The best XCO in the world comes to Capoliveri this Saturday

Nino Schurter will race his first XCO event of the season this Saturday. After the Cape Epic, the Swiss has chosen the Capoliveri Legend to make his debut in his specialty. The race takes place on a 4.2 km course on the Italian island of Elba and is UCI Hors Categorie.

Capoliveri Legend XCO 2023

The Capoliveri Legend XCO is the second stop of the Internazionali d'Italia Series XCO 2023, a competition made up of five races that started in March in San Zeno di Montagna and will end the second week of July in Chies d'Alpago.

The Capoliveri Legend circuit has a total of 4.2 kilometers and 160 meters of elevation gain in which several technical areas stand out, as well as rocky passages, parabolic curves and the Coda del Diavolo descent. Although the course does not present a monstrous difficulty, the main challenge is the continual demand that the runners have to face, with many changes of gradient that hardly allow to catch one's breath.

One of the most important novelties this year is that the race will have the Hors Category, that is, the highest UCI category. The Capoliveri Legend is gaining importance in the XCO calendar, so more and more world-class riders decide to participate. The last two winners, Henrique Avancini and Luca Braidot are two good examples of this.

Beyond the race and as usual, Italy will offer us a visual spectacle with images worthy of a travel guide. In this case the terraces of the old iron mines of Vallone Alto, the Mediterranean vegetation and the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea will be the protagonists.

Times and how to watch the Capoliveri Legend XCO 2023

After the riders dedicate Friday, April 7 to training and a first contact with the circuit, Saturday will be the turn of the races.

Saturday, April 8th

• 9:00 - UCI Junior Men's Race
• 11:00 - UCI Open Women's and UCI Junior Women's Race
• 14:30 - UCI Open Men's Race

Where to watch the Capoliveri Legend XCO 2023

The Internazionali d'Italia Series will upload a summary of the race to its Youtube channel.

Favourites for the victory in the Capoliveri Legend XCO 2023

After a few days ago when they competed hand in hand at the Cape Epic - where they held the yellow jersey for several days and finished third overall - Schurter and Frischknecht (SCOTT SRAM) will also be in Capoliveri and there is no doubt that the 10-time world champion will start as the big favorite for the victory.

But the men's race has other big names of the best XCO and for sure Schurter will have to fight for the victory with riders like the Italians Luca Braidot (Santa Cruz RockShox) and Simone Avondetto (Wilier Pirelli) or the French riders Jordan Sarrou Titouan Carod (BMC MTB Racing).

In the women's race, the names of the Danish Caroline Bohe (Ghost Factory Racing), the Italian Martina Berta (Santa Cruz RockShox) or the Swiss Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing) and Linda Indergand (Liv Factory) stand out. Another of the participants called to do well is Nicole Koller, also Swiss, who has started the year with several podiums, such as the one achieved in the Shimano Supercup Massi in Banyoles.