EKZ Cup: South defends starting lead and wins
In the EKZ Cup, masters riders and juniors are allowed to start two minutes ahead of the elite. "That's a lot on a course like this. I rode flat out at the start, but only gained 30 seconds on the leaders," calculates Michael Wildhaber. "In the second part, I had to ride my rhythm and couldn't get any closer." As a result, the EKZ Cup leader "only" managed third place. However, he makes up points on his Tower Sports team-mate Manuel Boog, who finishes fifth.
At the front, Marcel Bartholet and Casey South set the pace. "I ran out of steam towards the end of the race," admits Radbar Racing team rider Bartholet. South immediately took advantage of this. "I attacked on the last lap and was able to open up a gap. This was enough for me to make it to the finish," said the young Thurgau rider happily.
Nicole Koller untouchable
In the women's race, junior world champion Nicole Koller roars away from everyone and crosses the finish line with an epic lead of over seven minutes. Mirjam Gysling, last year's elite Swiss road champion, tried her hand at mountain biking for the first time and finished third behind Sonja Guerrini. "I have to say, it went better than I had hoped. I coped surprisingly well with the mountain bike rhythm," said the road rider happily.
OK President on the podium in the fun category
OC boss Markus Bless doesn't miss the opportunity to take part himself. "Thanks to our more than 70 helpers, many of whom have been with us for years and know what needs to be done, I can afford to do this," winks the fastest OC boss in the EKZ Cup and adds a big thank you to all the helpers, landowners and sponsors. Many fans gather in the steep forest section, the heart of the course, and cheer the sweating bikers on loudly. This effort is rewarded with an ice cream or other treat from the cozy pub.
The six-minute EKZ Cup magazines will be broadcast on two channels: Tuesdays at 5.50 pm on Tele Top and Wednesdays at 7.05 pm on S1. In addition, further exciting video and photo reports will be available on the social media channels from Monday.www.ekz-cup.ch
www.facebook.com/ekzcup
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.