Outstanding U23 victory for Nicolas Halter at the World Cup opener
At the MTB World Cup opener in Yongpyong, South Korea, the youngstar of the team delivered a standout performance: U23 rider Nicolas Halter won his first XCO World Cup race in the U23 category in dominant fashion. Things didn’t go quite as planned for the Elite Men. Mathias Flückiger was the best of the Thömus maxon trio, finishing in 15th place.
The conditions in Yongpyong were extremely challenging: following overnight rain and cool temperatures, large sections of the course were barely rideable, forcing riders to tackle many sections on foot. After a strong 4th-place finish in the short track, Nicolas Halter delivered an impressive performance in the cross-country race and took the lead early on. With superior riding skills and a technically flawless performance, Halter won convincingly by a wide margin.
Successful collaboration with the devo team
Halter had traveled to South Korea as a guest rider with Team Thömus maxon. His success underscores the importance and quality of the collaboration between Thömus maxon and the U23 team Thömus Akros Youngstars. The targeted development of young talent within these structures is bearing fruit.
For the team’s elite riders, however, the race did not go as planned. Mathias Flückiger finished 15th, Lars Forster came in 17th, while Vital Albin had to settle for 50th place. Team manager Ralph Näf analyzed the race as follows: «The climb at the start was decisive today. All three got off to a very poor start and were already 40 seconds or more behind after the first descent. That gap couldn’t be made up. On top of that, none of the three were having a good day. In these conditions, where we were walking more than riding, that was too big a handicap. Now it’s time to analyze and look ahead.»
Despite the mixed results in the elite category, Nicolas Halter’s dominant victory sends a strong signal at the start of the season.