Anita: After yesterday's misery, I'm glad that the last stage is coming up. I'm slowly but surely getting tired of the exertions that a race like this entails. Balz is also struggling and had already complained of a sore throat the evening before. Unfortunately, it didn't get any better overnight, so he makes a detour to the pharmacy shortly before the start to stock up on Neo Angin and nasal spray. As is the case with a man's cold, it seems to be very bad. ;)

When the starting signal for the final stage is given at 09:00, the sore throat no longer seems to be an issue. Balz sets a horrendous pace for me, I pant after him and struggle a little with my motivation. My freezing cold feet don't make the situation any better, even my calves feel like icicles and make pedaling quite a struggle. The crisp start climb almost knocks the lights out for me, but we want to leave the men who are climbing hard but are less technically adept behind us so that we have a clear path.

This plan worked quite well and I was able to recover briefly on the first Suonen trail. The next descent is followed by another climb before we reach the next singletrail. This leads beautifully along the slope towards Täsch: technical challenges alternate with short climbs and beautiful forest floor. The fog is still hanging low and gives the forest, which is covered in moss, a mystical atmosphere. The ground is damp and makes the numerous stone passages a wild ride. Balz rides ahead and occasionally strays from the ideal line, even with his confident riding style, mistakes slowly creep in due to fatigue - at least he doesn't crash and I don't copy his mistakes ;)

On reaching the valley floor, the ride continues on the flat to Herbriggen, where we reach the next checkpoint earlier than expected. A little later, while we are being ridden to Zermatt on the shuttle bus, we keep spotting Epic riders. I wouldn't want to be in their shoes. I'd rather take on another descent on these epic Valais trails.

Balz: From Zermatt, the collection of flow riders is taken high up by cogwheel and gondola lift. At almost 2,600 meters, where the air slowly becomes a little thinner, we start the last section of this epic week from the Blauherd mountain station. Before we get there, however, Rudy Biedermann from Team Moustache causes some amazement. His front brake lever is completely broken off and yet he still wants to plunge down the valley. "Shit, having to ride like this without a front brake, but I'll manage somehow - just scream when I'm in the way," he grumbles to himself. Well, we know Rudy and his riding skills, so we're not worried about him for a second. Later, he tells us that he pulled a cable tie into the lever mount at the first service station, hooked his finger in there and was able to brake again. But we are also amazed at this emergency solution.

Our ride from Blauherd then starts at a good rhythm, but at a relatively moderate pace. We want to avoid a fall or careless defect. Because we are both a bit sore. Anita hasn't recovered well and my batteries aren't as strong as the days before due to the cold.
The trails are great again, offering impressive scenery past rugged rocks or over the suspension bridge, but they really demand our concentration. I make more and more riding mistakes and get upset about them - audibly and loudly. Anita doesn't like my ranting at all and now that she's pretty tired, even less so. "Now chill out," she shouts, slightly annoyed. "Leave me alone! I can be angry with myself whenever I want," I grumble back - there's radio silence for a while. Not so bad, after almost a week of intensive "two-wheeled vacations" there can be friction. It doesn't take long and they are both grinning again - especially Anita, when the display board for the last five kilometers appears. "Expect one or two more climbs," I say, dampening the euphoria a little. Because the last few kilometers can often be nasty and tough.

Dream trails around Zermatt that offer more than impressive scenery. Photos ©Apix - Alex Buschor

My skepticism proves to be unjustified. The counter-climbs on the trails near Zermatt are hardly worth mentioning and the indicator for the last kilometer also arrives faster than expected. We hurtle through beautiful Zermatt, through the winding route and have to watch out like hell as some people like to slither into the track. But that doesn't bother us any more, because we are no longer in a hurry and are on the hunt for seconds. One more turn to the left and one to the right and the Perskindol Swiss Epic 2015 is done and the icing on the cake is the overall victory in the Flow Mixed classification.

A great week with great people ends, thank you very much! Photos ©Lightmoment - Michael Suter

And now we're talking about the event - of course not. But in all honesty, Anita and I have a positive view of the organization. As riders, we always felt well looked after and in good hands. Luggage transport, laundry service, bike wash and so on, everything worked perfectly - at this point a big thank you to all the helpers! There is practically nothing to complain about. Perhaps the one or other junction could have been better signposted and perhaps the marshals at the finish in Zermatt could have been reinforced, as some passers-by and children were running around in the routes. However, these are details that do not detract from our experience. We rate with our thumbs and so we give four "big up" Perskindol-Swiss-Epic-Crew - cheers!

Photo ©Lightmoment - Michael Suter