The European Continental Champions tour is half over and the battle now turns to the final two races; Verdicchio Race and Teolo, both in Italy.
In Opens it's a three-way struggle between the young Italian Giorgio Garino, the even younger Swiss, Tristan Cardillo, and the relatively experienced Quirin Ilmer of Austria. All are expected to race this weekend at Verdicchio in a field of riders containing the best from around the world.
Behind the three top runners, Vašek Cvancara of Czechia and Yanis Markarian of France remain outside chances.
The Women's race is equally tight, and again there's a threeway at the top; Lyde Begue of France has lead the way, but fellow Frenchwoman Anne Poursin is right behind, while Lisa Peters of the Netherlands is just off the pace in third.
The Women's field is especially strong this year.
In Juniors it will be hard to defeat Tristan Cardillo, while in Masters the battle is between the two Spaniards, Damian Derek Blanquer Gelez and Luis Garcia.
In Luge, Mikel Echegaray Diez has a perfect score with two wins fron two, and is followed by the UK pair; Will Stephenson and George Cheeseman. With none of these riders currently registered to race at Verdicchio, Woody Allen's maxim might apply; 80% of success is showing up.
