Schurter outduels Absalon in Val di Sole cross country

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Despite intense heat that saw many riders wilt, the cross-country mountain bike World Cup saw an intense battle between two riders right to the finish line at Val di Sole, Italy. World champion Nino Schurter (Scott-Swisspower) outkicked his usual rival Julien Absalon (BMC) to win his second World Cup in a row, and now holds a commanding lead in the overall standings at the halfway mark of the 2013 World Cup series.

The Val di Sole course is renowned for steep climbs, technical singletrack and hot, humid conditions; and this year was no different. Many riders that went out hard early in the races were fading by the halfway point, including Italian favourite Marco Fontana (Cannondale Factory Racing).

However, two riders didn't appear to be bothered by the weather, with Schurter and Absalon attacking the rest of the field. Olympic champion and former Val di Sole winner Jaroslav Kulhavy (Specialized Racing XC) managed to stay with the duo for one lap before having to slow to his own pace. The two leaders steadily pulled away from the rest of the field, never gaining more than a bike length on each other as lap after lap went by.

Into the final lap the two were still neck-and-neck and, after more than 90 minutes of flat out racing, it came down to the final 200 metres and a sprint. Absalon initially tried to match Schurter, but fell back after 100 metres to finish three seconds down. Kulhavy held onto third, but was nearly two minutes behind the front two.

"It is awesome to win here again," said Schurter. "It is a really tough course with the steep uphills. It was amazing to battle with Absalon. The last years I was always battling here for the win - once I won - once I got second.

"I felt pretty strong in the beginning, then I saw Absalon was as well really strong . I never knew if he was playing with me, or if his attack is coming soon. I would say we are nearly the same, I am [just] a bit stronger in the sprint. I am very happy about my victory."

Dan McConnell (Trek Factory Racing), the surprise winner of round one, showed that his win was not luck. Starting a little slower, in the high teens, the Australian steadily worked his way up the rankings, and by the start of the last lap was up to sixth. He was closing on the two Fluckiger brothers - Lukas (BMC) and Mathias (Stockli Pro Team) - who were literally looking over their shoulders as he chased them down, finishing a scant four seconds back at the line.

Schurter now leads the men's standings with 570 points, followed by McConnell at 450 and Lukas Fluckiger with 440 points.