Although Sepp Freiburghaus is not a proven long-distance specialist, he tackled the Frigaz-BerGiBike like one. He only knows the start and finish area of the 79-kilometre course. At his premiere in the Gruyère region, he showed a serene tactic, even if he himself admits that his victory was also due to numerous absences from the world championships by well-known riders.

The pace remained leisurely until St. Silvester. On the first climb to La Berra, Freiburghaus took the initiative for the first time and stepped up the pace. Co-favorite Konny Looser goes with him. Together they reach La Berra at kilometer 30, the main obstacle of the day at 1,717 meters above sea level. On the descent, Freiburghaus is then able to open up a gap to his companion, as Looser has a flat tire and stops to change his bike.

On the flat to the second and final obstacle of the day, the Gibloux around 25 kilometers before the finish, Freiburghaus then rides "briskly but never fully". Looser is able to make contact again. But Freiburghaus does not want to be tested and immediately attacks again on the Gibloux. "I then let out everything I had left in my legs on the last quarter of the route," describes Freiburghaus. Because mixing it up with the riders in the other categories made the final quite confusing.

"It's always nice when you can win," says the Neuenegger when asked about the significance of this victory. After two triumphs, he believes he has a chance of also achieving a podium finish in the final classification of the Swiss Bike Marathon Series.

Landtwing wins despite technical difficulties
As expected, last year's women's winner Milena Landtwing came out on top, securing the leader's jersey in the marathon series. She outdistanced Ilona Chavaillaz from France, who won the middle distance last year, by 2:44 minutes. Landtwing's victory is on the line. Her derailleur breaks on the descent from La Berra. "Using tape, I was able to reattach the central derailleur to the frame so that it actually held until the finish," said Landtwing. She was correspondingly satisfied with her performance. The chase to catch up with Chavaillaz had cost her strength. The fact that it was still enough to win makes her super happy. Third-placed Vera Adrian has already lost almost twelve minutes to the winner.www.swissbikemarathon.ch
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