Another year, another Val di Sole, Italy, for the 2023 World Cup. It was the fourth round of XCC and XCO, and the third round of the DH season. A weekend that brought new, tougher and even more demanding tracks than in previous years. For the PRIMAFLOR-MONDRAKER-GENUINS and the MS MONDRAKER teams the weekend played out very differently and with very different results.
After a great race in the XCC race on Friday (she came 6th), she commented on her Instagram account (@becmcconnell): "In the XCC Leogang race it was a similar story, so I kept cautiously optimistic. I'm a dreamer, but also a realist." She knew it was a good result, but she didn't think she would have the performance to match it in the XCO race. In the end she came third, an excellent result after a very intelligent race.
Ondrêj Cink’s weekend didn’t go as well as it did in Leogang. Suffering from back pain all week, Ondrêj was unable to perform at 100% and finished 20th in XCC and 32nd in XCO. In Val di Sole we also saw the return of Francesc Barber to the World Cup scene, and with positive results. The rider from Menorca finished 14th in XCC and 34th in XCO.
Unfortunately, the MS MONDRAKER team didn’t get the weekend they were looking for. The “Black Snake” of Val di Sole is one of the most demanding and complicated tracks on the WC calendar and one small slip means you’re out of the final. Only the 30 fastest qualifiers competed in the last heat and none of the MS MONDRAKER riders made the list, including many of the favorites on the international circuit. Only Tuhoto Ariki and Brook MacDonald qualified for the semi-final, managing to finish in 42nd and 57th position.
The World Cup will be taking a break now until the 25th - 27th August when we’ll be setting up camp in Vallnord (Andorra) for the XCC, XCO and DH races. Both the PRIMAFLOR-MONDRAKER-GENUINS team and the MS MONDRAKER riders will have time to recharge their batteries and get to the Andorran event ready to roll.
This size table is only an estimation, the optimum frame size depends on your personal preference and riding style
