After an exciting couple of days of Junior & U23 racing, and a silver (Evie Richards) and bronze (Grant Ferguson) for GB, this Saturdays sees the best senior elite riders slug it out in Andorra, Spain
The course looks like fun rather than super technical or super steep. Mind you it's at 2000m altitude ... so all riders will be rinsing their cardio vascular system to provide their best performance of the year. So "fun" isn't what will be in the racers mind when they try to find an extra lung.
Course preview video.
The weather was bad (cold, foggy & wet) for the U23 category riders, but the forecast seems ok for Saturday. It'll be greasy from the previous days rain though.
In both male & female races it's difficult to pick the winners.
The women's race will see current World Champion Catherine Pendrel try to defend her title against in form World Cup winner Jolanda Neff. Current World road & cycle cross champion (yep!) Pauline Prevot is the all round class act in women's cycling & is definitely one to watch. The old guard of Gunn Rita Dahle & Sabine Spitz will also factor.
Just for fun, we reckon it'll be 1. Prevot, 2 Neff & 3. Dahle.
Watch the women's at:
Nino Schurter has peaked in recent races, winning the recent World cup races & the overall series. He is the favourite for sure. However Kulhavy could do well & he obviously peaks for the big occasion, if he gets a good start his head will be in the right place to turn the screw. Absalon will factor, as he has done all year. Expect Fumic,