Intense Racing at Nove Mesto World Cup

The shortest World Cup season in history turned out to be one of the most intense for SCOTT SRAM and an indication of strong form in the ramp-up to the 2020 World Champs.

Nove Mesto, Czech Republic. After months of uncertainty due to constantly revised schedules, the international XC racing scene came together for an intense schedule featuring 4 racing in only 6 days on Nove Mesto’s World Cup circuit. After this trying year, the athletes who trained hard all season long finally deserved a chance to race. Even though the races were held without the usual crowd of cheering Czech fans, the racing was action-packed, and the dubbed ‘World Cup Stage Race’ might even be something for the future of the World Cup racing.

With an eye constantly focused on outstanding performances, it’s fair to say the week did not go entirely to plan for SCOTT-SRAM but the team showed that they have the grit and character to be at the front of the pack. Led from the front by Nino Schurter, his never say die attitude saw him surge from mid-20s to 4th in the first XCO race and he led the pack for much of Sundays XCO round two. The races had everything: gritty battles, young riders coming through, and the old guards showing they could not be counted out just yet. All in all the stage is set for a fantastic World Championships this coming weekend in Austria and we’re counting the minutes until the light turns green.

Just a few weeks after winning the 2020 Swiss Epic, the late World Cup season turned out to be an indicator of the grit World Champion Nino Schurter possesses. “The crash in the first XCC race put me with my back against the wall. Starting out in the fourth row for the first XCO race was unusual for me. I tried to get to the front too fast, too soon, and learned how hard it is starting from the back,” Nino says about the first round. “A classic over pacing put me back into the twenties. But I also learned to never give up. I’m pretty proud of my finale making it back to 4th place.”

Closing the gap again to the leading group was an absolute power act, and the World Champion made clear that he’s dialed in for the season highlight to come.

“The second race went better already in the XCC. Finishing 6th without going out too hard secured a front row start for Sunday’s XCO. I felt strong throughout the whole race. However, because nobody really helped to keep the pace high, I worked a lot at the front, maybe a bit too much. The last half lap was hectic. I did believe I could win this one but unfortunately got blocked a bit by Milan Vader in the end.”

Kate Courtney – First Race in 2020

After a tough and trying 2020, Kate Courtney was elated simply to be lining up for the first of two rounds in Nove Mesto last Tuesday. The race marked her first time back on the startline since the early season Sunshine Cup stage race in February. After a shock to the system during the first couple laps, Kate found her grove. All went as planned, earning herself a 6th place finish which meant a front row start for Thursday’s XCO. In the end, Kate also took home a 6th place finish on a wet and slippery XCO track for the first World Cup of the season.

After a strong ride in Friday’s XXC, Kate was optimistic and feeling good for Sunday’s XCO. Her 4th place finish in the XXC meant a front row start for the 2019 World Cup Champion but in the end, she struggled to find her tempo. The race got off to a rough start, she couldn’t find her legs and in the end, was happy to simply make it over the finish line. Certainly not the race she hoped for but you can bet it will only act as a fuel to the flames heading into next weekend.

Tough week for Lars Forster, who came to Nove Mesto with big expectations. “No doubt, I was expecting more from myself going into this week. I learned the hard way to lower my expectations a bit. The first round with the XCC (crash) and the XCO (flat) went awful.”

For the second round in Nove Mesto, Lars managed to charge to a remarkable 12th position in the finish. “The second XCO on Sunday I started pretty far back and didn’t get up to the front in the start loops. The result of it was that I found myself far back in the 30th the first two laps, but then had a good run and felt the stronger and better towards the final laps. This moved me all the way up to a solid 12th place finish. It’s not the greatest result but a big step to turn things around for World Championships,” says the 2019 Snowshoe World Cup winner.

Nove Mesto – Teambikes

At Nove Mesto the team been riding the SCOTT Spark RC World Cup in two outstanding designs. While the World Champion lined up at the starting line with a special edition bike featuring SCOTT’s latest Racing collection Supersonic, Kate Courtney debuted the Contessa Signature special edition kit and Contessa Spark RC bike.

SRAM’s latest state-of-the-art wireless shifting AXS technology and TwinLoc. Just some of the trick bits you’ll find on N1NO Schurter’s Supersonic and Kate Courtney’s Contessa SCOTT Spark RC.