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Aiming high in the Pyrenees

Jul 5, 2019 | News | 0 comments

The third round of this year’s MTB World Cup will be the kick-off for the most important block of this season and will see the SCOTT-SRAM team riding on some special edition bikes.

Vallnord, Andorra. This year’s UCI MTB World Cup will go into its crucial period with four races in the next five weeks. All races will be held at altitude- Andorra, Les Gets (FRA), Val di Sole (ITA) and Lenzerheide (CH). Now with the World Cup in Andorra coming up this weekend, altitude wont be the only crucial factor, the heat is expected to play a big role as well.

One person who gave it all to be ready for this block is World Champion Nino Schurter, who spent three weeks in the high alpine of Engadin, Switzerland above 2000 meters in order to perfectly adapt. Nino has had a strong start to the season by winning the Cape Epic; the World Cup races on the other hand haven’t gone according to plan with only a 6th place in Albstadt and a 2nd in Nove Mesto. The freshly crowned Swiss Champion and UCI ranked No 2 however is now fit for the battle for the top spot on the podium. Nino has good memories in Andorra- he won the World Champion title here in 2015 in addition to walking away with several World Cup wins in the Pyrenees to date. “Andorra is the toughest course from a physical point of view- your body has to deal with less oxygen up here, plus the course provides some of the steepest climbs on the circuit,” Nino says.

“I want to kick-off this most important block of this season with the best possible result, and I want to win my 31st World Cup race on Sunday”

Nino Schurter
Olympic & 7x World Champion
SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing

With Matthieu van der Poel skipping Andorra, Nino expects Italian Gerhard Kerschbaumer to be one of the main contenders for the win. Kerschbaumer won the race last year, and he won the Swiss Cup in Andermatt this past weekend (Nino didn’t race this one). “I want to kick-off this most important block of this season with the best possible result, and I want to win my 31st World Cup race on Sunday.” Nino leaves no doubts about his ambitions.

The Spark RC 900 WC N1NO Frame Kit

All SCOTT-SRAM athletes will be riding a Limited Edition bike, the Spark RC 900 World Cup N1NO frame kit, in Andorra. The frame kit from SCOTT’s 2020 collection will be available in shops from end of July.

The Spark RC 900 WC N1NO HMX frame kit comes with a RockShox SID Ultimate. The fork is paired with a custom RockShox Nude 3-mode rear shock. SCOTT’s proprietary TwinLoc system allows riders to control a bike’s suspension performance and geometry simultaneously.

The Spark RC N1NO frame kit will be available as shown above.

Specs:
FRAME: HMX Carbon Frame, 1 by only
FORK: RockShox SID Ultimate RLC3 Air – Custom Charger 3-Modes Damper with low Speed Adj. – 15x110mm Maxle Stealth / Tapered steerer / Lockout / Reb. Adj.
TRAVEL: Lockout – 70 – 100mm
REAR SHOCK: RockShox NUDE RLC3 Trunnion – SCOTT custom w. travel / geo adj. – 3 MODES: Lockout-Traction Control-Descend – low Speed Ad.j / Reb. Adj.

ACCESSORIES:
SRAM XX1 Custom Crankset
SRAM Level Ultimate Custom Brakes
TwinLoc Remote Control Shifter Kit, Syncros
Pro Drop in Headset
Syncros Fraser iC Handlebar
Syncros rear axle
APPROX. FRAME WEIGHT (size M): 1849 g | 4.08 Lbs (incl. shock)
Sizes: S, M, L, XL

World Champion Kate Courtney will be aiming high and trying to extend her World Cup lead. With two World Cup wins in the pocket this season, Kate is now hunting for the overall.

“As the current leader of the World Cup overall I am extremely motivated and have been working consistently to be on good form for the second half of the season.“


Kate Courtney
2018 UCI Elite XC World Champion
SCOTT SRAM MTB Racing
Kate Courtney: “The wait is over for the return of the World Cup this weekend in Andorra. A month break gave me a great chance to reset and put in some very hard training heading into this next block of racing. As the current leader of the World Cup overall I am extremely motivated and have been working consistently to be on good form for the second half of the season. The women’s field is so competitive at the moment which means that anything can happen and I have some big battles to look forward to this season. I’m also really looking forward to racing a new limited edition frame kit this weekend and hoping the extra #sparklewatts will make it a great one.”

Kate Courtney’s Spark RC

World Champion Kate Courtney, as well as Andri Frischknecht and European Champion Lars Forster, will be riding custom silver Spark RC World Cup frames, too.

E-Dropper, SRAM’s brand new wireless shifting AXS technology and TwinLoc. Just some of the trick bits you’ll find on Kate Courtney’s SCOTT Spark!

Check out the World Champion’s custom Spark RC here.

Find more info on scott-sram.com

European Champion Lars Forster is back on track and ready to tackle the World Cup. After his brutal crash in Albstadt seven weeks ago, the 25 year old wants to attack for a World Cup podium. A third place at last weeks Swiss Cup in Andermatt shows that he is on a good way. Andri Frischknecht, currently 15th in the UCI ranking, is aiming for another Top Ten result in Andorra.

The XC competitions at the double event kicks-off tonight with the XCC Short track race, live on Red Bull TV from 5.20 pm CEST. The main XC races will be held Sunday from 12am CEST (Womens) and 2.30 pm CEST (Mens), alos live on Red Bull TV.