Nino Schurter surges past Julien Absalon for Windham victory
Scott-ODLO rider Nino Schurter proved his climbing abilities have improved, winning the Windham World Cup cross country mountain bike race despite the course not suiting the Swiss rider particularly well.
Winning at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in #Windham. #Scott2luvit Cornèrcard Honda ODLO SRAM DT Swiss Zurich Oakley
— Nino Schurter (@nschurter) August 11, 2014
In a battle that finished more closely than last week’s Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup, Schurter was able to get a bit of an advantage over Frenchman Julien Absalon on the downhill portion of the Windham course.
Unlike many World Cup courses, the Windham circuit comprises one long uphill, followed by one long descent. Despite Absalon’s formidable power, Schurter was able to stay ahead to finish just six seconds ahead of his chief rival.
Schurter’s countryman and Absalon’s teammate Lukas Flükiger finished third overall, the second BMC team rider on the podium. Australian Dan McConnell of Trek Factory Racing wrapped up a very secure fourth place, just 22 seconds back from the leaders.
The final podium spot went to Mathias Flükiger, in fifth, just over a minute back.
In the mix on the first lap, Canadian Geoff Kabush spotted a gap in the field and was able to pass a lot of traffic to get to the front and ride with Schurter and Absalon.
The Canadian’s early move proved costly, and ultimately Kabush dropped to 12th place overall, finishing just a fraction ahead of Scott-3Rox teammate Derek Zandstra. Thirteenth position marks Zandstra’s best-ever World Cup finish.
Plate 29 on my @bikeonscottusa Spark 29 worked out pretty well today. Finished 12th & had fun pushing… http://t.co/UNeRD5N8if
— Geoff Kabush (@GeoffKabush) August 10, 2014
Team @SCOTT3Rox getting packed up after an awesome weekend at #windhamworldcup 12th and 13th place #tapthemaple pic.twitter.com/nzorczr7IW
— Derek Zandstra (@derekzandstra) August 10, 2014
Evan Guthrie continued his North American World Cup debut by finishing as the third strongest Canadian, in 44th place. Last week’s Mont-Sainte-Anne race marked Guthrie’s first ever World Cup race.
Note quite the day I was hoping for at Windham World Cup, but I am still happy with 44th. First Elite World Cups were a success.
— Evan Guthrie (@EvanwGuthrie) August 11, 2014
Scott-3Rox is ranked seventh in the team standings, just one point back from the Stöckli Pro team.
Raphael Gagne is the top Canadian rider in the World Cup points, ranked 28th worldwide.
