Nino Schurter has only one goal in mind as he approaches this weekend’s World Cup round in Lenzerheide: victory. If he wins on his home soil on Sunday, Graubünden will be the only record holder for the number of victories at this level.
“It would be a dream to break this record in Lenzerheide“, says the 2016 Olympic cross country champion, who equaled his former rival Julien Absalon by triumphing at the start of the season in Petropolis in Brazil. His next success would be his 34th.
The 36-year-old Grison celebrated two of his 33 World Cup victories in Lenzerheide (2016 and 2017). And it was in this same station that he won the 7th of his 9 world champion titles in 2018. Overall leader with some 200 points ahead of his first pursuer Vlad Dascalu, he can also take an option on a 9th World Cup title.
Flückiger is gaining momentum
The Lenzerheide event will also be run in the absence of two strong men, Olympic champion Thomas Pidcock and Mathieu van der Poel, engaged in the Tour de France. Winner of the 2021/22 World Cup, Mathias Flückiger will, however, be there. Olympic vice-champion in Tokyo, the Bernese has been gaining momentum for a few weeks.
ats/adav