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A race-long battle between Nino Schurter and Mathias Flueckiger ended in disaster on Sunday in Lenzerheide. The two Swiss rivals were leading just moments from the finish line before both crashed, opening the door for Luca Braidot to take his first World Cup win.
Canadians in Lenzerheide
Gunnar Holmgren (Pivot Cycles-OTE) again leads the Canadian elite men’s results, finishing 39th in Lenzerheide. Peter Disera (Norco Factory Team) was not far behind in 42nd. Sean Fincham (Norco Factory Team) was 52nd and Tyler Orschel (Canyon Devo) 62nd. After a strong start that saw him riding in the mid-30s, Léandre Bouchard (Forresco Holdings ProCo RL) finished 63rd in his first World Cup back from injury.
Quinton Disera (Canyon MTB) in 70th, Malcom Barton in 83rd, Marc Andre Fortier (Pivot Cycles-OTE) in 88th and Raphael Auclair in 95th round out the Canadian results in Switzerland.
The Canucks now head to Andorra for one more World Cup before 2022 Canadian XCO national championships at Hardwood Ski & Bike in Oro, Ont. on July 23-24.
Elite Men’s Race – The Schurter Show
Asked if he was excited about the opportunity to surpass Julien Absalon’s career World Cup record at home, a smiling Nino Schurter responded “For sure, but it’s not going to be an easy one. It’s a tough course and tough competitors, but I will give it my best.”
Off the start, everything looked to be going according to plan. Schurter (Scott-SRAM) immediately made his intentions clear. The Swiss sensation took to the front right away, followed by French national champion Tituon Carod (BMC).
Schurter, despite leading at a furious pace, was having fun. The Swiss star was throwing whips for the crowd and sprinting through the feed zone already on the start lap. As he rounded the course, massive roars followed him from the Swiss fans lining the track.
As they starteded the first full lap, Schurter already had created a gap to the field. Only Filippo Colombo (BMC) and Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) could follow. After a slow start, Mathias Flueckiger (Thomus Maxon) led the chase with Vlad Dascalu (Trek Factory Racing) following in his wheel as they rejoined the front group.
Flueckiger responds
While Schurter had his mind on writing history in…
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