The Cross Country World Cup finals echoed the results from the short track races with victories by the two team BMC riders. Elite XCO world cup series titles belong to Switzerland: Schurter and Keller both win. It’s all about France in the elite races: 6 out of 6 medals in short track, downhill, and cross-country in a weekend with 25,000 spectators in Daolasa di Commezzadura.
From the 2021 World Championships to the 2022 World Cup finals, the results for Val di Sole haven’t changed. Everyone – athletes, fans, and insiders – expected a grand finale to the season, and Daolasa responded with days of entertainment and excitement up to the very end on a beautiful Sunday, September 4, warmed by the sun and the enthusiasm of fans.
The more than 25,000 spectators who flocked to Daolasa over the event’s three days (September 2-4) witnessed the domination of one of the nations with a strong tradition in the world of fat tires: France, which was able to win the elite events in all race disciplines.
After Loris Vergier and Myriam Nicole, who won in Downhill, the athletes who conquered Friday’s Short Track, Titouan Carod and Pauline Ferrand-Prèvot, both riders of team BMC came back to dominate the Cross-Country event.
France was also in the limelight in the morning thanks to Line Burquier (Under-23 women), while the men’s race in the U23 category went to Chile’s Martin Vidaurre. Both racers also got to savor the joy of victory in the general classification.
Also celebrating in Val di Sole were Swiss racers, Nino Schurter and Alessandra Keller, who both claimed the overall 2022 world cup rankings.
The Italians also left their mark: Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto took fifth place in the elite and U23 races respectively, while Martina Berta finished eighth in the elite women’s race. Giada Specia was fourth among the U23 women.
CAROD IS THE STRONGEST IN VAL DI SOLE. SCHURTER CLINCHES RECORD-SETTING EIGHTH WORLD CUP
The finale of the 2022 World Cup Mountain Bike season confirmed the talent of Titouan Carod. Winner in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada, the 28-year-old transalpine rider repeated his win in Val di Sole by scoring victory in the short track on Friday and dominating cross-country on Sunday, September 4.
Behind the Team BMC rider, world champion, Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM), finished in second at 35″ back. By winning his eighth overall world cup title, Schurter adds yet another record to his legendary career. To claim the record of World Cup stage wins however, he will have to wait for the 2023 season.
Third place went to a renewed Jordan Sarrou (Specialized Racing, +1’08”). The Frenchman offered a glimpse of the skills and abilities that elevated him to a surprise world champion title in 2020. In fourth was another transalpine athlete, Victor Koretzky (+1’27), and in fifth was Luca Braidot (Santa Cruz FSA, +1’36”). The bronze medalist from Les Gets, Braidot fought for the top positions in the first half of the race – he personally shouldered the burden of a difficult chase before succumbing to the grueling fatigue of a stellar season.
Titouan Carod immediately built up a good lead from the start, followed by compatriot Sarrou and South African, Alan Hatherly (Cannondale). However, the pace forged by the 28-year-old transalpine from the first lap proved unsustainable for his breakaway companions, who were soon caught by Schurter and Braidot.
First the Swiss and then the Italian racer led the chase until the race’s final two laps. The Friulian, Braidot, made a mistake on the climb while he was leading the chase, which forced him to yield to Sarrou and Schurter. The Swiss rider tried mightily to close the gap that separated him from Carod in the final lap. However, the French national champion easily controlled the situation before allowing himself to celebrate on the finishing straight.
“It was a perfect race,” commented Carod warmly, “but at the same time it was really tough. I felt good, although not at the level of Mont Sainte-Anne, but I managed to take two consecutive victories. It was a perfect weekend. The course was tiring and dusty, the descents were technical, but the flat sections also proved to be challenging and selective. I didn’t want to have any regrets today – I was aware that I was in the fight for the world cup series, which is why I pushed hard. I couldn’t ask more of this season finale and the weekend in Val di Sole. Now I go on vacation in seventh heaven.”
“I won the world championship and the world cup – it’s been a dream season,” Schurter said. “I haven’t been happy with my level of racing during the last three years, but I found my pedal stroke again. I am very happy. Today I didn’t get off to a great start – I got a bit stuck and unfortunately Carod gained a good lead. At that point I started to focus on the overall – I knew that if Carod won, I had to finish in the top eight. In the final part of the race, I still had energy and tried to catch up. I didn’t succeed, but that’s OK.”
Luca Braidot remains in third place in the world cup rankings; it’s his personal best in a season that has elevated him to the top of the MTB world.
The season finale also drew the curtain on the careers of some of the most popular athletes in the MTB family, such as Gerhard Kerschbaumer, Stephane Tempier, and Reto Indergand. Led by Carod, their colleagues (and rivals) embraced them, followed by the affectionate well-wishing of the mountain bike fans, who now anxiously await the start of a new and exciting season.
FERRAND-PREVOT MAKES A BREAKTHROUGH IN VAL DI SOLE. WORLD CUP GOES TO KELLER
Pauline Ferrand-Prèvot closed out a sensational season finale in style, triumphant in the World Cup Grand Final in Val di Sole exactly one week after her success at the World Championships in Les Gets.
Compared to Friday’s short track, Ferrand-Prèvot’s younger compatriot, Loana Lecomte (Canyon), was able to put up some resistance during the first two laps, despite a few line errors she made just inside the new uphill passage inside the forest, which was crowded with fans, before giving way to the unsustainable pace set by the 30-year-old from Team BMC MTB during the third lap.
Pauline Ferrand-Prèvot’s ride didn’t stop in the second part of the race. The world champion crossed the finish line 1’27” ahead of European Champion Lecomte, and 2’29” ahead of Olympic champion, Jolanda Neff (Trek Factory), from Switzerland, who was able to shake off Haley Batten (Specialized), who finished fourth after racing mostly in tandem with the Swiss rider. With her sixth position, the other Swiss racer, Alessandra Keller (Thomus Maxon), won the overall cross-country world cup ranking, after having won the short track ranking on Friday as well.
“After Friday’s victory, it was great to be able to repeat today. I really like the course here, with its hard and technical climbs where you can make a move, but also its very dry descents. It was a fantastic day, also because of the atmosphere. It was the perfect finale to this World Cup,” said Pauline Ferrand Prèvot. “Now I will participate in the Marathon World Championships and the Gravel World Championships, so I want to maintain this form to take aim at the rainbow jerseys.”
There was satisfaction also in the words of Alessandra Keller. “I had to push hard today; I struggled a lot on the climbs, especially in the most demanding section. I was aiming for the podium, because I knew that if I reached it, I would win the overall classification. I was briefed on the positions of McConnell and Terpstra during the race, and to that end, I concentrated on finishing as well as I could.”
Racing in the Italian colors was once again the tricolor champion, Martina Berta (Santa Cruz-FSA), who finished eighth in a race that saw her racing for fifth place for long. The roar of the hometown crowd for her at the finish line was the reward for a gutty race and a season that has seen her significantly step up her level of racing.
UNDER 23: VIDAURRE AND BURQUIER MAKE THE DOUBLE IN VAL DI SOLE
Martin Vidaurre closed in the best way his near-perfect World Cup season showing his superiority in the Val di Sole Grand Finale, one week after the setback of the World Champs in Les Gets.
The Chilean rider took his eighth seasonal World Cup win (out of 9 races) crossing the finish line ahead of Spain’s David Campos Motos (BH Templo, +0:45) and Gustavo Xavier de Oliveira (Team Brazil, +0:50). World Champion Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Pirelli) had to settle for fifth (+1:58) due to a shoulder issue.
Among Under 23 Women, a week after the rainbow triumph in Les Gets, the World Champion Line Burquier (Canyon CLL CTV) made her season memorable by making the double in Val di Sole, conquering both the World Cup’s Finale and the U23 overall standings. Behind the winner, Ronja Blochlinger (Swiss Team) was runner-up at 0:44, ahead of another French prospect, Noemie Garnier (Team Massi, +1’29).
THE FINAL WORD
Satisfaction in the words of the President of APT Val di Sole and Grandi Eventi Val di Sole, Luciano Rizzi. “First of all, I would like to thank the sponsors, the partners, the staff, the volunteers and all the people who contributed to the success of the World Cup finals. We’ve had fantastic audience participation during these past three days, with many fans connecting with Val di Sole on RedBull TV, and numerous national broadcasters. One year after a successful World Championship event, these World Cup finals have confirmed the technical and organizational credentials that have put this location on the map. This recognition of our team strengthens our determination in advance of next year (the world cup will return from June 30 to July 2, 2023) and heightens our vision for the 2026 World Championships.”
“We are proud of the feedback we have received from the International Cycling Union (UCI), both from a technical and sporting point of view. We are also proud of our projects related to sustainability. In a few days we will get back to work on the final goal of this very long year: the second edition of the Cyclocross World Cup, scheduled for Saturday, December 17 on the snow in Vermiglio.”
Daolasa di Commezzadura (Italy), September 4th, 2022
