The dust has barely settled from last week’s UCI Enduro World Cup in Val di Fassa, but the Trentino region will once more play host to thrilling racing, this time courtesy of the UCI Cross-country and Downhill World Cups.
This week the action has moved to Val di Sole, one of Italy’s most iconic race venues, with a rich history of UCI World Cup racing. Famous for the savagery of its downhill track and the technicality of its cross-country course, the valley will once more be alive with the sound of thousands of fans as they flock to see the world’s fastest racers in action.
The action gets underway on Thursday when the U23 line up for the UCI Short Track World Cup (XCC) before the Elite get their chance on Friday evening.
On Saturday it’s all about downhill, when both the Junior and Elite will once more test their limits in the UCI Downhill World Cup. In the women’s competition it’s still Switzerland’s Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) who leads the overall standings, but she faces stiff competition to stay there as Valentina Höll (Rockshox Trek Race Team) will be feeling confident after her win on home soil in Leogang-Salzburgerland, Austria, just two weeks ago.
Series leader and reigning UCI World Champion Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) remains the rider to beat in the men’s competition, although doing their best to disrupt his dominance will be none other than his teammate Finn Iles, who lies just behind him in second place. Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) and Round 2 winner Andreas Kolb will also be looking to climb the points table and can never be discounted from a podium finish.
On Sunday the action continues with the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup (XCO). First out on course will be the U23, followed by the Elite racers in the afternoon. In the women’s race Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) still leads the standings, but not far behind lies Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) and Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV) in second and third place respectively. And looking to turn on the speed for her home crowd will be Italy’s Martina Berta (Santa Cruz Rockshox Pro Team).
The points couldn’t be tighter in the men’s standings, so expect a fierce battle on Sunday as racers compete for the overall lead ahead of the upcoming summer break. Jordan Sarrou (Team BMC) is the current men’s leader, however, just 15 points separate him and second placed Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing), who clocked up his 34th UCI World Cup win in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, three weeks ago. And only 17 points behind him is third placed Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV). Italian rider Daniele Braidot (CS Carabinieri-Cicli Olympia Vittoria) will also be hoping for a strong ride on home soil.
For the full schedule and more information on this week’s races click here.
This weekend’s action will be available to view on Eurosport.com, discovery+ and globally on GCN+.
