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Schurter takes first World Cup in Nove Mesto

Valero, Absalon trail Olympic champion

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Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team)

Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team)
(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Marco Aurelio Fontana (Bianchi Countervail)

Marco Aurelio Fontana (Bianchi Countervail)
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
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Stephane Tempier (Bianchi Countervail) leading the chase

Stephane Tempier (Bianchi Countervail) leading the chase
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
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Shimano Finland or Scotland?

Shimano Finland or Scotland?
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
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The start was marred by a crash in the first few metres

The start was marred by a crash in the first few metres
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
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The crash cascades across the back of the bunch

The crash cascades across the back of the bunch
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
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Thomas Litscher (JB Brunex Felt Team) leading Nino Schurter

Thomas Litscher (JB Brunex Felt Team) leading Nino Schurter
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
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Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team)

Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team)
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
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Lukas Fluckiger (BMC Mountainbike Racing Team)

Lukas Fluckiger (BMC Mountainbike Racing Team)
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
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Mathias Fluckiger (Radon Factory XC Team)

Mathias Fluckiger (Radon Factory XC Team)
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
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Thomas Litscher (JB Brunex Felt Team)

Thomas Litscher (JB Brunex Felt Team)
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
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Jordan Sarrou (BH-SRSuntour-KMC)

Jordan Sarrou (BH-SRSuntour-KMC)
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
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Julien Absalon (BMC Mountainbike Racing Team

Julien Absalon (BMC Mountainbike Racing Team
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
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Jordan Sarrou (BH-SRSuntour-KMC) and Julien Absalon

Jordan Sarrou (BH-SRSuntour-KMC) and Julien Absalon
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
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Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team)

Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team)
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
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David Valero Serrano (MMR Factory Racing Team)

David Valero Serrano (MMR Factory Racing Team)
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
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Anton Cooper (Trek Factory Racing XC)

Anton Cooper (Trek Factory Racing XC)
(Image credit: Rob Jones)
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Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) wins elite men's race

Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) wins elite men's race
(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Elite Men's podium - L to r: Maxime Marotte, David Valero Serrano, Nino Schurter, Julien Absalon, Jordan Sarrou

Elite Men's podium - L to r: Maxime Marotte, David Valero Serrano, Nino Schurter, Julien Absalon, Jordan Sarrou
(Image credit: Tour of Japan)

World and Olympic champion Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM) continued his domination of the Nove Mesto course at the opening round of the Cross-country World Cup on Sunday, taking his fifth win in the seven years of racing at this Czech Republic venue (six World Cups and one world championship, last year).

Last year, Schurter won the world title here and, on a course little changed, the Swiss rider once again showed that he is the top rider in the world at this time. The start was marred by a crash in the first few metres, when Matthias Stirnemann (Scott-SRAM) went over the bars after his chain broke, causing a pileup behind him.

Thomas Litscher (JB Brunex Felt) jumped into the lead on the start loop, but he was quickly overtaken by Schurter and David Valero (MMR Factory) once the riders began their six laps of the course. Valero hung on with Schurter for the first half of the race as the pair opened a gap on a chase group containing Julien Absalon (BMC), Maxime Marotte (Cannondale Factory) and Jordan Sarrou (BH-SR Suntour-KMC), but when Schurter put the hammer down on a climb the Spaniard was quickly dropped.

Schurter cruised to his 21st World Cup victory, with Valero holding on for second. Absalon dropped the rest of the chase group to take third.

"I had a really good start and I felt pretty good," said Schurter. "This course really suits me well, it's a perfect course, one of my favourites. David showed a great performance. The first lap or so he attacked quite hard and made me suffer. I'm really happy to win here again. For me it is totally different this year. I have much less pressure, I had a great winter, did some good training but everything comes with less pressure, less expectations. It is going well so far and I'm really stoked."

Full Results

#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Nino Schurter (Swi) Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team1:27:35
2David Valero Serrano (Spa) MMR Factory Racing Team0:00:26
3Julien Absalon (Fra) BMC Mountainbike Racing Team0:01:46
4Maxime Marotte (Fra) Cannondale Factory Racing XC0:01:51
5Jordan Sarrou (Fra) BH-Srsuntour-KMC0:01:59
6Stephane Tempier (Fra) Bianchi Countervail0:02:09
7Titouan Carod (Fra) BMC Mountainbike Racing Team0:02:41
8Mathieu Van Der Poel (Ned)0:02:51
9Anton Cooper (NZl) Trek Factory Racing XC
10Marco Aurelio Fontana (Ita) Bianchi Countervail
11Pablo Rodriguez Guede (Spa) MMR Factory Racing Team0:02:59
12Manuel Fumic (Ger) Cannondale Factory Racing XC0:03:04
13Carlos Coloma Nicolas (Spa) Primaflor Mondraker0:03:18
14Reto Indergand (Swi) BMC Mountainbike Racing Team0:03:27
15Hans Becking (Ned) CST Sandd American Eagle MTB Racing Team0:03:44
16Gerhard Kerschbaumer (Ita) Torpado Gabogas0:04:01
17Gregor Raggl (Aut) Moebel Maerki MTB Pro Team0:04:05
18Lukas Fluckiger (Swi) BMC Mountainbike Racing Team0:04:06
19Andrea Tiberi (Ita) Team Nob Selle Italia0:04:08
20Arnis Petersons (Lat) ZZK0:04:12
21Thomas Litscher (Swi) Jb Brunex Felt Team0:04:27
22Andri Frischknecht (Swi) Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team0:04:33
23Hugo Drechou (Fra) Massi0:04:41
24Marcel Guerrini (Swi) Focus XC Team0:04:49
25Bartlomiej Wawak (Pol) Kross Racing Team0:04:56
26Florian Chenaux (Swi)0:05:07
27Jan Skarnitzl (Cze) SRAM Mitas Trek0:05:36
28Derek Zandstra (Can) Cannondale-3Rox Racing0:05:42
29Ruben Scheire (Bel) Habitat Mountainbike Team
30Mario Costa (Por) Primaflor Mondraker0:05:50
31Mathias Fluckiger (Swi) Radon Factory XC Team0:05:53
32Martin Loo (Est)0:06:00
33Daniele Braidot (Ita)0:06:09
34Martin Fanger (Swi)
35Karl Markt (Aut) Moebel Maerki MTB Pro Team
36Jose Dias (Por)0:06:15
37Bart De Vocht (Bel) KTM Bike Vision0:06:18
38Nicola Rohrbach (Swi)0:06:23
39Leandre Bouchard (Can) BH-Srsuntour-KMC0:06:25
40Michiel Van Der Heijden (Ned) Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team0:06:26
41Christian Pfaffle (Ger) Moebel Maerki MTB Pro Team0:06:27
42Wolfram Kurschat (Ger) Kurschat Consulting Racing Team0:06:46
43Ivan Seledkov (Rus)0:06:48
44Marek Konwa (Pol) Volkswagen Samochody Uzytkowe MTB Team0:06:49
45Moritz Milatz (Ger)0:06:53
46Kevin Panhuyzen (Bel) Habitat Mountainbike Team0:07:03
47Martin Gluth (Ger) Omx Pro Team0:07:05
48Fabian Giger (Swi) Kross Racing Team
49Jan Nesvadba (Cze) Expres Cz-Scott Team Kolin0:07:17
50Luiz Henrique Cocuzzi (Bra)
51Jhonnatan Botero Villegas (Col)0:07:27
52Andrea Righettini (Ita)
53Jens Schuermans (Bel) Scott Creuse Oxygene Gueret0:07:33
54Thomas Griot (Fra) Materiel-Velo.Com0:07:35
55Jaroslav Kulhavy (Cze) Specialized Racing0:07:38
56Mirko Tabacchi (Ita)0:08:00
57Marek Rauchfuss (Cze)0:08:03
58Andras Parti (Hun) Nella Trek Team0:08:15
59Michael Stunzi (Swi)0:08:26
60Florian Trigo (Fra) Massi0:08:38
61Catriel Soto (Arg) Primaflor Mondraker0:08:48
62Sebastien Carabin (Bel) Merida Wallonie MTB Team0:08:59
63Tomas Paprstka (Cze) Expres Cz-Scott Team Kolin0:09:09
64Raphael Gagne (Can) Cannondale-3Rox Racing0:09:14
65Matthias Stirnemann (Swi) Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team0:09:17
66Cameron Ivory (Aus)0:10:05
67Guilherme Gotardelo Muller (Bra)0:10:20
68Martin Frey (Ger) Team Bulls0:10:25
69Kirill Kazantsev (Kaz)0:10:38
70Jan Withaar (RSA)0:10:39
71Shlomi Haimy (Isr)0:10:48
72Stuart Marais (RSA)0:11:15
73Frank Beemer (Ned) Habitat Mountainbike Team0:11:26
74Evan McNeely (Can)0:11:42
75Grant Ferguson (GBr) CST Sandd American Eagle MTB Racing Team0:11:58
76Martin Stosek (Cze)0:12:31
77David Rosa (Por)0:12:50
78Lysander Kiesel (Ger) German Technology Racing
79Maximilian Vieider (Ita) Torpado Gabogas
80Edoardo Bonetto (Ita) Elios-Srsuntour Pro Team
81Zdenek Vobecky (Cze)
82Sakari Lehtinen (Fin)
83Rubens Donizete Valeriano (Bra)
84Maximilian Holz (Ger) German Technology Racing
85Dario Gasco (Arg)
86Steffen Thum (Ger) Rose Vaujany Fueled By Ultrasports
87Simon Gegenheimer (Ger) Rose Vaujany Fueled By Ultrasports
88Victor Selles Pardo (Spa)
89Louis Wolf (Ger)
90Russell Nankervis (Aus)
91Kohei Yamamoto (Jpn) BH-Srsuntour-KMC
92Tobias Rotermund (Ger)
93Farzad Khodayari (IRI)
94Keegan Swenson (USA) Cannondale-3Rox Racing
95Andrew L'Esperance (Can)
96Manfred Zoger (Aut)
97Maciej Jeziorski (Pol)
98Philipp Wetzelberger (Aut)
99Faraz Shokri (IRI)
100Antoine Le Coq (Fra) Cube Pro Fermetures Sefic
101Ondrej Glajza (Svk)
102Pavel Priadein (Rus)
103Fabian Paumann (Swi) Fischer-BMC
104Murray Spink (Aus)
105Antoine Bouqueret (Fra) Scott Creuse Oxygene Gueret
106Robin Vanden Abeele (Bel) Cube Pro Fermetures Sefic
107Sajad Taheri (IRI)
108Artyom Golovachshenko (Kaz)
109Ingvar Omarsson ISL
110Vadim Zhuravlev (Rus)
111Oriol Domenech Fernandez (Spa)
112Sebastian Jayne (Aus)
113Philipp Hediger (Swi) Fischer-BMC
114Robert Schwenk (Ger)
115Dmitry Zhirnov (Rus)
116George-Vlad Sabau (Rom)
DNFVictor Koretzky (Fra) BH-Srsuntour-KMC
DNFSamuel Gaze (NZl) Specialized Racing
DNFLuca Braidot (Ita)
DNFRuslan Boredskiy (Rus)
DNFLars Forster (Swi) BMC Mountainbike Racing Team
DNFMarkus Schulte-Luenzum (Ger) Focus XC Team
DNFBen Zwiehoff (Ger)
DNFAnton Sintsov (Rus) Jbg - 2 Professional MTB Team
DNFDaniel McConnell (Aus)
DNFKevin Ingratta (Arg)
DNSFlorian Vogel (Swi) Focus XC Team
DNSSergio Mantecon Gutierrez (Spa) Trek Factory Racing XC
DNSDidier Bats (Bel) CST Sandd American Eagle MTB Racing Team

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