Gilberto Simoni may race mountain bike world’s

Italian pro roadie Gilberto Simoni may ride the world mountain bike championships in Val di Sole, Italy, this year. The championships will be held between 17-22 June and for once they are taking place in Simoni’s home region of Trentino. But whether the two-time Tour of Italy winner fronts up for the men’s cross country race remains to be seen.

“Actually, at the moment it’s neither a dream nor a reality,” he said after testing the course recently. “Now I have to think about my next races, the Giro del Trentino and the Giro d’Italia. To participate in a world championship organised in the Trentino region, my area, is like a dream, but I want to be sure that it will be a good dream. I don’t want to come to Val di Sole just to put a race number on my jersey. On the contrary, I want to be the star and I want the race to finish like my dream!”

Simoni, together with Italian cross country rider Silvano Janes, rode around the course twice. The first to get a feel for it and the second at speed. Simoni’s gave his assessment afterwards:

“A nice technical course with some difficult sections ideal for making a selection. It’s definitely a championship course that will test riders’ abilities. Aggression will be critical.”