Off to South Africa! Three South Tyroleans are starting at the start of the World Cup

Around seven months have passed since the entire world elite met for the last time at the last World Cup of the 2013 season in Hafjell. Now the highest international racing series is starting a new year. The start takes place from Friday to Sunday in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, where the world championship titles were awarded last season.

The downhillers will be sent out on the track from Friday to Saturday, while the cross-country competitions will take place on Sunday, at the end of the first World Cup stop in the “Cascades MTB Park” in Pietermaritzburg. Three South Tyroleans, Gerhard Kerschbaumer, Eva Lechner and Lisa Rabensteiner, will also be competing there.

Lechner: “I really like the course in Pietermaritzburg”

Lechner probably still has some unfinished business with the course in South Africa after she fell at the World Championships last year and thus missed out on an absolute top placement. “The course in Pietermaritzburg is not easy, but I really like it. I hope for a good and hard race, without any bad crashes. I'm not at my best yet. I would like to achieve this at a later date. “But I still want to get important World Cup points on the first stage,” the exceptional biker from Eppan is quoted as saying on the World Cup organizer’s website.

Lechner climbed onto the World Cup podium three times last season, namely in Albstadt (victory), Andorra (third) and Hafjell (second). Last Sunday at the Marlene Sunshine Race, the South Tyrolean, who was set back in her preparation by a flu illness almost two weeks ago, took fourth place.

Kerschbaumer celebrated his greatest success to date in Pietermaritzburg

Things went better at the World Cup in Pietermaritzburg last year for Gerhard Kerschbaumer, who almost won the U23 World Cup competition with a start-to-finish victory and was therefore able to celebrate his greatest success in his young career. At the start of the World Cup, the world champion from Verdings will not be competing in the junior category, but in the men's elite race. On Sunday he narrowly missed out on a place on the podium in Nals due to a flat tire.

Lisa Rabensteiner is the first of the three South Tyroleans to be sent into the race. She will compete in the women's U23 competition. The starting signal is given at 9 a.m.

The schedule for the World Cup opener in Pietermaritzburg (RSA):

Sunday April 13th 9 p.m.: Cross Country U23 women 11 a.m.: Cross Country U23 men 13 a.m.: Cross Country Elite Women 15.30 p.m.: Cross Country Elite Men

The 2014 World Cup calendar for mountain bikers:

April 13: Pietermaritzburg (RSA) April 25-27: Cairns (AUS) May 23rd to 25th: Nove Mesto Na Morave (CZE) May 30th to June 1st: Albstadt (GER) August 1st to 3rd: Mont-Sainte-Anne (CAN) August 8th to 10th: Windham (USA) August 22nd to 24th: Meribel (FRA)

European Championships: June 5th to 8th in St. Wendel (GER) World Championship: from September 2nd to 7th in Hafjell (NOR)

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Off to South Africa! Three South Tyroleans are starting at the start of the World Cup

Pietermaritzburg in South Africa will be the venue for the first cross-country World Cup stage of the 2014 mountain bike season this Sunday. Three South Tyroleans will also be at the start, namely Gerhard Kerschbaumer, Eva Lechner and Lisa Rabensteiner.

Suggestions

Comments (0)