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Swiss duo Schurter and Neff back to winning ways in tricky conditions

Supplied by Red Bull Content Pool.

· By Press Office · 0 comments

Jolanda Neff and Nino Schurter reestablished themselves as title-contenders at the second round of the Mercedes-Benz XCO UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Albstadt, Germany.

Albstadt in the dry is a fast proposition but in the wet, a different animal emerges. In the elite women’s race, most of the pre-race talk surrounded the winner of Friday evening’s Short Course race, Annika Langvad. The Dane had won the opening round in Stellenbosch but right from the gun the series leader was in trouble and seemed to be slipping backwards.

ccs-62657-0-49200200-1526884928.jpgolanda Neff performs at UCI XCO World Cup in Albstadt, Germany. Photo credit: Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool.

Neff’s now trademark start line smile belied the ruthlessness of what was to come. By the end of lap two the technically supreme Swiss had amassed a two minute lead and never looked back.

There were big rides too from the reigning overall title holder, Yana Belomoina. Returning to the track where she had taken her first ever victory after missing the first round due to a hip injury, she rode to a superb second place. Holland’s Anne Tauber matched her result in Stellenbosch with another third.

ccs-62657-0-56561000-1526884927.jpgYana Belomoina, Jolanda Neff, Anna Tauber perform at UCI XCO World Cup in Albstadt, Germany. Photo credit: Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool.

Neff said: “The conditions were my best friend today! I was happy when I knew it was rainy and muddy. We had a real mountain bike race and I loved every second.”

Big rains were promised for the elite men’s race, but they never arrived. Conditions remained tricky however and it felt like the emerging stars of Mathieu Van Der Poel and Samuel Gaze were set to make their presence felt.

ccs-62657-0-95259600-1526884930.jpgPhoto credit: Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool.

For Gaze’s Specialized S-Racing however, it was to be a weekend to forget. Despite arriving in Germany riding a wave of confidence of the back of some great early season success, first Jaroslav Kulhavy retired with drivetrain issues only for Gaze to retire shortly after.
Last season, Schurter had done the impossible and achieved the perfect season but 2018 hadn’t been as kind. He’d lost out to Gaze in South Africa and a freak mechanical had put him out of the Short Track race at the start of the weekend.

Those results relegated him to the third row of the starting grid but the defending champion went from the gun and was at the front before the end of the start loop. He forged on until only Tempier was left and, clearly not fancying leaving it to a last lap sprint, he pushed hard on to the penultimate to finish on his own. Tempier finished second, with Van Der Poel third, and crossed the line to the Swiss holding his Scott bike proudly aloft – the boss was back.

ccs-62657-0-89273300-1526884929.jpgPhoto credit: Nino Schurter performs at UCI XCO World Cup in Albstadt, Germany

Schurter said: “It is a good feeling to get my first win of the season, it is a nice relief. The third row definitely makes it more difficult from the start. I want to go for another win next weekend now.”

ccs-62657-0-18138400-1526884926.jpgStephane Tempier, Nino Schurter, Mathieu Van Der Poel stand on the podium at UCI XCO World Cup in Albstadt, Germany. Photo credit: Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool.

The series continues next weekend in Nové Mesto in the Czech Republic.

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