Back on top: Schurter attacks Albstadt course to win World Cup
After dropping his first win in over a year in South Africa, Nino Schurter rides clean to win in Germany
After a perfect 2017 season where Nino Schurter didn’t lose a single World Cup race, the Swiss cross country star found himself on the back foot starting 2018. Losing the first round in a spring to young New Zealand racer Sam Gaze, and being forced out of Friday’s XCC due to mechanical, fortune did not look to be shining on Schurter at the start of Sunday’s XCO. The Swiss rider had other ideas, and quickly attacked the front of the race to win his third straight Albstadt World Cup. Staphane Tempier excelled in the slick conditions to finsh behind Schurter in second, while Mathieu van der Poel moved up one spot from Stellenbosch to claim the final podium spot in third.
Peter Disera (Norco Factory Racing) was the top Canadian Elite man, finishing in 28th, with Léandre Bouchard (KMC-Ekoi-SR Suntour close behind in 34th. Raphaël Gagné (Silverback OMX Pro Team) finished 57th, and Andrew L’Esperance 66th in a huge field of Elite men that saw 138 racers start the day.
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The big change to World Cup racing for the Albstadt round was the addition of XCC racing to the weekend schedule. In a perfect preview of how the new format could have an impact, Schurter was forced to pull out of Friday’s XCC early with a mechanical problem. It bumped the Swiss powerhouse back to the third row on the start grid, adding pressure and a little extra effort for to move up at the start of the race. Few doubted that Schurter had the legs to move up the field but, and more importantly, moving back in the start grid adds risk that a crash or slipped pedal infront of him could move him even further back into the field. Schurter isn’t the only one facing this unpredictable start, as Sergio Mantecon Guttierez (Trek Factory Racing) also moved a fair way back on the start after not hitting the result he needed ion Friday. Schurter is the most high profile rider to miss out though, previewing how the fast pace and more risky XCC format could have its impact on XCO World Cup racing.
Nino Schurter has a history of responding to any sort of pressure by coming back even stronger than he was before. When van der Poel surprised the Swiss rider by staying with him for most of last years Albstadt World Cup round, Schurter responded with a dominant performance in the next round.
From a third row start, Schurter moved up to fourth position by the end of the second corner and, before the race had even completed the short start loop, had attacked off the front of the flying peloton. There was clearly no holding back for the Scott-SRAM rider, who was pushing so hard on the first descent he had to put a foot down as he slid through a berm still slick from the previous days rain.
The winner of the first round in Stellenbosch, South Africa, Sam Gaze (Specialized) wasn’t about to let Schurter just ride off the front and, while the Swiss rider’s effort could be seen in his pedaling already, Gaze looked calm and smooth as he closed down the gap. Behind, in fifth, sat Mathieu van der Poel.
With the group back together and nearing the end of the 1.8km start loop, Schurter sat up, letting Lars Forster (BMC) take the lead, followed by Gaze, van der Poel, Manuel Fumic (Cannondale), Maxime Marotte (Cannondale), Jordan Sarrou (KMC-Ekoi-SR Suntour), and Mathias Fluekiger (BMC). Further back, Jaroslav Kulhavy (Specialized) was taking his turn with mechanical problems, and had dropped out of the race.
Heading out for six laps of racing, Marotte was the next to attack up the long, main climb on the course. The French rider only achieved a small gap, but his move did reduce the group to four, with Schurter, van der Poel and Fluekiger following. Notably, Sam Gaze was fading quickly through the ranks behind, ending the first lap in 10th.
Marotte was the next to drop from the lead group, which was now down to four, with a flat tire and a very slow wheel change left the BMC rider watching as the race went away from him. Schurter, , Sarrou and van der Poel remained, with Stepane Tempier (Bianchi) closing in.
Heading out onto lap four of six, it was Mathieu van der Poel, Schurter and Marotte with a small four second gap over Tempier and Sarrou, who were still trying to maintain contact with the front trio.
Schurter wasn’t content to wait for another finish sprint, after losing out to Gaze in South Africa for his first loss in over a year, and attacked uphill on the penultimate lap. Only Tempier was able to follow the speedy Swiss rider, with van der Poel and Marotte struggling behind. Sarrou had faded off from the hot pace of the front four.
With Schurter’s pace unrelenting, he soon found himself on his own, as Tempier drifted back into no man’s land in second, while van der Poel tried to separate himself from Marotte in fourth.
Schurter crossed the line alone, winning Albstad World Cup for the third straight year, while Tempier was able to hold close to his pace to finish 16 seconds back in second. Behind them, van der Poel had dropped Marotte to place third, 40 seconds behind Schurter, while Marotte settled for fourth. Sarrou crossed 5th, making three French riders in the top five in the same week that Julien Absalon announced his retirement.
