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We Went To Leogang MTB World Series

2023 sees OTE Sports partner with two of the world’s best cross country MTB teams. Trek Factory Racing XC can boast a rider roster of ex World Champions, Continental champions, National Champions and the current Olympic Champion. Cannondale Factory Racing similarly have a world class line up stacked with young talents who are already knocking on the door of huge success. Leogang was the third round of the MTB World Series and our first opportunity to meet the teams.

We arrived in Austria on Wednesday lunchtime. Not the easiest place to get to from Manchester but once you set eyes on the stunning mountains, it makes the early start and two plane journeys worthwhile. Leogang BikePark is located 70km south west of Salzburg. After a hire car upgrade and jaw dropping drive into the mountains, we arrived at a sleepy event village. The great thing about the MTB World Series races is that the teams arrive with their huge pit set ups from Tuesday, but race days for the elites are Friday night and Sunday afternoon. So there’s plenty of down time before the racing to settle in the environment; which gave us lots of opportunity to meet the riders and staff. It made for a very relaxed environment.

We Went To Leogang MTB World Series — OTE Sports

That first evening we were straight away invited to have dinner with the full Cannondale Factory Racing team. The team has its own travelling chef and kitchen van, where lunch and evening meals are prepared everyday for the riders and staff. This is very much tailored to riders specific needs. And can we just add; it was delicious! We had a chicken stew on pasta and a glass of red wine whilst chatting all things MTB with the team. And quite frankly we couldn’t have asked for a better start to the trip.

We Went To Leogang MTB World Series — OTE Sports
We Went To Leogang MTB World Series — OTE Sports
We Went To Leogang MTB World Series — OTE Sports
We Went To Leogang MTB World Series — OTE Sports

Thursday was our day with Trek Factory Racing XC team, and it consisted of elite course practise and then U23 short track racing. We were greeted with huge smiles and a coffee in hand from the Rocket Espresso coffee station. Riders spun to the pit from the nearby hotel, had a chat with us and then readied themselves for course practise. They grabbed a bottle and added a Hydro Tab (Pineapple being a firm favourite!), some even grabbed an Anytime Bar for the back pocket, and then headed out to look at the course.

Course practise is an important part of preparation for a MTB race. The riders take the time to break down all the elements of the course, particularly focusing on the technical aspects. It wouldn’t be out of place to see riders off their bikes and walking the track to really find the smoothest, fastest lines. Another area to sus out is where the best feeding points are. Where is it going to be feasible to grab a drink or take a gel when travelling at race pace? Leogang was a very hilly course with little to no flat. Each lap was 3.6km with 168m of elevation, and with the elite men expected to do 7 laps; it was going to be a seriously tough come race day.

Thursday evening was U23 Short Track time. Short track is relatively new concept introduced to MTB world series racing. And to be honest we love it! It’s as it sounds; a shorter race in distance and time on a different more compact course. One of the main aims of this race is to decide the gridding positions for Sunday’s main XCO event. It’s fast and furious from the start and lasts around 20 minutes. What we love is that it gives different riders an opportunity to shine, and with laps only around 3-4 minutes its super spectator friendly. Trek Factory Racing have two U23 riders in Madigan Munro and Riley Amos, both from the USA. Both had awesome rides, in particular Riley who came 2nd, securing our first OTE fuelled podium of the week!

We Went To Leogang MTB World Series — OTE Sports
We Went To Leogang MTB World Series — OTE Sports
We Went To Leogang MTB World Series — OTE Sports
We Went To Leogang MTB World Series — OTE Sports

Friday was our day with Cannondale Factory Racing, with all eyes on the evenings Elite Short Track racing. The Cannondale set up was shiny, sleek and minimalist; check out our recent YouTube video to get the vibe by clicking here. The riders arrived at the pits three hours before the race to have their pre race meal of chicken and rice; they then took to the athlete chill out room to get in the zone for the upcoming race. First up was hometown hero Mona Mitterwallner. At only 21, Mona has already moved up to the elite ranking early but you better believe she can hold her own. The Austrian National Champion was seriously pumped for the evening’s race. However, just as warm up started, the heavens opened. Quick reactions from all the staff meant that equipment was changed in the blink of an eye. New tyres, different pressure all to help give Mona more grip for the now slicker conditions. And it all paid off, Mona came home in 7th position and more importantly secured a front row griding for Sunday’s main race. Also shout out to Evie Richards from Trek XC who came home in 3rd! Another OTE Fuelled podium!

VIDEO: BTS WITH CFR

Next up was the turn of the elite men, and Cannondale’s super strong trio of Alan Hatherly, Simon Andreassen & European Champion Charlie Aldridge. Watching the guys warm up, you could sense the excitement and see they were ready to leave it all out there. And that they did; often riding all together in a train, the lads finished P5, P7 & P12; securing two front row starts and one second row for Sunday. The whole team was on a high that Friday night. It was very much job done and after a lot of hugs and a recovery shake, it was time to get back to the hotel and refocus for Saturday course practise and Sunday XCO race day.

We Went To Leogang MTB World Series — OTE Sports

Saturday morning was sadly our last day waking up to the Austrian sun and mountains. One last stop at course on the way to the airport meant we could spend a bit more time with the riders and check out some final course practise. We chatted product feedback with Jolanda Neff before grabbing a few photos; and then sadly it was time to catch our flight.

We were sad to not be at Sunday’s main race in person as there was  so many stand out performances. Trek placed 3 of their elites riders in the top 10 and Cannondale grabbed two more OTE Fuelled podiums for the weeks tally with Mona coming an incredible 2nd and Alan holding strong in a hot attritional race to grab 4th.

What an incredible few days immersed in the MTB world and seeing our products being used at the highest level. You better believe we’ll be heading out to more events this year and can’t wait to bring you all the action. Until then, keep it OTE Fuelled.

We Went To Leogang MTB World Series — OTE Sports

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