Riders to heat up Moscow

The penultimate race of the twelve-stop FIS SBX World Cup tour as well as this winter's third of four team snowboard cross events will take place this weekend in Russia.

On 10 March 2018, riders will turn in on the home stretch of a long season with this World Cup winter's eleventh snowboard cross race being staged in Lata Park. One day later, the exciting team event is on the programme on the same course.

Designed almost 40 years ago, Lata Park, a sport complex located west of the capital near the Krylatskoye area, has been host to many events so far including being a venue for the 1980 Olympic Summer Games.

Almost four decades later, the small resort will become the third ever in Russia to host a SBX World Cup competition since Sochi 2013 and Sunny Valley 2016.

With the Moscow event being the first of the final two stops of an exciting season, the race for the coveted crystal globes could be decided this weekend as 2018 Olympic Champions Michela Moioli (ITA) and Pierre Vaultier (FRA) are comfortably leading the respective ladies' and men's standings.

However, it is an easier task for the French to seal the deal on Saturday.

Vaultier is currently sitting on 6,520 points. And as runner-up Alessandro Haemmerle (AUT; 4,840) is already 1,620 points behind, an eighth rank finish would be enough for the 30-year-old to secure his career's sixth title given that his Austrian rival would be able to earn back-to-back wins in the last races.

In the women's event, Moioli has lost some of her advantage last weekend placing 14th in La Molina, Spain.

With a total 6,810 points under her belt, she has to bring home a good result to keep herself apart from her pursuers.

But French trio Chloe Trespeuch (5,890), Charlotte Bankes (5,600) and Nelly Moenne Loccoz (5,540) are keen to give the Italian some hard time earning her career's second World Cup title since 2016.

The qualifiers for the Moscow SBX are slated for 10 March at 14:30 (12:30 CET) with the night finals following at 18:00 (16:00 CET).

The season's third Team SBX is scheduled for 11 March at 11:30 (9:30 CET).

Check the latest programme .