THIRD PLACE OVERALL FOR LUCA BRAIDOT IN THE 2022 XCO WORLD CUP

The Italian rider with the Santa Cruz – FSA team managed to secure a spot on the podium in the last round of the World Cup in Val di Sole, finishing third in the overall standings for the season.

The Val di Sole ski resort in Italy hosted the last date of the 2022 MTB World Cup with favourable conditions for the sport and where Galfer Bike representatives rounded off the international season.

In the Cross-Country discipline, in the Men Elite category, Luca Braidot (Santa Cruz – FSA) once again put in a great performance, taking 3^rd place in Friday’s Short Track and 5^th place in Sunday’s race following stiff competition from his rivals. This is Luca’s fifth consecutive podium and he ends the season in an excellent third place in the final standings. Braidot races with a Santa Cruz Blur CC bike equipped with Galfer brake components, specifically the 160 mm (98 g) DB102WCL discs together with the semi-metallic Advanced G1851 pads in red.

In the same category, Frenchman Victor Koretzky (KTM Factory MTB Team) took his first podium of the season, finishing 4^th in XCO and 8^th in XCC.

In the Women Elite category, Martina Berta (Santa Cruz – FSA) ended the season on a high note, with a double Top Ten in Val di Sole: 6^th in the Short Track and 8^th in Sunday’s race. Among the other Galfer Bike representatives, Danish rider Malene Degn (KMC-Orbea) demonstrated remarkable regularity, coming in 13^th and 14^th positions, respectively.

In the Women Under 23 category, Italy’s Sara Cortinovis (Santa Cruz – FSA) achieved a well-deserved 6^th position in the last race of the World Cup, allowing her to finish the season in third place in the overall standings. Meanwhile, Portugal’s Raquel Queirós (MMR Factory Team) finished 11^th.

The Downhill discipline featured excellent performances by Colombia’s Sebastián Holguin (IJ Racing), 8^th in Men Junior; Belgium’s Siel Van der Velden (Commencal Vee), 12^th in Women Elite; and Matteo Iniguez (Commencal Vee), 14^th in Men Elite, all of them using the “Disc Shark®” brake discs launched by Galfer in 2022.