Kevin Kuhn over the moon with Val di Sole podium: "I worked for this for a long time"

Swiss rider Kevin Kuhn had promised a lot throughout this cyclocross season, however it was yesterday at the snowy Val di Sole race that he finally managed to stand on the podium of a World Cup event at Elite level.

“I worked for this for a long time. It was hard work, but this was a perfect race for me. I am very happy," the Swiss champion said in a post-race interview. Asked if he had thrived because of the conditions the 24-year old responded: "I do not know. I haven't done much snowcrossing. But the last Swiss to stand on a podium in a World Cup race also did so in the snow, I think. That was a few years ago, I'm next. And I am very happy with it.”

Kuhn started the race from the front, leading the opening minutes in what seemed to be a good day. He's shown to be a good rider for the races with few climbing and found good terrain in Val di Sole, as he thrived in very dangerous conditions which saw the likes of Fem van Empel and Eli Iserbyt crash out, and Mathieu van der Poel unable to be part of the fight for the first spots.

“I closed the gap to second on the last lap, but I had problems with my chain. Then I got a bit nervous, because Laurens [Sweeck] came back quickly from backwards," he described, then spending most of the race in the fight for third place. In the end he managed to distance Sweeck in the final lap, racing to a very proud third place. Although he missed the opening American World Cups, he sits sixth now in the World Cup due to his consistency.