The Grisons native enjoyed a great deal of attention during the Tour de Romandie, although as a Pro Tour newcomer he was not one of the most important protagonists in sporting terms. Nino Schurter will also be the center of attention at the Bike Days in Solothurn with over 10,000 visitors. The Scott-Odlo rider will meet his great rival from France under these special circumstances on Saturday. BMC rider Julien Absalon comes to Solothurn with the self-confidence of two World Cup victories in South Africa and Australia, while Nino Schurter's body has to compensate for five days of stress on the road. "This week is all about recovery," explains Schurter. "It certainly wasn't ideal for the next mountain bike races, but I think I'll benefit from it in the medium term. It was a pretty lively ride at the Tour de Romandie. Let's see how it goes in Solothurn."

Schurter has won in Solothurn each of the past three years. Most recently against Julien Absalon, and a year earlier against Moritz Milatz. The German BMC rider is also leading the overall standings of the BMC Racing Cup after two races. "I feel very good and want to defend the leader's jersey," says the German champion and winner of Buchs. His teammate Ralph Näf comes with the tailwind of his victory at the HC race in Haiming, Austria, where another BMC rider, Lukas Flückiger, finished second. His brother Mathias Flückiger also has ambitions after finishing second in the World Cup in Cairns, as does Schurter's teammate Florian Vogel.

Stirnemann with self-confidence - World Cup winner Lechner as favorite
There could be a change in the lead in the women's camp, especially as overall leader Jolanda Neff is away with Swiss Cycling at a road race in Great Britain. Kathrin Stirnemann needs a minimum of fourth place to make it to the top of the rankings. "Solothurn is the biggest bike event in Switzerland and I'm looking forward to it. I hope I can make it into the leader's jersey and then I can wear it in my home race in Gränichen," says Kathrin Stirnemann. The athlete from Gränichen comes with the self-confidence of the best World Cup result of her career in the Olympic cross-country discipline. In Cairns, she was the best Swiss athlete in sixth place. She also finished second behind Esther Süss in Solothurn in 2013. "I'm excited about Esther. Apart from Pietermaritzburg, we haven't ridden against each other yet this year," says Stirnemann. Two weeks after the Cape Epic stage race, the World Championship bronze medalist from Küttigen was not in the right shape to build on her World Championship result there and then skipped the Australian World Cup. However, Eva Lechner is the favorite on Saturday. The South Tyrolean Colnago rider comes with the recommendation of her third World Cup victory in Cairns. She was already leading the race in Buchs before almost freezing on her bike in bitterly cold temperatures. That will certainly not happen to her in Solothurn.

Eliminator: top-class spectacle
Eva Lechner is also a good sprinter and wants to prove herself as such on Friday evening in the Solothurn ski jump trench. Kathrin Stirnemann, winner of the 2013 edition and last year's World Cup winner in Andorra, is a top-class opponent. "The sprint is a good platform to present yourself. I'm trying to defend my title," explains Stirnemann. However, Schurter's team-mate Jenny Rissveds, the reigning European champion in this discipline, will also be competing in the spectator-friendly spectacle. Swiss champion Marcel Wildhaber from Scott-Odlo is at the top of the men's entry list. Wildhaber won last year in Solothurn. His fiercest rivals: perhaps European Championship bronze medallist Sepp Freiburghaus, Ralph Näf, Florian Vogel and Lukas Flückiger.

Source: Press release, www.bmcracingcup.ch