A week in Val di Sole, following MTB world championships, supporting Italy but encouraging everybody. A week to give a hand, like a soldier of over 600 volunteers' army which was one of the cornerstones of the international event. The World MTB championship has been concluded and for me it was a funny and positive experience, admiring athletes of absolute level battling on the hard path of cross country and flying down the impressive downhill descent and on the entertaining and spectacular humps of 4cross. Apart from a wet Tuesday, the sun has accompanied us.

To see few images of the week here is my photogallery

Having as a basis Piazzola of Rabbi where I was kindly guest of my brother (whom I thank!), I was able to concile the "commitments" in the championships with some hiking and mountain biking. Monday and Tuesday were very bad days with abundant rain and about 10 ° C in the evening (in mid-June!). The bronze medal in the team relay race won by the "azzurri" has a little heated hearts waiting for better fortune. Wednesday the sun in fact head and the show could continue in the best way until the weekend summit with Downhill and Cross Country elitè races. For Italy disappointments at all levels. On XC have dominated the Swiss while in the downhill the Atherton family did double. For all results, see this page of the official site:  http://www.mtbvaldisole2008.it/interne/AreaPress.aspx?ID=9522

I want to avoid making the 2008 World Cup mountain bike naked and raw chronicle of the event because you can find much more detailed sites. I want to focus instead on how i lived it. As a volunteer I was assigned to the path of cross country as a marshall and since that is my favorite specialty i have been very happy. During the week it was fun admiring young men and women athletes on the path to see then the elitè flying on Sunday. The colourful public and the excellent organization added the classic cherry on the cake. The only bad news has been a ruinous fall on downhill path (Saturday ran only the suicide bombers and we moved on that path) just slightly above the point where I was: a French athlete lost control of the bicycle ruining on the ground. He has fortunately raised suddenly but his bike, jumped beyond the protective nets as a projectile, struck a spectator who was rescue and brought to the hospital in stretcher.

The beautiful climate of the event and the creation of a group rather knit between the volunteers have allowed everything to get smooth without any problems and for this we must thank those who coordinated us volunteers, in particular Massimo and Alessandro.

Among a race and the other I also could take my mountain bike and ride around in Val di Sole and Rabbi. In the coming days i'll upload GPS tracks of  followed paths until refuge Orso Bruno and the Monte Sole hut. The magnificent Adamello-Brenta Natural park and Stelvio National Park have granted me the opportunity to live a week in close contact with nature so much that I sighted deer, squirrels and marmots, being never tired to admire thousands of waterfalls that torrents loaded of rain created in the valley.