Cycling World Cup
From Thursday, an unprecedented spectacle will take place in Scotland. At the 2023 World Championships in Glasgow and the Scottish Highlands, 8,000 cyclists from over 120 nations will compete in more than 200 decisions for the rainbow jerseys. Austria is also at the start of the Mega World Championships with a 72-strong team – and is primarily a medal contender in mountain biking.
03.08.2023 13.00
Online since yesterday, 1 p.m
On the downhill route from Fort William in the Highlands, Valentina Höll, as defending champion and winner of two of this year’s three World Cups, is the big hunted. Andreas Kolb, who triumphed in Leogang like Höll, could also have a say in the high-speed discipline after recovering from a knee injury.
Cross-country bikers Mona Mitterwallner and Laura Stigger are also among the extended group of medal candidates in Glentress Forest. The title leads via the Dutch season dominator Puck Pieterse, but Stigger could challenge the favorite especially in the short track discipline.
Reuters/Bartosz Wolinski Höll is the favorite for the gold in the breakneck “World Cup Downhill”
The Austrian men, on the other hand, are just outsiders in cross-country. The big hunted in the Highlands is record champion Nino Schurter. The toughest competitor is once again Tom Pidcock from Great Britain. In addition, there is the Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, who not only left a deep mark on the cycling scene off-road but also on the road – among other things with a victory in the classic Paris-Roubaix.
Street course for specialists
Speaking of roads: the grapes for the team of the Austrian Cycling Association (ÖRV) are hanging high there. The first major highlight is the men’s race on Sunday. The 271 km from Edinburgh to Glasgow are made for classic specialists and sprinters like the two Danes Kasper Asgreen and Mads Pedersen and this year’s sprint king of the tour, Jasper Philipsen, as well as his Belgian compatriot Wout van Aert. Speaking of Belgium: In contrast to the quartet, defending champion Remco Evenepoel without the Tour de France starts with significantly fresher legs.
Photo series with 2 pictures
Graphics: APA/ORF Graphics: APA/ORF
Austria wants to counter with a sextet around the veterans Lukas Pöstlberger, Michael Gogl and Marco Haller. After his successful Tour de France, Austria’s new cycling star Felix Gall decided not to start at the World Championships because of the route. Felix Großschartner is hoping for a top position in the time trial, while Anna Kiesenhofer and Christina Schweinberger compete against the clock in the women’s race. The final street race on August 13 will take place without Olympic champion Kiesenhofer. Schweinberger and her twin sister Kathrin are considered the hottest domestic stocks because of the track.
Between medal bank and outsiders
The home squad around Felix Ritzinger and Tim Wafler will have a more difficult time in the Chris-Hoy-Bahnstadion. Their main focus is on reaching the finals in the Omnium and Madison, which will position them for Olympic qualification. On the other hand, series world champions Patrick Schnetzer and Stefan Feurstein are a sure bet on the podium. The red-white-red para squad and the art bike team also have good prospects.
In addition to the decisions mentioned above, medals will also be awarded in BMX, trials, mountain bike marathons and e-biking at the Mega World Championships in Scotland. In any case, the spectacle in and around Glasgow should be a crowd puller. The organizers expect up to a million fans in the two weeks. Glasgow is also seen as an acid test for Union Cyclist Internationale (UCI) plans. Because the world association UCI wants to hold a joint world championship every four years in the future at one date and location.
