Schurter slips and Flueckiger sprints: Leogang Short Track XCC
Thrilling start to three days of World Cup racing in Austria
Photo by:
Red Bull TV
One Swiss rider shone while the other struggled in Friday’s Short Track XCC. While Mathias Flueckiger contested for the win, Nino Schurter’s race was over just as soon as it started when he slipped both pedals off the start.
How the race played out
All eyes were on Schurter on the start line. In the absence of Tom Pidcock and Mathieu van der Poel, it looked like Schurter’s chance to step back into the spotlight aboard his brand new Scott Spark. Instead, Schurter missed his pedal when the start gun fired, wobbled, and unclipped from the other side as well. The rest of the field surged past, leaving the European champ chasing at the back. Unable to make ground through the crowded field, Schurter sat up, and rode out the race with his Scott-SRAM teammate Lars Forster to finish 29th and 30th.
RELATED: Loana Lecomte climbs to her first Short Track World Cup win
At the front, Anton Cooper (Trek Factory Racing), Suiss national champion Mathias Flueckiger (Thomus RN), and World Cup XCO #1 winner Victor Koretzky (KMC Orbea) took the lead, but with a stacked field of the world’s best breathing down their necks.
At the halfway mark of an eight lap race, Ondrej Cink (Kross Orlean) and Flueckiger escaped the pack, forming a lead duo. Cink seemed comfortable with doing the bulk of the work while his Swiss breakaway partner sat in his wheel.
On the final lap Cink attacked, hoping to shake his Swiss shadow on the grueling grass climb. Flueckiger countered, and opened up an advantage of his own. Cink fought valiantly to cling to a small gap, but was unable to close back to Flueckiger’s wheel.
Mathias Flueckiger crossed the line in front, taking his first Short Track XCC World Cup win.
“It is very cool, I didn’t expect it,” Flueckiger said after the line. “I would say this track suits me pretty well, with a lot of climbing and less sprinting.”
Milan Vader (KMC-Obrea) wheelied across the line in third, having escaped from Jordan Sarrou (Specialized) and and Cooper.
Peter Disera led the Canadian effort, finishing 25th. Léandre Bouchard finished 32nd. Both will be on the start line again on Sunday for the full-distance XCO cross country.
Results: XCC#3 – Leogang, Austria – June 11, 2021
| 1. |  |
FLUECKIGER Mathias (THÖMUS RN SWISS BIKE TEAM)
|
20:43 |
| 2. |  |
CINK Ondrej (KROSS ORLEN CYCLING TEAM)
|
20:48 +5 |
| 3. |  |
VADER Milan (KMC – ORBEA)
|
20:59 +16 |
| 4. |  |
SARROU Jordan (SPECIALIZED RACING)
|
21:01 +18 |
| 5. |  |
COOPER Anton (TREK FACTORY RACING XC)
|
21:01 +18 |
| 6. |  |
HATHERLY Alan (CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING)
|
21:16 +33 |
| 7. |  |
CARSTENSEN Sebastian Fini (CST POSTNL BAFANG MTB RACING TEAM)
|
21:18 +35 |
| 8. |  |
SCHUERMANS Jens (SCOTT CREUSE OXYGENE GUERET)
|
21:19 +36 |
| 9. |  |
DASCALU Vlad (TREK – PIRELLI)
|
21:19 +36 |
| 10. |  |
* CULLELL ESTAPE Jofre (PRIMAFLOR MONDRAKER XSAUCE)
|
21:19 +36 |
| 11. | |
KORETZKY Victor (KMC – ORBEA)
|
21:20 +37 |
| 12. |  |
COLLEDANI Nadir (MMR FACTORY RACING TEAM)
|
21:23 +40 |
| 13. | |
GRIOT Thomas (MASSI)
|
21:29 +46 |
| 14. | |
INDERGAND Reto (GIANT FACTORY OFF – ROAD TEAM)
|
21:30 +47 |
| 15. |  |
HAEGSTAD Erik
|
21:30 +47 |
| 16. | |
VALERO SERRANO David (BH TEMPLO CAFÉS UCC)
|
21:35 +52 |
| 17. | |
BRAIDOT Daniele (CS CARABINIERI – CICLI OLYMPIA VITTORIA)
|
21:38 +55 |
| 18. |  |
WAWAK Bartlomiej (KROSS ORLEN CYCLING TEAM)
|
21:39 +56 |
| 19. | |
ANDREASSEN Simon (CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING)
|
21:39 +56 |
| 20. | |
MAROTTE Maxime (SANTA CRUZ FSA MTB PRO TEAM)
|
21:44 +1:01 |
| 21. |  |
FUMIC Manuel (CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING)
|
21:46 +1:03 |
| 22. |  |
MCCONNELL Daniel (PRIMAFLOR MONDRAKER XSAUCE)
|
21:47 +1:04 |
| 23. | |
LITSCHER Thomas (KMC – ORBEA)
|
21:48 +1:05 |
| 24. | |
FLUECKIGER Lukas (AXXIOS-INFINITY)
|
21:49 +1:06 |
| 25. |  |
DISERA Peter (NORCO FACTORY TEAM XC)
|
21:52 +1:09 |
| 26. | |
BRANDL Maximilian (LEXWARE MOUNTAINBIKE TEAM)
|
22:06 +1:23 |
| 27. | |
KERSCHBAUMER Gerhard (SPECIALIZED RACING)
|
22:09 +1:26 |
| 28. | |
SKARNITZL Jan (CYKLOSTAR TREK PIRELLI)
|
22:11 +1:28 |
| 29. | |
SCHURTER Nino (SCOTT-SRAM MTB RACING TEAM)
|
22:37 +1:54 |
| 30. | |
FORSTER Lars (SCOTT-SRAM MTB RACING TEAM)
|
22:37 +1:54 |
| 31. |  |
ULLOA AREVALO Jose Gerardo
|
22:39 +1:56 |
| 32. | |
BOUCHARD Leandre (PIVOT CYCLES – OTE)
|
22:42 +1:59 |
| 33. | |
CAROD Titouan (ABSOLUTE-ABSALON – BMC)
|
22:43 +2:00 |
| 34. | |
BRAIDOT Luca (SANTA CRUZ FSA MTB PRO TEAM)
|
22:43 +2:00 |
| 35. | |
PETTINA’ Nicholas (CS CARABINIERI – CICLI OLYMPIA VITTORIA)
|
19:56 +2:03 |
| 36. |  |
BLEVINS Christopher (TRINITY RACING MTB)
|
19:58 +2:05 |
| 37. | |
FRISCHKNECHT Andri (SCOTT-SRAM MTB RACING TEAM)
|
17:20 +2:04 |
| 38. |  |
MARKT Karl (TREK | VAUDE)
|
14:52 +2:14 |
