Goals take time for fulfillment, this statement stands true for Nino Schurter (Scott SRAM) as he finally bagged his 33rd World Cup Win in Petropolis, Brazil. This has been a long-time goal of Nino Schurter, as he was planning this since 2019, it took him 3 years to finally achieve it, well, we also have a pandemic to blame that shortened the 2020 season.
In order to achieve this wondrous win, Schurter had to go against Maxime Marotte (Santa Cruz FSA), but he still did it. Schurter also shared the podium with Vlad Dascalu (Trek Factory) who finished in the third position.
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It could be easily deduced that the technical Petropolis trail course was easy enough for Schurter, his bike handling skills were on par with the requirement. At the start of the race, it seemed almost impossible that Schurter will be able to achieve this landmark victory or catch his long-term french rival, in the end, he was able to do all of that.
During the race, Ondrej Cink (Kross Orlen) had the lead at a very fast pace. On his tail were Schurter and Henrique Avancini (Cannondale Factory). The race took a heavy toll on Cink as he lost his momentum on the third lap, in the end, the lead group contained Schurter, Dascalu, Marotte, Avancini, and Alan Hatherly.
During the last lap of the race. Schurter was in charge but he could not shake the aggressive riders that were on his pursuit. In the end, it was a raw duel between Schurter and Marotte, but Schurter was able to conquer this challenge with minimal problems.
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After finishing the event and getting his well-deserved win, Schurter was overwhelmed with joy and filled with tears of happiness. Schurter told the interviewers:
It took me three years to get this World Cup victory. To do it in front of such a nice crowd and in such a tight battle with Maxime … I almost lost again in the last meters, but I didn’t give up. It’s a sweet one, yeah.
This was one of my last big goals, to catch up with Julien in World Cup wins, and now we have both 33, and that’s quite nice. I think to do it now, after the last two years, it is good for the sport and on this new track in Brazil is awesome.
For sure I had doubts sometimes – I’m not getting younger – so it’s nice that I can still win races at my age.
This was a historic day in Nino Schurter’s life, he deserves all the happiness and glory. We cannot wait to see him in action again.
Featured Image Via YouTube/Bike é Legal