CANYON ATHLETES DOMINATE IN XCO AND XCC OVERALL WORLD CUP STANDINGS

As the UCI World Cup season comes to a close, we look back at the Canyon Lux World Cup’s most successful season ever. A season in which Canyon athletes proved the credentials of the bike by taking home an impressive nine World Cup wins, three overall titles and a World Championship win.

German powerhouse Luca Schwarzbauer had a brilliant year on the track as he finished first in the overall Short Track XCC standings and fourth in the XCO Cross Country with seven podium finishes across both disciplines for Canyon CLLCTV. The overall 2023 World Cup win makes the best season yet for the lightning fast 27 year old. After winning in the XCC races at Pal Arinsal in Andorra, Vale di Sole in Italy, and Lenzerheide in Switzerland, Luca knows how important it is to have the right bike to race and win at the pinnacle of XC.

“The Lux World Cup accelerates better than any other 100mm full suspension bike. It responds instantly and converts my power into speed, especially when you get out of the saddle. It's great,” says Luca. “The bike is also really stiff and direct, it literally wants to march forward. The good anti-squat properties of the bike help contribute to this speed and responsiveness.”

Incredibly winning the overall title in both the XCO and XCC Women’s category, the Netherlands’ Puck Pieterse put in leaderboard-smashing performance after leaderboard-smashing performance on her Lux World Cup this year. On her way to both titles Pieterse, who rides for Alpecin–Fenix, finished first in the XCC at Les Portes du Soleil in France and first in the XCO at Vale di Sole in Italy, Leogang in Austria, and Nove Mesto in Czechia. For Puck, the speed on the climbs and confidence on the downhills is what makes the Lux World Cup so special.

"The Lux World Cup feels so good to ride. I really like the full suspension, I've ridden it in every race this season, I like it that much," says Puck. "On the short track it gives me an extra bit of confidence on the descents. It's fast and smooth, especially when you're pushing your limits. It's also great on the uphills, particular in Nové Mesto and Lenzerheide where there are rocky and rooty climbs – it performed so well."

Making it a dominate Canyon display was Canyon CLLCTV rider Loana Lecomte who pushed Puck Pieterse all the way in the overall XCO standings, taking second placed and improving on her points tally from the previous year. XCO wins in Lenzerheide and Mont-Sainte-Anne showed off Loana’s title winning credentials, which she backed up by winning the French National Championship for the third year in a row and the Paris Test Event ahead of the Olympics next year. 2024 is shaping up to be another hugely competitive year where Loana and Puck will go head to head yet again.

Alpecin-Deceuninck's Sam Gaze peaked when it mattered most, claiming gold with a storming victory at the UCI World Championships XC Short Track, followed by a silver medal in the Olympic distance two days later. He was no stranger to the podium this year though with five further places, including four victories in French and Spanish domestic cups and second place at the XC World Cup round in Nove Mesto.

Thomas Griot and Line Burquier also represented Canyon CLLCTV on the World Cup circuit this year. Thomas’ best result came in Andorra where he proved that he’s got what it takes to challenge at the very top of the sport with a second placed finish in the XCO on his Lux World Cup. Five more Top 10 finishes made 2023 one of Thomas’ most successful years yet.

Line impressed in her first full year of racing World Cups in the Women’s Elite category. An 11^th placed finish at the World Cup XCO Lenzerheide was a highlight of the season for the 20 year old. 2024 is bound to be an exciting year for this determined and talented rider.

The magic of the Lux World Cup

All five Canyon CLLCTV riders opted for the Lux World Cup for the majority of their races this season. It’s a thoroughbred race bike that’s been designed specifically for winning world cups, and the bike more than demonstrated that this year. Performance on the biggest stage in the world demands the highest levels of efficiency possible as every drop of effort from the riders needs to be transferred to the trail.

The Lux World Cup’s pogo-cancelling, anti-squat capabilities and active, traction-boosting suspension play a huge role in meeting that demand and putting riders on the podium. The Lux World Cup has been finely tuned to be brutally performance-focused. Every unnecessary gram of weight is gone, , a carbon flex pivot has replaced a traditional pivot, and an ultra-light chain guide is used. All these decisions have been made with one goal: winning gold.

With the Lux World Cup helping Schwarzbaeur, Pieterse, Lecomte and Gaze to a big haul of race wins and overall titles, the bar has been set high. However, 2024 is already shaping up to be another outstanding year of racing. Stay tuned and follow the Canyon CLLCTV team on social media to find out when the Lux World Cup is in action next.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Luca Schwarzbauer 2023 World Cup victories:

• 25th August 2023, UCI World Cup XCC #5, Pal Arinsal

• 30th June 2023, UCI World Cup XCC #4, Val di Sole

• 9th June 2023, UCI World Cup XCC #2, Lenzerheide

• Overall XCC World Cup winner

Puck Pieterse 2023 World Cup victories:

• 8th September 2023, UCI World Cup XCC #6, Les Gets         

• 2nd July 2023, UCI World Cup XC #4, Val di Sole

• 18th June 2023, UCI World Cup XC #3, Leogang

• 14th May 2023, UCI World Cup XC #1, Nové Mesto

• Overall XCO and XCC World Cup winner

Loana Lecomte 2023 World Cup victories:

• 8th October 2023, UCI World Cup XC #8, Mont-Sainte-Anne

• 11th June 2023, UCI World Cup XC #2, Lenzerheide

Sam Gaze 2023 victories:

• 10th August 2023, UCI World Championships XCC, Glasgow

Photo usage:

• Puck Pieterse photos and bike shot - credit: Noam Meresse
• Sam Gaze: no unauthorised reproduction: Photo News/Will Matthews

• All other photos - credit: Canyon/Boris Beyer