Events

Schurter’s World Title defence a result of consistency

· By Matt · 0 comments

Nothing is certain in mountain bike racing. But the remarkable consistency of Switzerland’s Nino Schurter strongly challenges that well-worn statement. The 27-year-old Swiss successfully defended his Elite men’s Cross-country (XCO) world title when he powered to a clinical victory on a technical course in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa on Saturday.

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Nino Schurter’s seven laps were super-consistent, ranging from 14:08 to 14:42.
Photo credit: © Nick Muzik

It was Schurter’s third Elite men’s world title and his fifth individual World Championship in total, following his two wins at Under-23 level. He is now level with Dane, Henrik Djernis, on the all-time medal table as the second most successful World Championships XCO racer in history, behind four-time winner Julien Absalon.

Schurter led from start to finish on Saturday in what seemed to be his most commanding performance at a World Championships yet, but afterwards he revealed that he felt under pressure until the end and wasn’t as in control of the race as when he won in Leogang, Austria last year.

“There was a lot of focus on the Olympic Games last year and many of the riders weren’t as prepared for the World Championships a month later. After finishing second in London, I was super-focussed on it (World Champs) and I felt less pressure from the other riders there. But today, I was being chased by strong riders the whole way. I prefer to race with pressure. It’s more exciting and fun,” said Schurter.

“At one stage Jose (Hermida) was just five seconds behind me and I was forced to keep my focus the whole way. This is also a technical course. You have to be aware at all times. I crashed on the last corner of the race actually. The sun was quite low and the shaded areas were getting dark. My front wheel slid on some sand, but I was up very quickly because I knew Manny (Manuel Fumic) was close behind.”

In the end, Schurter clocked a time of 01 hour 40 minutes 17 seconds for the seven-lap race, beating Germany’s Manuel Fumic by seven seconds, with Hermida (Spain) claiming the bronze medal another 21 seconds later.

Schurter’s consistency on a course that rattled even the most experienced riders, was remarkable. His lap times, in order, were: 14min08sec, 14:08, 14:15, 14:12, 14:23, 14:29 and 14:42 – a microcosm of his impressive consistency over the past few years. Since the beginning of 2010, Schurter has only finished outside the top three in major XCO races six times and in 2012, he won 11 of his 15 races.

The world No. 1, who extended his lead in the 2013 UCI World Rankings on Saturday, has also just re-signed with SCOTT Swisspower. This year marks a decade that Schurter has been with the Swiss-based international sports gear and bike brand. He has extended his partnership until the end of 2016.

“I love this company. They are prepared to listen to their athletes to create the best possible equipment and rider support. The bike I am now racing, the Scale 700, was made by SCOTT especially for me for the London Olympic Games. I found the 29-inch wheels just too big for me, but the 27.5-inch wheel size is just right.

“It helps that I have kept the same race bike for almost 18 months. I raced the 27.5-inch wheel Scale 700 prototype bike when I won the World Cup here in Pietermaritzburg last year in April. The only things that have changed since then are the bottom bracket type and the headtube angle, which is slightly more relaxed. Otherwise, it’s the same bike,” explained Schurter.

“This is the perfect bike for me and it’s ideal for this Pietermaritzburg course. The 27.5-inch wheels roll well over the rocks, but are still easy to control through tight turns,” said Schurter.

‘The Treehouse’, the large L-shaped rock garden, considered the most formidable obstacle on the Cascades course, claimed a number of victims during the race, including runner-up, Fumic. And if riders didn’t crash on it, most of them lost time to Schurter on it.

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Nino Schurter made the most of his confidence on the technical sections to maintain the lead that he took from Lap 1.
Photo credit: © Nick Muzik

Schurter conquered it with exceptional control on every one of the seven laps, each time gaining an edge over his rivals, who were forced to use up additional energy to regain any lost time. His World Champs race bike appropriately has ‘Rock Garden King’ decaled on the top tube.

“I love that rock garden. I find it challenging, but have worked out the best way to ride it as smoothly as possible and use it to my advantage,” he said.

Retaining his world title was Schurter’s major goal for 2013.

“My build up has been really good and I have a very good support team around me. I am really proud to wear these stripes. There is a lot of pressure that comes with this title, most of it is off the bike though. When you are World Champion, you are a lot more busy than your rivals. But I like to be busy.”

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Nino Schurter soaks up the moment as he crosses the finish line first to retain his World Championship title.
Photo credit: © Nick Muzik

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