At the Ötztal Mountain Bike Festival, athletes from over 15 nations compete in individual categories for rankings and UCI points. Linda Indergand of the Liv Factory Racing team secured a third-place finish in the UCI Elite Women XCO against a strong field of competitors. The Haiming race is an HC event, the highest ranking below World Cup; it is one of the last chances for early season race practice before the start of the World Cup season.
Linda Indergand finished the course just 1:06 minutes behind the leader aboard her Pique Advanced Pro 29 0. "I had a good start, around 7th or 8th place in position for the first singletrack section. I kept some space between myself and the rider in front of me because I knew that there would be some trouble and difficulty on this rooty uphill section."
Indergand recaps excitingly - "I then found myself in 3rd place after the start lap, and from here, I just tried to race my own race and keep a sustainable pace. I kept Jolanda (2nd) in sight for most of the race. With only two laps to go, Mona caught me from behind, but I worked really hard to stay in front of her."
