Imagine a forecast of 3 days of uninterrupted rain and a course full of roots and mud and you will have the conditions in which the second round of the UCI MTB XCO World Cup Under23 took place today.

Team Trek-Pirelli was there with two athletes: Simone Avondetto, starting in first row with number 3 and Janis Baumann with number 29. Despite the almost unrideable conditions combined with the very difficult terrain, the boys mounted the Pirelli Scorpion XC RC without any fear of loss of traction.

A difficult start for Simone Avondetto who struggled to find the right pace in the first 2 laps. From the third lap onwards, the legs started to spin properly and Simone started his comeback, position after position passing from 14th place to 5th place which put him among the best Under23 of this season.
“Today I suffered a lot right after the start, my legs felt heavy, luckily I started feeling better and I found the sensations of Albstadt again even if tart I could have hit the podium again“.

Good race for Janis Baumann, who was also a bit behind at the start, he had a really solid race finishing 18th, conquering another important Top20 in his first year as Under23.
“I have a bit of regret for today, I wanted to do better. Top 20 is still a good result, but I would like to be able to get closer to the Top10”.

Images @Michele Mondini

Janis Baumann Nove Mesto