Cycling: The two teams Stöckli-BiXS and Centurion Vaude fought an extremely exciting duel for the leader's jersey on the final stage of the Perskindol Swiss Epic. Lukas Buchli and Mathias Flückiger, Team Stöckli-BiXS, made the race shortly before the finish line and finished on top of the podium in the Swiss Epic Men category in Zermatt. Annika Langvad and Ariane Kleinhans, Team Specialized II, won the coveted Perskindol Swiss Epic winner's belt in the women's category. The first edition of the six-day mountain bike stage race thus ended successfully on Saturday after a total of 400 kilometers and 15 meters in altitude at the foot of the Matterhorn.
The final stage of the six-day Perskindol Swiss Epic mountain bike race from Grächen to Zermatt on Saturday ran over 60 kilometers and 2400 meters in altitude again with a lot of flow through a high alpine backdrop, surrounded by impressive 4000m peaks and glaciers. With the top-class starting field, the level on the final stage was again very high and also demanding and tough for the elite.
After an extremely gripping duel in the Swiss Epic Men category, the Stöckli-BiXS team with Lukas Buchli and Mathias Flückiger won the day with a top time of 3h 11min - and thus just about the overall victory. They were able to distance Jochen Käss and Daniel Geismayr from Team Centurion Vaude by almost 2 minutes in the final stage and thus relegated them to second place in the overall ranking with a difference of 50 seconds.
The BMC Mountainbike Racing Team with Lukas Flückiger and Ralph Näf took third overall place.
“It was already a tough duel from 0 km”, said Lukas Buchli on today's final result. “Centurion Vaude is a strong opponent and the promotions were tough. That required a lot of brainwork. The technical final descent was then completely our terrain, so that we were able to gain the decisive advantage. The Perskindol Swiss Epic was my goal for the season at the beginning of the year and I wanted to compete for victory with a strong partner. The team combination of a long-distance specialist and a cross-country pro worked well.” “It was really a long and hard race”, adds Mathias Flückiger.
“I have experienced a stage race of this kind for the first time. We were challenged every meter. It's a tough race with exhausting climbs. Even for the pros. In any case, I can only say positive things about the race. So many fantastic trails, a great route and excellent organization - and this at a first edition. Switzerland is a bike nation, a stage race like this is great for our sport.”
For the women, it was clear from the start: Annika Langvad and Ariane Kleinhans from Team Specialized II managed to gain a lead of 56 minutes throughout the week and thus clearly won the golden Perskindol Swiss Epic winner's belt. Esther Süss and Elferink Hielke, Team Wheeler iXS, took second place, while Team Mountain Heroes with Andrea Kuster and Kristin Aamodt took third place.
In the mixed category, Milena Landtwing and Bärti Bucher, Team BiXS – Wheeler, won gold. In the Masters, overall victory went to the Scott Road team with Pierre Bourquenoud and Serge Robadey.
In the Swiss Epic Flow race format, the CrossRoad Cycles team with Phil Meier and Florian Golay clearly won the men's race. In the women's category, the only team in the women's category, Vaude Heavy Pedal with Nathalie Schneitter and Alexa Hüni, won the title. Simon Ruchti and Monika Büchi, Team Pivot Cycle / Specialized, clearly won the Mixed category.
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