Some Italian riders have already been training on Elba for a week, Nino Schurter himself travelled to the Mediterranean island by plane and for the reigning marathon world champion Leonardo Páez from Colombia, a Training crash jeopardises dream of third rainbow jersey in a row. On Saturday, the final highlight of the MTB racing season in Europe will take place, and the 2021 UCI MTB Marathon World Champion will be crowned. We will be there to report on the races around Capoliveri on Elba.
Winning time expected between 5-6 hours
The men's race starts at 8:30 am and sends the long-distance elite on a brutal 115 kilometres. After a steep start, the riders will tackle three laps of a newly designed 35-kilometre circuit. The course is technical, dry as dust and includes steep climbs, fast trail descents and bumpy mule tracks - mostly with sea views. The women's competition starts at 8.45 a.m. and after the steep start passage out of Capoliveri, it leads over two laps of the same 35-kilometre course.
Men: XC world champion Nino Schurter against long-distance kings
Defending champion Leonardo Páez (COL) wanted to aim for a hat-trick of titles after his successes in Grächen in 2019 and Sakarya in Turkey last year. However, the 39-year-old broke his left hand in a training crash and will only be able to watch the World Championship race as a spectator. The reigning XC World Champion Nino Schurter will certainly be there. Alongside his compatriot Lars Forster, he will try to compete for the World Championship title in the marathon - which is still missing from his huge collection of titles.
One of the favourites is the German Andreas Seewald from Lenggries. The 30-year-old has been in impressive form in 2021. The European marathon champion has won five races, including three races in the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon Series and the Grand Raid Cristalp. Other strong German riders are: Sascha Weber, Simon Stiebjahn, Simon Schneller and Martin Frey.
Then there is the Czech Martin Stosek (27), who is number one in the UCI mountain bike marathon world rankings after an incredibly consistent season. Stosek took bronze at the 2020 Marathon World Championships and is looking to improve on this result on Elba. With Samuele Porro, Fabian Rabensteiner and Juri Ragnoli, the Italians also have three medal candidates in their ranks. It will also be exciting to see how far ahead the US American Keegan Swenson (27) can ride.
Ladies: Wloszczowska wants to end career with World Championship title
In the women's race, Switzerland's Ramona Forchini will attempt to defend her rainbow jersey. In 2020, Forchini raced her first marathon world championships and didn't let her inexperience hold her back as she stormed past Poland's Maja Wloszczowska in the final hundred metres. For the 37-year-old Wloszczowska, on the other hand, the World Championships in Elba will be the end of a long and successful career. She won Olympic silver in 2008 and was the first ever world champion in the MTB marathon in 2003.
Ariane Lüthi (SUI) is currently number one in the world after strong results in the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon Series, including her victory at La Forestière in mid-September. She finished third at last year's World Championships and has already won the Cape Epic five times. Lüthi (37) should therefore definitely have the stamina to fight for the World Championship title. Other top female riders at the start: Mona Mitterwallner (AUT), Lithuania's Katazina Sosna and Rebecca McConnell (AUS). From a German perspective, Stefanie Dohrn, Janine Schneider and Adelheid Morath have the best chances of a top placing.
In total, riders from 31 nations will be at the start. 118 men and 55 women are registered for the World Championship races on 2 October in the Capoliveri Bike Park reported on Elba. The races will be broadcast live on RaiSport, Eurosport Player and GCN from 12:40 to 14:45.
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