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credits: Pierre Teyssot
COMMEZZADURA (VAL DI SOLE – TRENTINO), 10 September 2016 – Great Britain dominates in the official timed DHI session of the 2016 UCI Mtb World Championships in Val di Sole 2016. Danny Hart sets the best time in the men’s. Along 2,200 metres of the Black Snake (start at 1,350 m the intermediate station of the gonodola Daolasa-Val Mastellina and finish at 810 m with a drop of 540 metres) MS Mondraker team athlete clocks 3:35:603, confirming he has taken it seriously. British rider arrived in Val di Sole with three victories in a row in the last World Cup stages and is in excellent shape. He is 3:464 seconds ahead of French Loic Bruni, defending world champion and one of the favourite for the world title (3:38:067). But of course there’s space for surprises, as track builder Pippo Marani said. Third and fourth best times went to Florent Payet (3:38:574) and British Bernard Kerr (3:38:806). Both are not in the top 10 UCI rankings.
Some of the great favourites on the eve of the race, seem to have slowed down in the final stretch on purpose, as part of their strategy. This is the case of USA’s Aaron Gwin, who dominated on the Black Snake last year. The winner of 2016 UCI World Cup finished fifth, over five seconds back (3:41:271). Same happened to Troy Brosnan, seventh (3:41:857). South Africa’s Greg Minnaar, one of the most decorated downhillers (18 successes in World Cup and three World titles), is at the bottom of the top ten list with a time of 3:45:030.
Italians are far back, the best is Francesco Colombo ( AB Devinci Italy) with a 21st time and a gap of 15:111 seconds. His team mates are far back: Carlo Caire è 38th (00:23:454) and Gianluca Vernassa 43rd ( 00:24:797). Mario Milani, Johannes Von Klebelsberg and eagerly awaited Loris Revelli (best 2015 Juniors) finished 71st, 85th and 109th respectively.
Tomorrow is going to be a tight fight, with Gwin who will try to clinch the World Champion medal he needs. This would be the fourth and prestigious success on a track he proved to like, triumphing three times in 2011, 2012 and 2015 world Cup stages.
As to the women’s, no surprise, with the queen of the downhill British Rachel Atherton (team Trek Factory Racing), first with a time of 4:20.191. Australia’s Tracey Hannah is only 00:00:596 behind. A narrow gap that adds thrill to the race tomorrow. Rachel Atherton comes from a victorious season, with seven wins out of seven World Cup DH stages. French Myriam Nicole (+00:9:760) finished third, while fourth and fifth came the other two British athletes, Manon Carpenter (+00:9:914) and Tanhée Seagrave (+12”596).
Italian women took excellent seventh and ninth places with Eleonora Farina (+00:25:500), Veronika Widmann (+00:28:692) and Alia Marcellini (35”497).
Good news from the Juniors: in the men’s Andrea Bianciotto set the best qualifying time of 3:48:782, while in the women’s Beatrice Migliorini is second with a time of 5:57:076.
The racecourse, designed by legendary Pier Paolo “Pippo” Marani, was even harder and more selective due to the thick layer of dust that requires athletes to reinterpret the lines continuously. Tomorrow the Black Snake of the Val di Sole, the toughest and most technical track in the world, will award the four rainbow jerseys to the best downhillers.
Programme
Sunday 11 September: 8.00-9.00 Junior e Women Elite official training; 9.00-10.00 Men Elite official training; 10.15 Women Junior e Men Junior finals; 12.40 Women Elite final; 13.45 Men Elite final
Alberto Penasa - Azienda Turismo Val di Sole
Viale Marconi, 7 - 3827 - Malè - (TN)
Tel. +39.0463.900863 - Fax +39.0463.901563
www.valdisole.net - penasa.a@valdisole.net
