Zanotti shines for Team BMC in third World Cup of the season

The third World Cup of the 2024 Series won't be remembered as the most successful for Team BMC. However, there was a bright spot: Juri Zanotti, who was BMC’s top finisher in Nové Mesto. As the second-best Italian, Zanotti had the biggest smile in the Czech Republic.

The XCC races, on Friday and Saturday, did not go as hoped. Steffi Häberlin had a solid second-row start for the XCO race, but none of the elite men managed to secure a position in the first two rows. The U23 riders also faced challenges: Maxime L’Homme crashed due to a competitor's mistake, resulting in significant bruising but no broken bones. Janis Baumann also missed out on a spot in the first three start rows.

The XCO races offered a chance for redemption. Despite his injuries, L’Homme managed to secure sixteenth place, while Baumann finished 38th.

On Sunday, Häberlin started from the thirteenth position and finished just inside the top 20. On the technically and physically demanding course, the Swiss Team BMC rider was content with nineteenth. “I had a good start and felt comfortable on the descents. There are other courses in the World Cup series that suit me better, and since I couldn’t speed up as much as I wanted on the climbs, I’m quite satisfied with my performance,” she said.

The start of the men's Olympic Discipline race was carnage, resulting in a big battle for positions in the start lap. Juri Zanotti emerged around 15th place. Further behind, Sarrou made up ground lost at the start, while Carod remained too far back to contend for top spots in this World Cup 

Zanotti was Team BMC’s standout performer in Nové Mesto, finishing sixteenth and being the second Italian, a significant achievement. Sarrou had a disappointing weekend, finishing 27th, while Carod was the last rider to complete all seven laps, finishing 75th.

Zanotti: "I am quite happy about today. I hope this is enough to get a ticket to Paris 2024. It was special to race on the new bike, and I enjoyed the race on the Fourstroke. Now I have to wait to find out whether I make it to Paris 2024, but I am already focusing on my home World Cup in Val di Sole, which is two weeks from now."