Setback for Thömus maxon in Val di Sole
After strong performances at the last World Cup in Leogang, Thömus maxon suffered a setback at the Cross-Country World Cup in Val di Sole (Ita). A crash, mixed starts, not the best legs and a bit of bad luck prevented top results – in the end, the team fell short of expectations.
Alessandra Keller was on course for a result in the top 10 for a long time, fighting for seventh place before crashing on the penultimate lap. Despite severe pain in her thigh and a stop in the tech zone, she fought her way to the finish. However, a good result was out of reach; she ended up in 32nd place.
Men’s trio with difficulties at the start
The day was also anything but ideal for the men. Lars Forster, Mathias Flückiger and Vital Albin did not get off to a good start and were stuck in the dense field – valuable time and positions were lost early on.
Lars Forster was able to work his way forward and was back in the fight for the top 10 at times. But the two-time European champion had to drop back again towards the end of the race. Mathias Flückiger struggled with the form of the day and only found his rhythm towards the middle of the race. Vital Albin also did not have the best day. In the end, the trio finished 17th (Forster), 18th (Flückiger) and 28th (Albin).
Ralph Näf: «A damper»
«After the successes in Leogang, this is naturally a damper for us,» sums up team boss Ralph Näf. «But it also shows how brutally high the pace is in these competitions and how close together everything is. It takes the perfect day to be able to fight at the front.»