Press Release 28/05/2014

Merida Italia Team, Mattia Setti is in World Cup top30

Nove Mesto Na Morave, small town of the Czech Republic, has hosted the third round of UCI XCO World Cup.

The Team had at the start of the Juniores race Alessandro Naspi, who has honored the national Italian Jersey, to his second convening of the season. He caught a 22th final place but above all a lot of experience, the Czech track is not one of those that could be understood by only a few test rides. The National's Team Coach Hubi Pallhuber was anyway satisfied by Alessandro's performance, and has confirmed him for the next races.

With the support of the mechanical Gian Luigi Prevedini and Francesco Niccoli, and with the conduction of the DS Domingo Copelli, the other athletes of the team have departed on Thursday (except for Stefano Valdrighi, not yet at his best after the bad crash of Montichiari), preparing the race from the chalet of Vojtěchov.

The heavy downpours on Friday and Saturday afternoon have scared all the riders, but luckily the track was not one of those which suffer these situations. Sunday morning was the time of Under23 race and the Team had at the start Lorenzo Samparisi, Gioele Bertolini, and Mattia Setti, everyone started with high race numbers and have suffered a big mess during the launch lap .

The race was long, and required great work from the bikers. Mattia had a good shape and runs well throughout the race, finishing 29th. Gioele recovered many positions without making any mistakes and his grit (nice to see on the track) gives him the 31th final place.

Lorenzo has made a little fault and had a flat tire in the middle of the race, although it has taken the soul to try to recover at the end closed 60th.

About one o'clock pm was the time of the Elite Men, the pine forest gradually was literally filled by the crowds, and at the start shot rooting it has transformed into a football stadium . It was real show.

Was nice to be there to see the emotions of the Italian "Tibi" (Andrea Tiberi), so true and so beautiful. Coming to the athletes of Merida Italia Team, the Estonian Champion Martin Loo has made a different race, one that not everyone see , that kind of race that requires an extra dose of humility. It takes a profound serenity and a strong consciousness to give it all , knowing that you don't do it for an important result but only to grow.

A little air leak forces him to stop at the technical zone, a little over a minute which cost him a few places , but at the end the 43th place is fine for an athlete who is recovering from the shoulder surgery of only a month and a half ago.

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