Unfortunate weekend of racing in Les Gets for Team BMC
Team BMC did not have its luckiest Sunday of the year in Les Gets this weekend. Juri Zanotti and Maxime l’Homme were the only two who could look back on a successful Sunday.
Bad luck struck Baumann and Häberlin in their opening laps, resulting in crashes and painful injuries. Zanotti finished in the top 15, while Carod ended his Sunday in 51st place.
L’Homme was quite satisfied with his 21st place. “After a tough Short Track race with bad legs, I still could not quite find that additional engine. I paced myself well today, though, and I am quite happy with the result.”
Zanotti started off excellently, with the top 5 in sight after the opening lap. A career-best performance seemed within reach; however, with racers in positions 9 to 15 within a few seconds of each other, and the Italian rider having to dig deep at the beginning of the race, he ultimately finished in 14th place.
“Until halfway through the race, I believed a top 10 finish was possible. However, I simply didn’t have the legs to make it. I’m satisfied with my result, though,” Zanotti commented after the race.
Titouan Carod, like Zanotti, started from the second row and finished in 51st place.
Baumann and Häberlin particularly unlucky
Steffi Häberlin didn’t have a good day on the XCO course in Les Gets. Issues at the start and women crashing in front of her in the opening lap resulted in a quick pit stop in the tech zone, costing valuable time. The Swiss cyclist never really got a feel for the slippery course, resulting in several slips and ultimately a DNF.
“It’s disappointing,” Häberlin said after the finish, “because of all the hard work that everyone in the team puts in. I have some painful bones and sore muscles, but the disappointment is much heavier than the pain.”
Janis Baumann also had an unfortunate Sunday in Les Gets. The Swiss U23 rider crashed in the opening lap and had to start the technical sections from dead last. He also recorded a DNF. He will have to prioritize his recovery from his common cold and a slightly painful knee.
The World Cup in Les Gets was the last one in Europe. There are plenty of fantastic and exciting races left, though, including Paris and the World Championships in Andorra. First up are the Italian and Swiss nationals, while the season closes with the two World Cups on the North American continent.
