Another standout day for the Wilier-Vittoria MTB Factory Team in the XCM World Cup. The Italian team, which had won the opening stage in Nove Mesto with Fabian Rabensteiner, maintained its high level of performance in the second round in Mègeve, Haute-Savoie, France. On the 100 km course at the foot of Mont Blanc, Samuele Porro finished in 3rd place, Rabensteiner in 5th, and Daniel Geismayr in 7th, making for a strong Wilier-Vittoria presence at the top.
The race was won by Colombian Hector Paez, with Porro finishing 2 minutes and 52 seconds behind, Rabensteiner 7 minutes and 17 seconds behind, and Geismayr 12 minutes and 19 seconds behind, in a race that proved to be very selective as expected. With one race remaining in the UCI MTB World Series, Wilier-Vittoria has plenty to smile about, as Rabensteiner continues to lead the overall standings (390 points) and Porro is in 3rd place (320 points), thanks to his double third-place finishes in the two races.
"I'm very happy with this podium finish," said Porro. "Right after the start, I lost a minute due to a flat tire, but luckily the wheel change was nearby. I struggled to get back in the race, yo-yoing a bit, then Paez and Andreas Seewald (who finished 2nd) managed to make a difference on the longest climb. In the end, I tried to catch up at my own pace but couldn't do better than 3rd place. Nevertheless, we are satisfied with today's results, and we are still leading the overall standings."
"In recent days, I haven't been feeling well, but today I finally felt good again," said Rabensteiner. "Considering the course wasn't particularly suited to my characteristics, I'm absolutely happy with this 5th place. I tried to make a difference on the downhill sections and then defend myself on the climbs, and overall, I think I did well. In September, in the United States, I'll try to defend the leader's jersey and bring home the World Cup again (I won it in 2023 as well)."
The XCM World Cup will return for its final event on September 29, with the race in Lake Placid, New York.
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