Sixth success in Val di Sole, thirty-fifth in the World Cup: numbers from a timeless champion, from an authentic Mountain Bike legend.
Source: Vitesse press release
SEE ALL WORLD CUP VICTORIES OF NINO SCHURTER
RACE REPLAY
Nino Schurter added another gem to an unrepeatable career, in one of his favorite terrains of conquest, that of Daolasa di Commezzadura, where he exploded at the highest levels, winning the title of U23 World Champion in 2008, he consecrated himself by stringing together successes with seasons went by, and was reborn in 2021, conquering the ninth of 10 world titles among the Elites when everyone saw the sunset for him.
The Swiss ace's ride in Val di Sole was a long one. A true lesson in Cross Country taught to younger opponents by a 37-year-old who has no intention of giving up.
Behind the Team Scott-SRAM athlete, as at the 2021 World Championships, he finished Mathias Fluckiger (Thomus-Maxon), second again but this time further away, at 27”. Third place for the Romanian, new European Champion, Vlad dascalu (Trek Factory) at 38”, author of a remarkable comeback in the second part of the race, just ahead of the Frenchman Joshua Dubai (Rockriders).
He completed the top-5 Alan Hatherley (Cannondale Factory) at 52”. The South African deserves credit for having let go of Schurter's wheel last, before giving in to the distance. The Italians are far away: the twins Daniele (CS Carabinieri) e Luke Braidot (Santa Cruz-Rockshox) have never been in the heat of the race finishing their efforts respectively in 12th and 13th place.
“A Lenzerheide I realized that I have a great condition and I am aware that I have reached an excellent setup with the vehicle, which is essential to be able to compete on difficult circuits such as the one in Val di Sole". said Nino Schurter. - "From the beginning I felt strong uphill and it was another ride here in Val di Sole, a race that I love”.
“The first part of the lap is fundamental because it's really technical with lots of ups and downs. You have to find a good line to gain momentum for the next pass. I found a good flow downhill and was able to push hard uphill".
From the first lap, Schurter overcame the delay by taking away a small group of four riders formed by the New Zealander Sam Gauze, from the German Short Track winner Luke Schwarzbauer and South African Hatherly, before selecting him further in round two, where only Hatherly held his wheel.
As the laps went by, Gaze and Schwarzbauer slipped back, while the fundamental skills of Mathias Flückiger emerged as he recovered position after position reaching and detaching Hatherly in the fifth lap. Behind the Swiss, Dascalu also stood out, thanks to a furious comeback he grabbed a valuable top-3, one week after winning the European Championships. Schurter, on the other hand, easily controlled the situation at the head of the race up to the apotheosis on the finish line: he is still the king of Val di Sole.
Disappointment in the words of Daniele Braidot, the first of the Italians to arrive. “It didn't go well, I wanted to get at least one top-10 in Val di Sole. Unfortunately, I had mechanical problems on the penultimate lap and the group with Valero ran away. Now my mind is all on the stage of the Internazionali d'Italia Series in Chies d'Alpago and on the retreat with the national team right here in Val di Sole, exactly in Val di Pejo, in view of the World Cup in Glasgow”.
MEN'S ELITE RANKING
| 1. |  | SCHURTER Nino (SCOTT-SRAM MTB RACING TEAM) | 1:20:22 |
| 2. | | FLÜCKIGER Mathias (THOMUS MAXON) | 1:20:48 +26 |
| 3. |  | DASCALU Vlad (TREK FACTORY RACING XC) | 1:21:00 +38 |
| 4. |  | DUBAU Joshua (ROCKRIDER FORD RACING TEAM) | 1:21:00 +38 |
| 5. |  | HATHERLY Alan (CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING) | 1:21:14 +52 |
| 6. | | MAROTTE Maxime (ROCKRIDER FORD RACING TEAM) | 1:21:22 + 1: 00 |
| 7. |  | VALERO SERRANO David (BH COLOMA TEAM) | 1:21:37 + 1: 15 |
| 8. | | SARROU Jordan (TEAM BMC) | 1:21:49 + 1: 27 |
| 9. | | FORSTER Lars (THOMUS MAXON) | 1:22:00 + 1: 38 |
| 10 |  | BLUMS Martins (KMC MTB RACING TEAM) | 1:22:02 + 1: 40 |
| 11 |  | SCHWARZBAUER Luke (CANYON CLLCTV) | 1:22:08 + 1: 46 |
| 12 |  | BRAIDOT Daniel (CS CARABINIERI - OLYMPIA VITTORIA CYCLES) | 1:22:10 + 1: 48 |
| 13 | | BRAIDOT Luke (SANTA CRUZ ROCKSHOX PRO TEAM) | 1:22:19 + 1: 57 |
| 14 |  | FINI CARSTENSENSebastian (LAPIERRE MAVIC UNITY) | 1:22:27 + 2: 05 |
| 15 |  | SCHUERMANS Jens (GIANT FACTORY OFF-ROAD TEAM – XC) | 1:22:33 + 2: 11 |
GENERAL WORLD CUP
