Nino Schurter draws first blood on his prototype 650b from Scott. South African Burry Stander takes 2nd in his home country. 2011 Champ Kulhavy falls to a disappointing 5th. Only former World Champion Julien Absalon stayed in the top 10 with 26" wheels.
http://bicycling.com/blogs/thestraightdirt/2012/03/20/nino-schurter-wins...
Is he running gumwall tubulars on 650b carbon rims?... that's got a be a difficult setup for the weekend warrior to get their hands on.
I also find it funny that a ton of those WC racers are committing the "faux pas" of putting barends on a wide bar..
Here is an interview with Nino about his bike. He was a very strong racer last year too.
http://www.i-mtb.com/nino-schurter-interview-and-650b/
I have found that many of the WC racers are very conservative with what they try after getting some success at the highest level. On a much lower level, I can relate. They have a very sensitive feel for their bike's handling and it would take a knock over the head (like Kulhavy's dominating season last year) for them to change. Yep, those are tubulars, which would be interesting to try but I've never gotten a straight answer as to why they're so ugly. I think bar ends are silly too.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/uci-world-cup-xco-2-xce-1-2012/elite-me...
Jaroslav Kulhavy has a strong race in his home country, but not strong enough to hold off this year's top racer, Nino Schurter.
The men's field from the U.S. is off-peak at a crucial time, with only Sam Schulz looking strong enough these days to qualify for an Olympic bid.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/uci-world-cup-xco-3-xce-2-2012/elite-me...