Julien Absalon speaks of his "favorite track" in the BMC Racing Cup, his BMC teammate Ralph Näf also likes the rough surface and Esther Süss "likes the track". The top bikers are looking forward to the second round of the 2015 BMC Racing Cup. Ralph Näf suffered back problems at the start in Schaan. However, he seems confident again ahead of the second Cup stage in Tesserete. "I'm all right again so far. I want to see an upward trend in Tesserete and feel as good again as I did four weeks ago on Monte Tamaro," explains Näf. The soon-to-be 35-year-old Näf was fourth in Tesserete last year, despite a defect. Without back problems and without a defect, he can be expected to be in the leading group.

Absalon is the benchmark
World number one Julien Absalon is certainly the favorite. The Frenchman arrives as Cup leader and also won in Tesserete last year. Last Sunday he only finished fifth at the Coupe de France in Pompon, but that was due to the wrong choice of tires. In addition to Martin Fanger, who finished a strong second in Schaan, Lukas Flückiger, Matthias Flückiger and Olympic bronze medalist Marco Fontana (ITA), his Cannondale teammate, world number six Manuel Fumic (GER) is a candidate for the podium. He was a strong second last week in Nals, Italy, despite a defect. "I want to see what works for me and what doesn't. But I'm looking forward to the comparison with the many strong riders. Absalon is the benchmark. It will certainly be a really sporty race," says Fumic.

Neff from Belgium to Ticino
Once a conspicuous streak has begun, the question always arises: will it break the next time? Jolanda Neff is once again the favorite in Tesserete, which she also left as the winner last year. The world number one and overall World Cup winner has won all of the last six BMC Racing Cup races she has contested. Neff was still racing at the Flèche Wallone Road World Cup in Belgium on Wednesday before making her way to Ticino. She was unlucky in the classic when her gear cable snapped 20 kilometers before the finish. In the end, she finished 28th

Will the seven now put a spoke in her wheel? In the person of Wheeler iXS rider Esther Süss perhaps? She presented herself in remarkably good cross-country form two weeks ago. "Because I didn't have to ride the Cape Epic so hard because of my teammate, I'm fresher now than I was in previous years. I will also try to ride really fast in Tesserete and get as many points as possible for the overall standings," explains Süss. At the age of 41, the 2013 World Championship bronze medallist still has big goals in the Olympic discipline. "The Olympics are already pretty close again and it's additional motivation for me. But the competition in Switzerland is also getting stronger and stronger in the women's event. So it wouldn't be the end of the world if it didn't work out," says the Olympic fifth-placer from London calmly.

Germany's Sabine Spitz is two years older. The three-time Olympic medal winner is aiming for her fifth Olympic appearance next year and is also one of the women who could break Jolanda Neff's streak in Tesserete. Just like Irina Kalentieva from Möbel-Märki-Pro-Tea, who won at Monte Tamaro, Britain's Annie Last and U23 runner-up Margot Moschetti from France.

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