in Val D’Isere The Alpine resort of Val D’Isere hosted the second round of the Trial World Cup in the elite category on July 28.
The WildWolf Pilot he came to it ready to improve on his second place obtained in the initial test of Aalter in Belgium, after his triumph in the European Championships After last week and without time to rest, Abel faced the race with optimism, as the improvement of the injury is evident and now the only thing he needs is to get back into the rhythm of high competition.
The Friday in the semi-final What was to be expected has already become apparent. Abel, along with Benito Ros and Frenchman Vincent Hermance, tied for first place leaving the rest of the rivals quite far away, so the three of them would once again be the ones who will compete for the Triumph in Saturday’s final and superfinal.
The final started perfectly and Abel was leading the race until a mistake in the last section sent him to second place with Benito Ros hot on his heels.
Such is the There is no equality between these three pilots that the slightest failure of any one of them quickly alters the order, something that makes the public follow these duels with enthusiasm and enjoyment until the end, following with interest and applauding the evolutions of the three drivers in each area. Something that all lovers of this sport are deeply grateful for.
After the 12 zones of the final, Vincent led the race with 16 penalty points, followed by Abel with 23 and Benito was third with 27, fourth and further away, this time it was the Frenchman Marius Merger with 38 points.
Were The four zones of the Superfinal to try the impossible and here Abel and his Monty M5 gave it their all, penalizing only three points in these four zones that make up the superfinal and that as it could not be less they are of incredible difficulty, and even being the best of the superfinal, this was not enough to achieve victory, because with this new format the points of the final and superfinal are added, and Vincent knew how to manage the advantage, taking the win this time and consolidating his provisional lead in the World Cup, although let’s remember that there are still three tests left and nothing has been decided.
Abel Mustieles: “I’ve rarely done a second place and I’ve come home happy. I’m happy with the good feelings I had throughout the weekend, especially the superfinal, where I hadn’t enjoyed the competition like this for days. The mistake was in the final, with one or two to go. Maybe we should start training the hardest part, the head. It’s where the failures come from most often. I want to thank my whole team for being there with me, or watching from home. Also thank the organization for such a well organized event, it was really nice.”
The next event will be the third round of the World Cup in Antwerp (Belgium) from August 17 to 19.
UCI WORLD CUP TRIALS 2/5 – VAL D’ISERE (FRANCE)
Final standings:
1st Vincent Hermance FR 22 points 16 +6
2nd Abel Mustieles ESP (Monty M5) 26 points 23+3
3rd Benito Ros ESP 31 points 27+4
4th Marius Merger FR 55 points 38+17
