross-country circuit.
Pidcock backed up last week’s commanding win in Albstadt and is building an incredible body of work on a mountain bike.
“It was a weird race because in my head I wanted to attack and get a gap like last week,” said the 22-year-old.
“But it was a different kind of race and a different kind of mental energy that was needed to get the win.”
Pidcock won in Germany thanks to a devastating solo attack, staged midway through the race.
Mechanical issues and, seemingly, a lack of top racing form prevented him from doing the same this time as he sat on for long periods in a four-strong leading group.
Pidcock came to the front in the closing stages of the second lap and looked to extend his lead on the climb at the start of the third, but was reeled in by fellow leaders.
Pidcock, who took gold last year at the iconic Czechia circuit, saved his best for the closing sprint and now sits second on the overall UCI MTB World Cup standings.
“It was a difficult race,” said Pidcock. “If I’m honest, I felt rubbish all race. I couldn’t push, I just had one pace and I couldn’t go hard enough to split it.
“But the pace we were going at was quite comfortable. I had problems with my bike all race, it wasn’t doing what I wanted it to.
“I knew if I could hold the gap to Vlad, with the headwind at the finish, I’d be able to come past him.”
Pidcock’s next opportunity for World Cup glory comes at Leogang, Austria on 12 June.
Sportsbeat 2022