Pejo Therme/Italy. In a time of one hour and thirty six minutes, Marco Aurelio Fontana rode to a start-to-finish victory on a wet course to take his third consecutive Italian XCO title in Pejo Therme this weekend. It was Fontana’s eighth Italian title, spread over different disciplines and categories.
"I pulled away right from the start as I wanted to put myself in the safe front position on this tough course with steep climbs and technical downhills. In the last couple of laps it became more and more slippery due to the rain, but my gap to second grew lap by lap. I wanted the jersey badly and I want to bring it to the World Cup podium. The title was a big goal in my season’s planning and my legs are great for the upcoming round of World Cups and International Championships in August and September," Fontana said while donning the new jersey after the race.
Martin Gujan raced the Swiss Nationals in Plaffeien, Switzerland against the creme de la creme of mountainbiking. He did not have his best day in the muddy conditions and finished seventh. "My legs were good, but somehow it did not work out today. I am looking forward to the next races and try to forget the Nationals as soon as possible," Gujan said.
Both Fontana and Gujan chose their Flash 26 for the National Championships.
