July 14, 2018 will remain a historic date for Italian mountain biking. Gerhard Kerschbaumer won the World Cup race in Vallnord in the principality of Andorra and, after having won two World Championships as a Junior and Under 23, he returned, and brought us back, to the top of the world in the Cross Country specialty. In the men's field, it hadn't happened for 12 years and before him only Luca Bramati had managed the feat (two stages in 1995 e 1997), Hubert Pallhuber (1998), Martin Fruet (2000) and, in fact, Marco Bui in 2005.
In Vallnord the Italian champion Kerschbaumer and the Swiss Schurter engage in a two-way battle that sees them break the competition by over a minute already in the fourth of the eight scheduled laps. A gap that Mathieu Van Der Poel, third at the finish line, and company have seen steadily growing on the dry and hard track of the locality located at an altitude of 1550 meters. A particular and favorable condition for our Gerry who has spent long weeks at high altitude and therefore feels a bit at home. And now he knows that his uphill accelerations can also put His Majesty Schurter in difficulty. In short, the conditions are all there and Gerry puts the turbo on the sixth lap and leaves the World Champion. A few seconds, at first, which gradually become an important gap.
Unbelievable, a scene that hasn't been seen for years. Or maybe it had never been seen before ... The few who managed to beat Schurter had done it in the sprint or for a few seconds. But while the eyes of the technicians and fans who in recent years have learned to love this shy and kind boy in his ways begin to become lucid, Gerry stepped on the pedals as never before shows his more determined and bad side, at times bold, at least for how the invincible Schurter is running and detaching from his wheel. And the merciless chronometer records the great feat: the 11 seconds of the first draw soon become 19 and, by the middle of the seventh lap, a good 29. Schurter seems unable to react and this galvanizes Gerhard even more, who "pounds" harder and harder nor does he turn back to look at his opponent anymore. In the second split of the eighth and final lap the advantage is 1 minute.
And it still grows up to the finish line, when the Torpado Gabogas rider precedes that of Scott by 1m13 ”. And so, after the Junior and Under 23 World titles, Kerschbaumer returns to the top of the Mountain Bike world, but this time among the Elite where he had not yet been. A first time we believe in, and we sincerely hope, others will follow ... many more. Because this mountain boy, shy but kind and decidedly atypical in the international panorama of this sport, both for the Spartan training methods (but apparently effective for him) and for the somewhat reserved and closed attitude, is a true Champion , with a unique "engine", a very effective and clean driving and a great determination, even if so far it has sinned a bit of consistency.
But never mind if these results arrive. In short, a great talent of few words that, at least on his confidentiality, and also his humility (a gift that is sometimes rare and therefore precious) is never denied: "Last week I ended up behind Nino, today I even beat him, not I believe it. I like the altitude, I have been training well in the last two months, it worked. I made a difference on the climb, Nino is faster than me on the descent, but the altitude, the heat and the long climbs favored me. It seems incredible to me, I'm very happy… »For the record Mathieu Van Der Poel finished third Avancini fourth and Sarrou fifth completed the podium. In the top ten of the day a very good Luca Braidot in sixth place.
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