In the men’s elite race, Mathias Flückiger (Thömus Maxon) took the lead early on and held on to it until the finish. The Bern native took the lead as early as the second lap and controlled the race with ease. “It was one of my best races in a long time, and it’s great to start the season this way. I felt great and had strong legs today,” said Flückiger. Finn Treudler (Cube Factory Racing), who is competing in his first season in the elite category and put in a strong performance, provided some excitement. The young Swiss rider positioned himself in the chasing group and put Flückiger under pressure again in the final stages, though he was unable to close the gap. Instead, he pulled away from Fabio Püntener (Scott-Sram MTB Racing), the world number one, and finished second ahead of Püntener. Local hero Filippo Colombo (Scott-Sram MTB Racing) finished sixth.Blöchlinger Takes the Lead Early OnLike Flückiger, Ronja Blöchlinger (Liv Factory Racing) rode a solo race at the front in the women’s Elite race. After her rival Martina Berta (Origine Racing Division) was set back by a mechanical issue, Blöchlinger was never in danger.Blöchlinger extended her lead and celebrated a commanding victory. “It feels great to start the season like this. Suddenly I was alone at the front and just rode my own race. I felt good before the race, I was happy, and I knew it was going to be a good race,” said a delighted Blöchlinger. Behind her, Nicole Koller (Lapierre PXR Racing) secured second place, 58 seconds ahead of Berta.Hutter Impresses at Season Opener In the women’s U23 category, Anina Hutter (NEXETIS) won convincingly. She relegated Elina Benoit (Lexware Mountainbike Team) to second place, while Katrin Embacher (KTM Factory MTB Team) finished third. Even more decisive was the victory of U19 rider Anja Grossmann (Trinity Racing), who won the UCI Junior Series with a commanding lead over Eva Terpin (Slovenian National Team) and Tess De Almeida (ARSA Racing Team). The U19 and U23 men’s races were dominated by French riders. Noa Tessier (National Team France U19) won the U19 race solo, followed by Mathieu Ghibaudo and Elias Hückmann. In the U23 category, Naël Rouffiac (Origine Racing Division) won ahead of Paul Schehl (Lexware Mountainbike Team) and Elian Paccagnella (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team).GP Osterhas Back on the CalendarFor the second time since 2025, the Škoda Swiss Bike Cup is setting up shop at the traditional criterium races of the GP Osterhas. Although the races on April 4 do not count toward the overall standings, they promise plenty of excitement and are entirely dedicated to the athletes’ multi-discipline training.