Team Thömus maxon celebrated a major highlight at the MTB World Cup opener in YongPyong, South Korea: U23 rider Nicolas Halter claimed his first XCO World Cup victory in the U23 category. In the Elite men’s race, however, things did not go entirely to plan. Mathias Flückiger finished 15th as the best-placed rider of the Thömus maxon trio.
The conditions in YongPyong proved exceptionally demanding. After overnight rain and cool temperatures, large sections of the course were barely rideable and required maximum technical skill from the athletes. Following a strong fourth place in the Short Track, Halter delivered an impressive performance in the cross-country race and moved into the lead early on. With technically flawless riding and remarkable composure, he secured a commanding victory with a significant margin.
Young talent development pays off
Halter had travelled to South Korea as a guest rider with Team Thömus maxon. His success underlines the importance and quality of the collaboration between Thömus maxon and the Thömus Akros Youngstars development team. The targeted support of young talent is already bearing impressive fruit.
For the team’s Elite riders, however, the race did not unfold as hoped. Mathias Flückiger finished 15th, Lars Forster 17th, while Vital Albin had to settle for 50th place. Team manager Ralph Näf analysed the race as follows: “The start was not satisfactory for any of our three riders. After the first descent, all three were already 40 seconds or more behind. From that point on, it was no longer possible to make up the lost ground. In addition, they had not been able to train in these conditions. Only Ralph had ridden once in the rain. That proved to be too much of a handicap. Now we need to analyse the race and shift our focus forward.”
Despite the mixed results in the Elite category, Nicolas Halter’s dominant victory sends a strong and promising signal for the remainder of the season.