{"id":15807,"date":"2018-08-13T04:45:00","date_gmt":"2018-08-13T03:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/2018\/08\/13\/brave-schurter-seals-sixth-title-in-canada-as-neff-edges-out-langvad-r7484\/"},"modified":"2023-02-08T05:47:52","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T05:47:52","slug":"brave-schurter-seals-sixth-title-in-canada-as-neff-edges-out-langvad-r7484","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/brave-schurter-seals-sixth-title-in-canada-as-neff-edges-out-langvad-r7484\/","title":{"rendered":"Brave Schurter seals sixth title in Canada as Neff edges out Langvad"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nino Schurter suffered two mechanicals in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup cross-country stop in Mont-Sainte-Anne, however, battled back for seventh spot to claim his sixth overall crown as Jolanda Neff excelled in the women’s race.<\/p>\n

\"ccs-62657-0-41433900-1534138894.jpg\"<\/a>Nino Schurter. Credit: Bartek Wolinski\/Red Bull Content Pool.<\/span><\/p>\n

Swiss star Schurter came into the most gruelling race of the 2018 calendar looking to seal a sixth XCO crown, however, he was under pressure from the start.<\/p>\n

He battled back to look comfortable, but a broken chain and then a rear flat tyre meant he could only finish seventh which was still enough for a sixth title.<\/p>\n

Schurter, 32, revealed: “Super stressful from the beginning. I broke my chain and I am still happy with my performance. Big challenge now with young, new riders pushing hard.”<\/p>\n

\"ccs-62657-0-94896100-1534138891.jpg\"<\/a>Mathias Flueckiger. Credit: Bartek Wolinski\/Red Bull Content Pool.<\/span><\/p>\n

Up front, his compatriot Mathias Flueckiger captured his maiden victory after Kiwi Anton Cooper crashed on the last lap with Italian Gerhard Kerschbaumer and France’s Titouan Carod rounding out the top three.<\/p>\n

Flueckiger, 29, said: “I am so happy. So much bad luck before. It is something special as I won the U23 world title here in 2010. I hope Anton is OK.”<\/p>\n

\"ccs-62657-0-51149300-1534138701.jpg\"<\/a>Maxime Marotte, Gerhard Kerschbaumer, Mathias Flueckiger, Titouan Carod, Luca Braidot stand on the podium at UCI XCO World Cup in Mont Sainte Anne, Canada on August 12th, 2018. Credit: Bartek Wolinski\/Red Bull Content Pool.<\/span><\/p>\n

World champion Neff rode superbly in the heat to record her third Mont-Sainte-Anne win, just days after European Championship XCO gold in Scotland.<\/p>\n

\"ccs-62657-0-24659200-1534138896.jpg\"<\/a>Yolanda Neff. Credit: Bartek Wolinski\/Red Bull Content Pool.<\/span><\/p>\n

Denmark’s Annika Langvad held off home hero Emily Batty for second with the title going down to the final La Bresse race as Neff holds a 142-point lead seeking her third overall crown after 2014 and 2015 wins.<\/p>\n

Neff, 25, said: “It still feels like a dream this week. In the third lap, I was done. I had to tell myself to slow down as the heat was so extreme. The last two times I won here, I won overall too.”<\/p>\n

\"ccs-62657-0-89616900-1534138897.jpg\"<\/a>Credit: Bartek Wolinski\/Red Bull Content Pool.<\/span><\/p>\n

Langvad, 34, added: “I struggled so badly on the climbs. It doesn’t change much for La Bresse. Race for the victory. Go into it with a clear mind and do my best.”<\/p>\n

\"ccs-62657-0-80321000-1534138570.jpg\"<\/a>Yana Belomoina, Annika Langvad, Jolanda Neff, Emily Batty, Anne Tauber stand on the podium at UCI XCO World Cup in Mont Sainte Anne, Canada on August 12th, 2018. Credit: Bartek Wolinski\/Red Bull Content Pool.<\/span><\/p>\n

Highlights:<\/h2>\n

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