Winner of UCI World Cup’s stage 2 in Lenzerheide, the Swiss legend is warming up for Val di Sole, a land of conquer for him throughout his career. From June 29th to July 2nd, Daolasa di Commezzadura will welcome again the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup: Nino will take part in both the Short Track (June 30th) and in the Cross Country (July 2nd) races
Thirty-four World Cup wins, five of which collected in Val di Sole: the figures of Nino Schurter’s career speak for themselves. There’s no doubt that the Swiss legend has special feelings for the Italian stage of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, to be held in Daolasa di Commezzadura (Trentino), from June 29th to July 2nd.
As a matter of fact, 15% of Nino’s Elite wins came in Val di Sole, not counting the U23 World title conquered by Schurter in Val di Sole in 2008, launching the Swiss in the international MTB elite, two months before claiming an unexpected bronze medal at the Beijing Olympic Games.
On Friday, June 30th, the 37-year-old Cross Country World Champion will come back to Val di Sole, taking part in the Short Track, scheduled for 18.30 pm CEST. However, Schurter’s main focus will be on the XCO race that will round out the Val di Sole’s program on Sunday, July 2nd at 3.30 pm.
“Val di Sole is a venue where I have always done well. This gives me extra motivation. So, let’s see. How the rest of the World Cup season unfolds depends not only on me. More so how strong the others are. The competition is huge this year. It’s sure cool to have a natural track that’s yet demanding. I think the track suits me because it’s both technically and physically very demanding”, said Schurter.
“There are so many great memories of crossing the line first at Val di Sole it’s hard to pick one. Maybe the most recent, winning the World Champion’s title 2021 in a tight race, and then having my daughter waiting at the finish.”
The memorable duel between Schurter and Mathias Flückiger at the 2021 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships is still imprinted in the minds of MTB fans. It was a huge turnaround at that point for the Swiss champion, who has lived a second youth since.
“I’m very happy with how things go right now. I’m in good shape, just won my 34th World Cup race in front of my home crowd and hope to keep the good momentum for a while. I focus on my performance - not so much on what others do. I focus on being prepared the best I can and see in the race how far this will get me. I’m still racing because I love it - not because I want to chase record numbers”, concluded the SCOTT-Sram rider.
THE VAL DI SOLE UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP SCHEDULE
The schedule of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup stage in Val di Sole starts with the U23 Short Tracks on Thursday, June 29th (women at 5.30 pm, men at 6.15 pm). On Friday, June 30th are scheduled the DH Junior Finals (women at 12.45 pm and men at 1.15 pm), the Elite Short Tracks (women at 5.45 pm and men at 6.30 pm) in addition to the 4X Pro Tour event at 9.00 pm.
Saturday, July 1st, is the day of the Black Snake, the temple of World-class downhill. After the morning semi-finals, the elite women and men will hit the racecourse at 1.00 pm and 2.00 pm respectively to take part in a career-defining race. The afternoon is dedicated to fun for children. The Mini World Cup of Cross-Country is scheduled 5.00 pm for the second consecutive year.
As tradition dictates, cross-country will close out the Val di Sole world cup program on Sunday, July 2nd. The schedule includes the women's U23 race at 8:30 am, followed by the men's U23 race at 10:30 am. The elite women take to the start at 1.00 pm, while the elite men toe the line at 3.30 pm.
