After the World Championships in Leogang and the European Championships last week in Monte Tamaro in Ticino - the European titles went to Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and Nino Schurter - it's the turn of the long-distance specialists this weekend. The 2020 UCI MTB World Marathon Championships will take place in Turkish Sakarya instead. Instead of the usual September date, the Turkish organisers have postponed the race early in the year to 25 October. The reason given was that Prime Minister Erdogan was out of the country in September.
The races on Sunday will take place around the cycling centre in Sakarya, which is located around 150 kilometres east of Istanbul. The women have to complete two laps of the course (80.9 kilometres), while the men have to complete three laps (110 kilometres). The races will be streamed live on the UCI YouTube channel and on the Facebook page "UCI Mountain Bike" transferred.
Top German riders not at the start
As the BDR is not sending a team to the World Championships due to the increased health risk, none of the fastest marathon pros from Germany - such as Simon Stiebjahn, Karl Platt or Sascha Weber - will be at the start. Not even the German champions Nadine Rieder and David List. The majority of these will be used this weekend at the German Cross Country Championships in Obergessertshausen try his luck. Stefanie Dohrn from Centurion Vaude, who came fourth in this year's DM, has travelled to Turkey, as has her team-mate Daniel Geismayr (AUT). Many of the top international stars, on the other hand, have travelled to the World Championships. First and foremost the reigning world champion Héctor Leonardo Páez from Colombia, who has already familiarised himself with the local conditions with a race on site a week ago. Jaroslav Kulhavy (2014 marathon world champion) and Kristian Hynek (both CZE), last year's silver medallist, will also be racing. As will three-time world champion Alban Lakata from Austria, who won the Austrian marathon title last weekend, and the strong Portuguese rider Tiago Ferreira. Unlike last year in Grächen, some of the cross-country specialists will be missing, as they will not be taking part in the marathon title fights after the tight racing programme with the double World Cup, World Championships and European Championships.
Defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (FRA) and Annika Langvad are missing from the women's event. The Dane had announced her retirement in the course of the World Championships in Leogang. Sabine Spitz will also be there. However, she will not be competing for a World Championship medal, but rather as a carer for her South African friend Robyn de Groot, who won bronze in Grächen last year. Also in the hunt for medals in the women's field: Yana Belomoina (UKR), the young Brit Isla Short and Maja Wloszczowska from Poland.
