European champion Andreas Seewald achieves the double

Andreas Seewald in der Abfahrt.

Photo: Martin Platter

European MTB marathon champion Andreas Seewald wins the Raid Evolenard FMV with superiority, after the German had already won the World Cup Hero Dolomites in Val Gardena/Gröden the day before. Belgian Frans Claes came second ahead of Hansueli Stauffer from Sigriswil. Swiss champion Irina Lützelschwab won the women's race ahead of Mallory Barth from Jura and Stefanie Zahno from Valais.

Andreas Seewald approached the Raid Evolenard more cautiously this time than last year, when he set a new course record of 3:06:20 hours. He did not look for the decision on the first climb, but only at the very end, when only the Belgian Frans Claes was with him. "I could feel it in my legs that I had to be more economical with my energy. My tactic was to ride at the front and wait and see," explained Seewald at the finish. He has fond memories of the race in Val d'Hérens. After all, he won his first major title here in 2021 - the European Championship title. In his third triumph at the Raid Evolenard, the man from Lenggries needed 3:09:59 hours for the 62 km with 2670 vertical meters.

Frans Claes took second place calmly, even though he admitted that he wanted to win. "I expected Andreas Seewald to ride strongly despite the exertions of the previous day. Nevertheless, I thought I had a chance. But Andreas was unbeatable on the final climb. It's not for nothing that he is currently one of the world's best marathon riders."

Hansueli Stauffer was also satisfied with his performance: "I felt very good on the first loop up to the first finish in Evolene. When Frans and Andi started to take it in turns to push the pace on the second part of the course, I held back and rode my rhythm. That paid off in the end."

Martin Fanger, the 2022 and 2023 winner and last year's runner-up, did not have a good day, finishing fifth behind Frenchman Pierre Billaud. "I was ill the previous week. That's why I wasn't able to perform to my full potential," explained Fanger.

In the women's race, Irina Lützelschwab was confronted with other "problems". The reigning Swiss champion rode to her rhythm and was soon alone at the front. "The long climb on the second part of the course in particular was a mental challenge when you're riding alone at the front. I would have liked to have had some company to distract me." She enjoyed riding a home race in the Swiss champion's jersey. That is always something special for her.

Former cross-country rider Mallory Barth, who has switched to long-distance racing in recent years, surprisingly came second. The Jura native was very pleased with her result. She said: "Last year I rode the race for fun and didn't put any pressure on myself. This time, I went to look at individual parts of the course in advance to prepare myself better and ride for time. That worked out well." Like third-placed Stefanie Zahno, Barth wants to achieve a good result at the Grand Raid BCVS at the beginning of September, which counts as a world championship for the first time this year. Zahno from Valais was also completely satisfied with her result: "I had a very good preparation time and was able to keep the time gap to the best within limits. That's fun!"

The Raid Evolénard FMV marks the start of the Bike Marathon Classics, which will reach its climax on September 5 and 6 with the world championships at the Grand Raid BCVS. The next highlight, however, is the second stage of the Bike Marathon Classics in mid-July at the Summer Bike Marathon in Château d`Oex, which will be ridden for the first time this year at the Swiss Championships.