On the updated, attractive course and in some challenging terrain - the ground was still frozen in the early morning and later muddy and slippery - spectators were treated to another interesting and sometimes dramatic XCO race at the season finale of the 30th CIC ON Swiss Bike Cup in Gstaad. The overall Cup winners for 2023 were also decided at the Saanen airfield.

Exciting duel between Colombo and Brandl

The men's race was one of the most spectacular of the season. Six-time German champion Maximilian Brandl (Lexware Mountainbike Team) from Freiburg im Breisgau clearly pulled away from Marcel Guerrini (BIXS Performance Race Team), who had spontaneously decided to start in Gstaad, and Filippo Colombo with a completely surprising attack at the beginning of the last lap on the start straight. Brandl made the race really exciting once again by blowing up the group of three that had been leading for a long time, but in the end he was unable to achieve the desired preliminary decision with his attack.

Because Colombo from Ticino created a lot of suspense in his own way: he fought his way back to Brandl shortly before the finish. And after further hard-fought lead changes between the two, Colombo set off on foot (!) on a crest to overtake, while Brandl came to a brief halt.

That was the decision for Colombo, the path to victory was clear. Colombo is back at the top after a long break due to a complicated elbow injury. He had already celebrated a great comeback in August at the CIC ON Swiss Bike Cup in Basel with a 2nd place. With his victory in Gstaad, he also collected further welcome UCI points, which are important for his rise in the rankings. Marcel Guerrini secured 3rd place

The unlucky rider of the race was Vital Albin, who was in a promising position but fell behind quite early on with a rear wheel defect. Fourth place was still enough for him to win the overall standings of the CIC ON Swiss Bike Cup again.

In the women's race, experienced Altdorf rider Linda Indergand (30) and 22-year-old Noëlle Buri (BIXS Performance Race Team), the overall winner of the 2022 Swiss Bike Cup, also made it very exciting. Indergand had a slight technical advantage on the course, which was challenging in places and had not dried out. The U23 rider Buri, on the other hand, proved to be stronger on the climbs, but the rider from Emmental crashed three times in total.

Linda Indergand also had an advantage as a result and was able to bring about a preliminary decision on the third lap. Indergand not only secured the clear victory of the day, but also the overall victory. For the Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallist, this success in Gstaad was more than just a consolation for a very mixed season, which she cannot quite explain herself. Third place went to the German Ronja Eibl (Alpecin Deceuninck), 19th at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Sven Sommer and Nicolas Halter hand in hand

Two riders from the strong KA BOMM Krapf Raceteam dominated the juniors: winner Sven Sommer rode across the finish line hand in hand with his team colleague Nicolas Halter, making one of the most beautiful gestures of the event. The decision in the junior category, on the other hand, was clearer: Seraina Hosner (Bike Team Solothurn) took a surprising but undisputed win ahead of Noémi Gret (Cycles Prof). The overall victories went to Pema Federer (Schmerikon) from Tower Sports - VC Eschenbach and Elodie Python (Boveresse) from Team Prof.

One of the biggest talents in Swiss mountain biking is Anja Grossmann from Specialized Junior Cross Country Team Switzerland, who once again won the U17 women's race in Saanen by a large margin and secured the overall standings. Lewin Iten from the Ägeri Cycling Race Team won the U17 junior category and came second in the overall standings behind Fynn Lanter (Bauwerk Parkett Racing Team - RV Altenrhein).

There also seems to be plenty of new blood in even younger generations: over 40 children enthusiastically took part in the Saani Kids Race on their balance bikes and pedal bikes.

The 30th anniversary Swiss Bike Cup, consisting of seven races throughout Switzerland, came to a successful and atmospheric end with award ceremonies in a total of 20 categories. In the coming season, professional organization is also guaranteed by the title sponsor, Bank CIC (Schweiz) AG.

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