[the_ad id="5357"]
[ad_1]
Before the UCI’s big World Cup experiment kicks off in 2023, we’re taking a look back at the standout moments from 2022, good and bad. And it was a thrilling season, full of drama and sensational racing. Right from the first World Cup in Brazil, 2022 delivered historic moments and unforgettable scenes.
Canadians had an especially good year in 2022 but, with that already covered, we are focusing on international riders for this list.
Best (and worst) of 2022
The Good
Les Gets World Cup celebrations
This was absolutely wild. The French love mountain biking and came out in full force for their home world championships. Several wins through the week built momentum. But, when Loic Bruni, Amaury Pierron and Loris Vergier swept the elite men’s downhill podium, it was complete pandemonium with fans swarming the finish area and hoisting their riders up above the crowd.
Nino Schurter matches Absalon’s World Cup win record
Months before Les Gets world champs, Nino Schurter kicked 2022 into high gear with a win at the very first World Cup round in Petropolis, Brazil. Not just another win to add to the Swiss rider’s extensive palmares, this was Schurter’s 33rd elite World Cup win. That magic number brought him onto equal terms with long-time rival and French mountain biking icon, Julien Absalon. It’s also a win Schurter spent several years hunting. After a perfect year in 2016, the Swiss sensation struggled to find a World Cup win for several years (though he did add a few world championships titles during that time).
Pauline Ferrand-Prevot’s quad
France’s multi-talented Pauline Ferrand-Prevot was already in the history books for winning multiple world championship titles in one year before 2022 started. This fall, though, she re-set the bar for herself by winning four world championship events in a little over two months.
The incredible streak started at home, with a Short Track (XCC) win in Les Gets. Days later, she regained the XCO world championship title. A few weeks after that, she added the XC Marathon rainbow jersey to her collection in Denmark. Finally, PFP headed to Italy to win the first-ever UCI gravel world championships. If that’s not incredible enough, she’s…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…
[ad_2]