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Tough Racing at Leogang’s World Cup

Jun 20, 2023 | News | 0 comments

Kate Courtney & N1NO Schurter are the 2019 World Cup Champions. Lars Forster wins his first ever World Cup race. This is NEXTLEVEL!

Legoang, Austria. It’s no secret that the World Cup Race in Leogang has recently been a challenge for the team. With Kate being the exception, this wasn’t any different this year. A rather difficult weekend to tick off, draw experience from, move on and focus for the upcoming race stops ahead.

Imagery: Michal Cerveny and Rémy Fabrègue

Kate Courtney was the only one to find the right mojo and speed on this climber’s track in Leogang. A solid 12th position in the XCC set her up for a good start, where she could hold her position until the last lap when she really turned the power on and shook off her opponents, which deservedly moved her onto a strong 9th place finish.

Her best race of the season so far with a strong hint that we can expect more top races in the next month. Her build towards national and world championship is definitely going in the right direction

“I set out with a clear objective to race consistently this weekend and try to build some positive momentum. On Sunday I was able to climb to my first top 10 finish of the season! I am proud of the way I rode and taking a lot of motivation into this next block of racing and training.”

Kate Courtney
SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing

It’s been an extremely hectic week for Nino Schurter since winning #34 on home soil last week in Lenzerheide. It’s no surprise that the batteries were not yet charged to 100%. In combination with a track that doesn’t really suit him best, he didn’t manage find his speed, evident already during Friday’s XCC, where he only finished in 17th place. The far from ideal starting order for Sunday’s XCO resulted in a slow start where Nino couldn’t get in touch with the top 10.
A 21st place finish it was at the end. Unusually far back without having a mechanical, but that’s not the end of the world, knowing the circumstances around the events happening at the Tour de Suisse.
Similar to Nino was Andri Frischknecht’s weekend, only 10 places further back. After being sick for almost all of April, he’s not where he wants to be at this point in the season. Andri will be the only SCOTT-SRAM rider representing the team at this weekend’s European Championships in Poland.

N1NO’s SCOTT Spark RC #34

For 34 x World Cup Winner Nino Schurter, his all-new Spark RC in the unique special design celebrates all 34 of his World Cup wins! Some of the finest parts available, well balanced with an eye for detail, and ready for glory.

This Spark RC comes with a very special setup featuring all-new SRAM XX Eagle AXS Drivetrain, the new wider Syncros Silverton 1.0s (30mm) carbon wheels, Fraser iC SL combo, ROCKSHOX suspension and many more spec highlights to discover.

Hours before Friday’s XCC start we were devastated by the sad news of Gino Mäder’s death. A loss we cannot put in words. It overshadowed the sunny racing weekend in Leogang and put winning or losing in a different perspective. Our thoughts are first of all with GINO but also with his family and friends.
RIP GINO!