Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic. Not only the world’s best mountain bike athletes arrived in Nove Mesto with high expectations. The whole world of mountain biking was curious about how the new UCI World Cup Series, under the wings of Discovery Sports, would get along in its first big test last weekend.
Even if there is still a lot of work to do behind the scenes, the new series presented itself to athletes, spectators and fans in the best possible way.
We saw exciting XCC and XCO racing all round with N1NO playing a big role in the outcome.
While racing in Nove Mesto, Nino Schurter turned 37 years of age. He still wears his World Champion stripes proudly and in style. And he shows no sign at all of slowing down with age. His final sprint to 3rd place against a fast Jordan Sarrou is more than proof of that.
The race started fast and furious. The rain, which started right before the Men’s start gun went off, added some spice to the action, but didn’t impact the race dramatically. N1NO and main favorite Tom Pidcock were present in the front positions early on, only until Mathias Flückiger got in between them to open up a little gap. Pidcock, paying attention, used this moment to attack. He opened up a gap that N1NO was no longer able to close.
While the UK’s Tom Pidcock was in the lead alongside surprising newcomer Joshua Dubau of France, N1NO was chasing them down together with former World Champion Jordan Sarrou. Even though the gap between the two pairs was only 15-25 seconds throughout the whole race, things did not come together in the end.
It was Pidcock who dropped Dubau on the very last climb to storm to another victory in Nove Mesto. The battle for 3rd place could then not have been any tighter. In a sprint finish, it was N1NO who showed the youngster he’s still up to speed, taking 3rd place.
Imagery: Remy Fabregue
Kate Courtney finishes in P13
Because Friday’s XCC didn’t go very well, Kate was seated in the 4th row at the start for the XCO. The handicap at the start played a factor in not being in the top ranks early on in the race. However, even if she was never in reach of the podium spots, she showed a relentless fight throughout the entire race. With a 13th place finish, Kate only missed her goal of a top 10 ranking by a small margin.
Andri Frischknecht with a flat tire
Like Kate, Andri has a similar story to tell. Missing a top result in the XCC placed him further back at the start of the XCO. On top, a flat tire put him in a pretty hopeless position. At least some faster laps towards the end of the race saved him some points, eventually finishing 40th place.
Filippo Colombo out for an uncertain time
Unfortunately there is no positive sign that Filippo Colombo will return to racing soon. The injury he suffered from a crash at Paris-Roubaix is quite severe. It will take time to get back to training and racing.
The whole team wishes him patience and a speedy recovery!
