Two days of sunshine, one day of rain, first-class trails and the finest mountain panoramas - the international field of participants was once again impressed by the event and the Davos Klosters region. Many teams were taking part for the fourth, fifth or even sixth time: "The trails here are simply amazing, the atmosphere is always great and the event is top-notch and organized with a lot of passion. That's why we come back every year!" These and similar comments are echoed by various repeat participants, for example from Holland, Sweden and, of course, Switzerland. Over the past three days, almost 450 participants from 19 nations rode 11 "stages", or measured sections, on their bikes in over 180 teams. On the transfer stages in between, often supported by mountain railroads, the clock was stopped and the riders had time to chat with race participants from other countries, cultivate the international bike community and enjoy the impressive alpine backdrop of the Grisons mountains. In short - great mountain bike fun that also connects generations: The youngest participant will soon be 16, the oldest is 63: "I'm riding with my team partner for the fifth time in the 77+ category, but with our combined ages we could ride at 120+! Unfortunately, that doesn't exist yet," smiles Fips Joller from Nidwalden, whose team partner is none other than Peter Odermatt, CEO of muesli manufacturer bio-familia.

Test run with e-bike category: small but mighty

For the first time this year, a test run was held with a new e-bike category for teams of two - the e-teams. Interest was limited, but the participants who took advantage of the opportunity were enthusiastic. Race director Michi Wild from the Bike Academy Davos sums it up accordingly: "Even though e-bikes are becoming more and more popular, many riders still like to ride lighter bikes in the enduro sector. For some, however, e-bikes made it possible to take part in the race in the first place, especially with the additional altitude meters to be mastered this year, because the second section of the Jakobshornbahn is currently not riding". The e-teams category is therefore small but mighty. "We still have to decide whether we'll keep it that way next year - but we definitely want to keep it a fun event and open to lots and lots of people!" For the third time, teams of three to six people were able to ride in the open FUN TEAM category. The now established category, which symbolizes the core idea of the event, was once again a real hit and the 40 or so mixed fun teams really appreciated and enjoyed competing as a larger group in this total fun category instead of just a team of two.

In the men's category, the favorites decided the podium places among themselves right from the start: Victory went to Gusti Wildhaber and Tim Bratschi from Team Cube Lapierre Collective, who were only able to take over their starting position from a fellow team very shortly before the race. They won with 1h 08min 53sec, 41 seconds ahead of the second-placed locals, Ivans Velosport Race Duo with Jonas Bernet and Luca Jenni. After a crash on the first day, last year's winners Mirco Widmer and Stefan Peter from Zug from the Bixs Factory Team finished in third place.

The favorites also cleaned up in the women's category: Bernese sisters Ramona and Jennifer Kupferschmied from the Swiss MTB pro team defended their title with a final time of 1h 30min 15min. Second place went to Melanie Zehnder and Andrea Richiger from Central Switzerland as Team Gratis Ürnerpastetä fir alli. Third place went to former downhill racer and future national team coach Carina Cappellari from Walenstadt, together with her sister Laura Cappellari in the team respect the ponytail. She had originally wanted to ride with downhill racer Lea Rutz, but she injured herself a few days before the event.

In the mixed category, the Central Swiss team Rocky Mountain with Anja Hovorka and Aron Schelbert took a commanding victory ahead of Claudia Grassi and Loris Pellencini from the RideUp.ch Enduro Team and locals Sibylle Stebler and Lucas Hofmann from Bikepark Färich.

In the 77+ category for older riders, victory went to the 19Hunderfrücher team from Hägendorf with Dominik Betschart and Heinz Hostettler, ahead of the well-known Tanner Twins from Eriswil, Jürg and Markus Tanner. Third place went to the Nidwalden Old Brothers Fredy Rohrer and Iwan Arnold.

In the FUN TEAMS category, which has now been held for the third time, the Ticino team Chiandussi Bike 1 took victory ahead of the German FoxDevilsWild and the Zurich team Velobude Racing.
Despite the sometimes tough battles on the course, everyone agrees that winning is of secondary importance at this fun team event - because the main prize is simply a big grin on your face. And that's what almost everyone got this time too.

Newly launched Kids Race as a highlight

A novelty this year was the absolutely unique team enduro race for children, which celebrated its premiere on the last day of the event. It was a real highlight. The more than 40 children between the ages of 8 and 15 not only rode, but were also beaming with excitement. The level of the older teams of two was quite high, they rode to the finish line almost as fast as the adults. Some of the younger teams showed a lot of sporting spirit, fighting and coming through was the motto. In pouring rain but in a great atmosphere, the winners received their prizes from Endura. But actually there were only winners at the Kids Race: "Promoting young talent is a matter close to our hearts. The fact that the children enjoyed the first edition of ENDURO TEAM for Kids so much makes us very happy," says organizer Britta Wild from the Bike Academy Davos. "We are already looking forward to the next edition!" The rankings for ENDURO TEAM for Kids can be found at this link.

Loyalty from all sides

The organizing committee draws a consistently positive conclusion: "Our goal at MONDRAKER ENDURO TEAM is to show experienced mountain bikers the most beautiful trails in the destination of Davos Klosters," summarizes race director Michi Wild. "We succeeded in doing this again this time. It was another fantastic mountain bike festival - and the best compliment is that so many riders keep coming back to our event!" The loyalty includes not only the riders, but also the organizers, helpers and even farmers: "One farmer lured his cows off the trail with salt and concentrated feed and sat with them for half the day so that we had a clear track! The Davos Klosters mountain railroads, who make the event possible in the first place thanks to their dense transport network, also gave us great support again!" The biggest thanks go to the 60 or so volunteers, without whom the event would not have been possible. "They are the soul of our event, many of them have been with us for years. And some racers come three days early to help with the preparations in advance. That's anything but a matter of course, it's just great!" says a delighted Michi Wild.

Date for seventh event in 2023 still open

The established MONDRAKER ENDURO TEAM fun race for experienced mountain bikers in Davos Klosters is also expected to take place again next year - although the date is still open. "Due to updated hunting regulations, we will unfortunately no longer be able to hold the event in September," explains organizer Britta Wild from the Bike Academy. "However, we will communicate the new date and time of the registration opening on our channels as soon as possible."