Jolanda Neff launches the challenge for the first stage of the Internazionali d'Italia Series: "Winning helps to win, Andora will be the first challenge at high levels". The last winner Stephane Tempier will also be at the Andora Race Cup on 7 March. Youth competitions postponed.
Source: press release
Less than a month after the inaugural appointment in Andora, everything indicates that the opening leg of the Internazionali d'Italia Series 2021 will in effect be the first major seasonal confrontation at the highest levels among the protagonists of mountain biking worldwide.
Among those who will head for the Ligurian Riviera is the Trek Factory Racing Team, one of the reference realities on a global level, which on Sunday 7 March at Andora Race Cup will field the three spearheads of the roster.
The Swiss Jolanda Neff, World Champion in 2017, and the British Evie Richards will be in the front row among the favorites of the women's Elite race. “I am happy to restart after a difficult season - explains Jolanda Neff. - and I thank the organizers of Andora Race Cup for the organizational effort. I am working to get back into my best shape and to do so I want to compete against the strongest athletes in the world. By my side will be Evie (Richards), an athlete who is getting stronger and stronger. We want to form a great couple ”.
For Neff, the focus of the season will naturally be represented by the Tokyo Olympic Games and the World Championships in Italy, in Val di Sole, where she has already won and where she was the protagonist of a great duel with Ferrand Prevot in 2019. "The Olympics I am a great goal, but I love to compete in Italy and I aim to be the protagonist right away. My motto is 'winning helps you win'. "
In addition to Neff and Richards, Trek Factory Racing also lined up the reigning champion of the Ligurian event, Frenchman Stephane Tempier, at the start of the first stage of the Internazionali d'Italia Series. “Competing in Italy and in Andora is always a good feeling for me - said the athlete from Gap. - I like this path very much, it is technical and demanding. I know the Riviera microclimate well: they are perfect areas for training and competing in the month of March. 2020 was very difficult and I have not yet managed to break the ice with Team Trek Factory Racing: I want to find the victory as soon as possible ”.
ANDORA RACE CUP: YOUTH RACES POSTPONED
In consideration of the high number of registrations, to safeguard the health of athletes, teams and staff, the ASD Andora Race, in agreement with the Italian Cycling Federation, has decided to postpone the youth competitions, originally scheduled for Sunday 26 March, to 7 September. . "The priority is safety: in order to avoid gatherings that are difficult to manage and ensure compliance with the health regulations in force, we have decided to place the elite and youth races in two different periods", said the President of the ASD Andora Race Carlo Rista. "We feel the responsibility to restart our sport, and to do it in conditions of complete safety: this is why we trust in everyone's understanding and collaboration."
The Andora Race Cup races will be held on Sunday 7 March, with only the categories linked to the Internazionali d'Italia Series: Elite, U23 and Juniores.
