With two races right at the border between Europe and Asia the new World Cup season on natural track. Novouralsk/Yekaterinburg (RUS) is already venue of the World Cup opening for the second time. And like last year, the season starts with a double World Cup. From December 9th - 12th the athletes are racing for the first points. For the athletes Russia is already the first highlight of the season because a third of all World Cup points is available there. Novouralsk offers a very special atmosphere. The track in Novouralsk (70 km north of Yekaterinburg) has been reconstructed only some years ago is now ready for the Opening of the 19th World Cup season.
Also ready: all athletes and especially the overall World Cup winners Patrick Pigneter (ITA), Ekatharina Lavrentjeva (RUS) and Patrick Pigneter's partner in double seater Florian Clara (ITA). On the whole, 16 nations will be on the start this season, in Russia up to eight nations will compete in the first World Cup races. In the men's event Patrick Pigneter will be chased, just like in the past years. His first challengers: Thomas Schopf (AUT) who won both World Cup races in Russia last year, Gernot Schwab (AUT) who became second in overall World Cup 2009/10 and Anton Blasbichler (ITA) and Thomas Kammerlander (AUT). In the women's event Renate Gietl (ITA), reigning World Champion, and Melanie Batkowski, last year second and first place in Novouralsk, will be Ekatharina Lavrentjeva's (RUS) first challengers. Melanie Batkowski especially likes the track at Ural. She celebrated both World Cup victories of her career there and wasn't ranked worse than second in each of the four World Cup races in Novouralsk. Titleholder in Russia in the double seaters' competition: Patrick Pigneter and Florian Clara (ITA) and Pavel Porshnev and Ivan Lazarev (RUS). Christian und Andreas Schopf (AUT) – third in overall World Cup – want to continue their successful season finish (victory in Garmisch-Partenkirchen). An exciting kick-off is guaranteed.
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