Kiwi MTB team set for UCI World Champs in Italy
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
Popular rider and social media commentator, Wyn Masters will get the New Zealand campaign off the start line at the UCI MTB World Championships in Val di Sole, Italy.
Masters has confirmed his start in the E-MTB event on top of his popular role as a media commentator.
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After hot weather for much of the summer, rain this week has turned the tracks to mud for training and potentially for the E-MTB events this evening (NZT) at the major alpine region of Trentino in northern Italy.
Further rain is forecast for downhill qualifying and potentially finals at the weekend, which may result in the famed 2.1km Black Snake downhill course becoming ultra-challenging. Changeable conditions will make for difficult decisions for riders around bike set-ups and best racing lines.
Cross-country leads off with E-MTB overnight, followed by junior cross-country and short-track titles on Friday early morning NZT. Action moves to downhill overnight on Friday (NZT) with qualifying across all grades, with gravity racing on Saturday evening through to early hours of Sunday (NZT).
Action reverts to cross-country on Sunday evening NZT thought to early morning Monday, with last year’s silver medallist Sammie Maxwell recently returned to racing, with Olympians Sam Gaze and Anton Cooper leading the way.
Val di Sole has not been the happiest of hunting grounds for kiwi riders at previous world championships at the Italian resort, with the most recent success being a top-10 in elite women for Jess Blewitt in 2021.
Last year brought kiwi success in junior downhill at Valise in Switzerland with Tyler Waite, Oli Clark and Jonty Williamson second, fourth and fifth respectively, with Eliana Hulsebosch runner-up in junior women.
Only Williamson remains in the junior ranks, looking to add a world title to the season-long championship that he wrapped up last weekend. Waite, Clark and Hulsebosch are all showing strong form in their rookie year in the elite ranks.
