Nino Schurter is back! After a mixed season without any major international victories, the 35-year-old Swiss rider crowns himself in Val di Sole to cross-country world champion. His ninth World Championship title in total. Schurter is also making history with his success at the World Championships. He is now the youngest and oldest XC World Champion. Silver also went to Switzerland with Mathias Flückiger, once again proving their supremacy in XC racing. Victor Koretzky from France, Winner of the Albstadt World Cup and fifth at the Olympics, takes bronze.
The men had to ride six laps, each with 190 metres of climbing, on the technically demanding course in Val di Sole. Flückiger and Schurter pulled away from the rest of the field as early as the second lap. World Cup dominator Flückiger repeatedly tried to distance himself from his compatriot. But Schurter parried all attacks and stayed on Flückiger's rear wheel. It was not until three corners before the finish that Schurter overtook his rival on the inside and secured his ninth World Cup title. Flückiger was already visibly annoyed before crossing the finish line because he had led most of the race and had to settle for silver.
Brandl in 5th place despite a fall
Victor Koretzky took the bronze medal with a gap of 1:08 minutes. The young Romanian Vlad Dascalu came fourth. Max Brandl rode another strong race, finishing fifth and leaving many of the top riders well behind him. Even a crash in the third lap did not throw Brandl off his stride. After his bronze medal in the short track race, Brandl also proved on the Olympic cross-country distance that he will be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years.
New Zealander Sam Gaze also returned to the top of the world rankings with sixth place. Gaze was travelling with start number 87 and accordingly started far back. The unlucky man of the day was once again the Czech Ondrej Cink. He was on course for bronze for a long time before a defect in the gear lever threw him out of the fight for the medals. Already at the Olympic race in Tokyo a flat tyre slowed Cink down when he was in a promising position. Jordan Sarrou, 2020 World Champion in Leogang, did not make it past 26th place.
Strong team performance by the Germans
In addition to Max Brandl's top position, the other Germans also had a good race. Luca Schwarzbauer finished in 21st place, which is a strong result for the Lexware rider. Georg Egger finished 30th and Niklas Schehl completed his first Elite World Championships in 33rd place.
More information about the 2021 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole can be found at www.valdisolebikeland.com
