UCI Mountain Bike World Series LIVE – Cross-country Olympic World Cup – Men’s elite from Val di Sole

15:24 – The gap is getting bigger

Schurter, searching for his 35th World Cup win, is now a mighty 24 seconds ahead of Hatherly.

15:22 – Schurter showing no signs of slowing

He’s continuing to attack and is making impressive speed uphill in a bid to create further distance ahead of Hatherly.

15:20 – Make that 11 seconds!

Schurter has put some distance between himself and Hatherly. Wow, what pace.

15:19 – Schurter makes another move

Schurter has a slight advantage over Hatherly now, three seconds ahead of his rival.

15:18 – Fluckiger into third

Actually, Fluckiger is in third now, Schwarzbauer dropping to fourth.

15:17 – Schwarzbauer out of contention?

Schwarzbauer remains third but has slipped 27 seconds behind the leading pack. He has a lot of work to do.

15:15 – Into lap four!

Can’t take your eyes off this one.

15:11 – The top-four race intensifies

The race for the top-four heats up as Fluckiger climbs into fourth and has Schwarzbauer in his sights now, just six seconds behind his rival.

15:09 – Two-horse race

Almost 40 minutes into racing and at this stage it looks like it’s a two-horse race between Hatherly and Schurter.

15:06 – Sarrou climbing the ranks

Sarrou has moved into fourth, 15 seconds behind Schwarzbauer. Gaze has dropped to seventh.

15:03 – Further back…

Third-placed Schwarzbauer is 18 seconds behind the leader but 11 seconds ahead of fourth-placed Gaze.

15:00 – Into lap three!

Four laps to go.

14:59 – Hatherly into the lead!

Hatherly has overtaken Schurter! And the pair are relentless in their ambition to outdo each other, building a lead of 17 seconds over the chasing pack.

14:57 – Bigger gaps appearing

Hatherly has been able to hold onto the coattail of Schurter, but Gaze and Schwarzbauer are now in the chasing pack, 13 seconds behind the leaders.

14:54 – Schurter on the attack

Schurter is pushing ahead on his own and now has a five-second lead over his rivals.

14:52 – Schwarzbauer biding his time

Normally we see Schwarzbauer in command at this stage of the race but he’s currently third, behind Gaze and Schurter.

14:50 – Enter lap two!

The lead group remains strong. They have increased their lead over the chase group to 17 seconds.

14:46 – Chasing pack adrift

Schwarzbauer has nosed his way into the front of the pack. The lead group are already 14 seconds ahead of the chase group, which includes Blums and Sarrou.

14:44 – Taking the initiative

The lead group is Schurter, Gaze, Hatherly and Schwarzbauer. There is barely anything to separate them.

14:42 – Schurter leads the way

Schurter is one of the best descenders in the game and he’s in control as he negotiates the narrow, sandy paths in Val di Sole.

14:41 – The early order

1. Schurter; 2. Gaze; 3. Schwarzbauer; 4. Hatherly; 5. Sarrou

14:39 – Blistering pace

A blistering pace has been set early in this race. Some of the sport’s biggest names are battling it out for the early initiative.

14:37 – Schurter takes the lead

Nino Schurter has overtaken Schwarzbauer.

14:35 – Bad start for Carod

Involved in the collision was French champion Titouan Carod, who now finds himself at the back of the pack.

14:33 – Hectic start

There was a crash involving a number of riders at the beginning of the race. Thankfully no one has been hurt and everyone was able to continue.

14:31 – Our early leader…

Luca Schwarzbauer edges in front as the race starts with a great pace!

14:30 – The excitement begins!

Racing starts at the men’s elite Cross-country Olympic World Cup from Val di Sole, Trentino.

14:20 – What happened on Friday?

On Friday, runaway leader Luca Schwarzbauer continued his dominance in the UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup.

Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV) put in a masterclass under the rain on the famously demanding Italian course.

14:10 – What is the cross-country Olympic discipline?

The cross-country Olympic discipline is a mass start race over a set amount of laps, testing riders climbing and descending prowess.

14:05 – What happened yesterday?

On Saturday, Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) won his first elite UCI Downhill World Cup after a thrilling and unpredictable race.

14:00 – WELCOME

Hello and welcome to our LIVE text coverage of Sunday’s UCI Cross-Country Olympic World Cup event at Val di Sole.

After the women’s elite race, we can now look forward to the men’s event.

Just a reminder that this is the final race before we stop for a break for the World Championships in Scotland.

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