Just a week ago, Sverre Van Lee had welcomed his 25th place among the Under 23s at his World Cup debut with a smile; but, if his first appearance in the top international circuit was good, his second was exceptional. The eighteen-year-old Belgian (in Maxime Schmid's photo) in fact finished today's race in Araxa in twelfth place, confirming the qualities already shown in this early part of the season.

Sverre finished 1 minute and 52 seconds behind the winner Finn Treudler, just one second away from what would have been an unforgettable top 10. A significant step forward, especially when compared to the performances of his peers born in 2006, all of whom he left behind except for the Dane Nikolaj Hougs. First top 15 placement in the World Cup, therefore, for the Belgian, who yesterday also made his debut in the short track specialty, finishing the event in 30th place.

The Brazilian clay this time brought less joy to Lucia Bramati who, after achieving her first top 10 in the World Cup a week ago, obtained two 21st places in this second round. A stage that closes her intense early part of the season, which began with international races in the cyclocross.

Having finished their journey to Brazil, the two athletes, sports director Luca Bramati, Elena Merenti, and Cristian Bernardi, will now return to Italy, rejoining the young riders of the team, who today were engaged in an equally demanding test in Italy, more precisely in the woods of Nalles.

Marco Bramati (Under 23) and the U19s Alice Pascucci, Giorgia Pellizotti, Pietro Cao, and Flavio Dispensa took part in the Hors Catégorie class event.

For the younger riders, the Nalles stage represented their debut in the Junior Series, reaching its sixth appointment in Europe; a circuit that brought the promising young mountain bikers of the continent to the province of Bolzano.

Among these was certainly Giorgia Pellizzotti (in the photo by Alessio Pederiva), who in her first international test achieved a good sixth place, establishing herself as the best Italian and the third among the first-year athletes in the U19 category. In a race that saw almost 70 girls at the start, Alice Pascucci also performed well, crossing the finish line in 27th position.

It was a challenging test bench also for Pietro Cao and Flavio Dispensa, who, on the Nalles roots, finished in 38th and 71st place respectively.

Among the Under 23 riders, on the other hand, Marco Bramati finished in 68th position in the race won by the Swiss rider Nicolas Halter.