<p>Troy Brosnan (AUS) rode his Specialized Demo 8 Carbon to a 5th place finish and first podium of the year this weekend at the Val Di Sole MTB World Cup in Val Di Sole, Italy. Teammate Aaron Gwin (USA) was 6th, only .002 seconds back. Mitch Ropelato failed to qualify after 2 major crashes in qualifying.</p><p>
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Val Di Sole, the Valley of the Sun, lived up to its name this week with scorchiong sunshine and dry conditions. The track in Italy is brutal in both the wet and the dry, filled with rock gardens and large braking bumps due to the high speeds and tight corners. Instead of the usual slippery mud, racers were treated to massive clouds of powdery dust that covered everything like talc, and hung in the air. Roots and rocks became more and more exposed as the week went on, especially in the 2 or 3 newly cut sections. Braking bumps and holes grew large enough to swallow entire wheels as riders attempted to navigate around them at full speed.</p><p>
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Both Troy and Aaron chose to run 2.5 Butcher tires this week.</p><p>
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Brosnan was elated with his run, finally returning to the podium. "It's been a whole 2 years... Second career podium in elite men and it's at the same track. I was coming to these first two world cups just to come and get down safe and go home and train some more. To be top 10 in the points over all and then to get 5th here; I'm just speechless. I can't wait to come back to the rest of the season stronger."</p><p>
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Gwin made changes to his setup this week, including a major change from a size medium, to a size large demo and feels like it made a huge difference "It's a step in the right direction this week. Congrats to all of the other guys, they rode awesome. I felt really good, back to my old self. I feel like I have all the tools I need to win. I just made some big mistakes up top and it put me into a rush mode and I kept making mistakes all the way down the track. You can't do that these days with everyone riding this way. I went to a bigger bike this week, and it instantly felt awesome. I'm really comfortable again. I'm excited for the rest of the season, I just need to put it together on Sunday."</p><p>
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Junior rider Luca Shaw (USA) raced his Status and scored his first ever Junior World Cup podium, with a 3rd place. "My run was crazy. I was out of control in some spots and almost crashed a couple of times. No major mistakes thats slowed me down. I couldn't believe the times were so tight! It was a bummer to be on the wrong side of it, but I'm still happy with 3rd. I'm over the moon."</p><p>
</p><p>
Both riders now return to their respective homes for a rare mid season break before returning to Europe for the next round of World Cup racing in Andorra next month.</p>
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</p><p>
Val Di Sole, the Valley of the Sun, lived up to its name this week with scorchiong sunshine and dry conditions. The track in Italy is brutal in both the wet and the dry, filled with rock gardens and large braking bumps due to the high speeds and tight corners. Instead of the usual slippery mud, racers were treated to massive clouds of powdery dust that covered everything like talc, and hung in the air. Roots and rocks became more and more exposed as the week went on, especially in the 2 or 3 newly cut sections. Braking bumps and holes grew large enough to swallow entire wheels as riders attempted to navigate around them at full speed.</p><p>
</p><p>
Both Troy and Aaron chose to run 2.5 Butcher tires this week.</p><p>
</p><p>
Brosnan was elated with his run, finally returning to the podium. "It's been a whole 2 years... Second career podium in elite men and it's at the same track. I was coming to these first two world cups just to come and get down safe and go home and train some more. To be top 10 in the points over all and then to get 5th here; I'm just speechless. I can't wait to come back to the rest of the season stronger."</p><p>
</p><p>
Gwin made changes to his setup this week, including a major change from a size medium, to a size large demo and feels like it made a huge difference "It's a step in the right direction this week. Congrats to all of the other guys, they rode awesome. I felt really good, back to my old self. I feel like I have all the tools I need to win. I just made some big mistakes up top and it put me into a rush mode and I kept making mistakes all the way down the track. You can't do that these days with everyone riding this way. I went to a bigger bike this week, and it instantly felt awesome. I'm really comfortable again. I'm excited for the rest of the season, I just need to put it together on Sunday."</p><p>
</p><p>
Junior rider Luca Shaw (USA) raced his Status and scored his first ever Junior World Cup podium, with a 3rd place. "My run was crazy. I was out of control in some spots and almost crashed a couple of times. No major mistakes thats slowed me down. I couldn't believe the times were so tight! It was a bummer to be on the wrong side of it, but I'm still happy with 3rd. I'm over the moon."</p><p>
</p><p>
Both riders now return to their respective homes for a rare mid season break before returning to Europe for the next round of World Cup racing in Andorra next month.</p>
More...