Team BMC heads back to World Cup Val di Sole with high morale

Everyone in Team BMC is looking forward to the fourth World Cup of the season, which will take place this year in Val di Sole. The team travels with good memories from the race on Italian soil and confidence from recent performances in the Alps.

First and foremost ready for the World Cup is Maxime l’Homme. After suffering from a competitor’s mistake in the Short Race in Nové Mesto, and facing the consequences during the XCO race later that weekend, the French U23 cyclist won the second leg of the ÖKK Bike Revolution Series in Engelberg two weekends ago.

L’Homme was ‘really happy about the win,’ stating: “This was my first win at the HC level. It was surely a boost of confidence for Val di Sole. Over the last two weeks, I have been back home to work on my endurance, by doing many long rides, just to get into my best shape for the big block of World Cups coming up now.”

Also, Janis Baumann ended up on the podium in Engelberg. He says that podiuming in Engelberg was good for his mind and morale. “This was an important step in the progress this season.”

Titouan Carod and Jordan Sarrou travel to the Italian Alps with high morale. The former performed well in the Coupe de France last weekend, winning the XCC and the XCO race. He says ahead of the next World Cup: “This was great to get in the race mode again. I’m happy with the performance and I’m looking to the World Cup in Val di Sole next weekend”

Sarrou has good memories from Val di Sole. It was here, last year, when the French former world champion was racing in the World Cup Series leader’s jersey for the first time in his life. With a flight ticket for Paris next month in his pocket, he is looking forward to racing in Val di Sole. 

For Juri Zanotti, racing in Val di Sole is always special. It is the only World Cup in Italy, so friends, family, and fans will gather around him, pushing him verbally to – hopefully – greater heights.

Steffi Häberlin will not join the team in Val di Sole. With Team BMC’s technical team, it was decided to have a different approach towards the most important World Cup of the season, in two weeks in Crans Montana, also considered BMC’s home World Cup. Instead, Häberlin will compete with the Swiss national team on the road, in the Tour de Suisse.

“Steffi’s main goals are the World Cups in Les Gets and Crans Montana. We chose this different training approach to have her at the start line in the best possible shape to perform better in these two important World Cups with the team”, says team manager Amaël Moinard.