May 27, 2011 (Offenburg, Germany) – The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano moves to Offenburg (GER) one week after Dalby Forest (GBR), for round three of the cross-country series. Offenburg has become one of the modern classics of the World Cup, with a course that requires both sharp technical skills and excellent endurance for a rider to do well.

This German town near the Swiss border hosts a World Cup round for the fifth year in a row. On two occasions it has been voted best cross-country event of the season (2008 and 2009). For 2011, the organizers have stuck with the circuit that has worked so well in the past – a 5.1 km course, with a 1.1 km start loop.

So far, the cross-country World Cup has produced new winners and series leaders at each event, with Julie Bresset (BH-Suntour-Peisey Vallandry) winning in Dalby and taking over the women’s series lead, and Jaroslav Kulhavy (Specialized Racing) doing the same in the men’s competition. However, both series are still very tight, and Offenburg could produce another change in the lead.

In the absence of Ren Chengyuan (Specialized Racing), due to a fall during her training, Bresset will face competition from Irina Kalentieva (Topeak Ergon), who returns after missing Dalby due to visa problems. Also likely to be in the hunt will be 2010 Offenburg winner and World Cup overall winner Catharine Pendrel (Luna Pro Team), plus German star Sabine Spitz (Central Haibike). However, Bresset has a 170 point lead on her pursuers, so there is a good chance that she will complete this spring campaign for the cross-country series still in the overall lead.

Kulhavy put in a dominating performance at Dalby Forest, but he is only ten points ahead of Julien Absalon (Orbea), who has the unique distinction of being the only man to have ever won at Offenburg; a clean sweep in the past four years. Can Absalon make it five consecutive wins, after finishing second in each of the first two rounds of 2011?

Other riders who will be looking to end Absalon’s domination of the Offenburg course include round one winner Nino Schurter (Scott-Swisspower), current World Champion Jose Hermida (Multivan Merida) and the German hopeful Manuel Fumic (Cannondale Factory Racing).

The action begins Friday evening with the second round of the short track Eliminator series, followed by the Juniors and Under-23 Men cross-country races on Saturday, and culminating in the Elite races (and Under-23 Women) on Sunday.