Video of Martin Vidaurre's impossible save in Nové Město

Martin Vidaurre arrived in Nové Město under the pressure of leading the Specialized Factory Racing team in the men's events. The absences of Victor Koretzky and Chris Blevins left him as the team's main reference, and the Chilean responded with a weekend of enormous solidity. Two fourth places, both in the XCC and XCO, confirmed him among the most consistent riders in the World Cup, although this time his performance also left one of the saves of the year.

Martin Vidaurre signs the save of the year, for now, in the rock garden of Nové Město

While Tom Pidcock and Luca Martin were leading in the XCO event, the battle for the third podium spot turned into a total showdown between the SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing Team riders and Vidaurre himself. The Chilean found himself surrounded by Fabio Püntener, Filippo Colombo, and Bjorn Riley in one of the most tense moments of the race, with constant changes of pace and very little margin for error.

Vidaurre managed to stay in the fight, handling the pressure well and once again showing the consistency he has been demonstrating since last season. But in the midst of the chase came the moment that could have ended in disaster.

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At the entrance of the legendary rock garden of Nové Město, probably the most dangerous and technical section of the entire circuit, Vidaurre entered at high speed when one of his feet slipped off the pedal. What happened next is difficult to explain even when watching the replay. For a few moments, everything pointed to a hard fall among the rocks, but the Chilean managed to regain control in an almost miraculous way.

 

 

 

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Moreover, he barely lost positions after the scare. In an area where any mistake usually ends up out of the race, Vidaurre emerged unscathed and kept his chances of fighting for the podium intact until the end.

The Chilean closed the weekend with another fourth place and also once again took home the award for the most voted rider by the public for the second consecutive weekend.