DISERA THIRD AT ALBSTRADT XCO WORLD CUP

Canadian national champion Peter Disera (Norco Factory) finished third on Saturday in the Under-23 Men’s World Cup in Albstadt, Germany.  It is Disera’s first Under-23 world Cup podium.  Nadir Colledani (Torpado Gabogas) won, with Georg Egger of Germany taking second.

Round 1 winner Petter Fagerhaug (Team Norway) continues to lead the overall standings with 112 points despite flatting with a lap to go and finishing 10th.  Disera moves up to sixth in the standings from eighth, only 3 points out of the top-5.

Disera rode with the leaders from the start, and was away in the lead briefly on his own on the second lap.

“I didn’t really attack,” explained Disera, “but then people were telling me that I had 12 seconds.  So I rode my own pace, because this is a hard course and, sure enough, they came back to me and we had a group of six.”

After Colledani and Egger attacked, dropping the rest of the leaders, Disera set a hard tempo, whittling his competition down to one rider, Gioele Bertolini of Italy.

“On that last lap I just smashed every little pitch I could and wore down Bertolini who was with me until I got a gap.  Then I messed up the last corner so we had a sprint finish, but I had a bit more of a kick.  I think this result fits my trajectory and where I want to be in three or four years.  The Olympics is on the horizon and I have more self belief now.”

In other Canadian results, Marc Andre Fortier (Team Canada) was 90th, Sean Fincham (Team Canada) 123rd after crashing on the opening loop and Anthony Audet (Independent) 137th.