In glorious summer weather, the mountain bikers offer the numerous cycling fans in Basel the best entertainment. The races are of a high sporting standard. In the junior category alone, over 100 athletes from all over the world will be competing, with more than 700 participants making their way to the Bikefestival Basel.

Swiss fans will be focusing on the two top athletes, Nino Schurter and Jolanda Neff. But neither of them had a perfect day. On her comeback after her break due to a shoulder injury, Neff is beaten in the sprint by Sina Frei, who also extends her lead in the overall standings of the Proffix Swiss Bike Cup. The young athlete has the greater freshness, and Neff complained of certain problems in the sprint due to her injury. Olympic champion Jenny Rissveds from Sweden, who finished twelfth on her return after a long break, played no part in the race.

Schurter with a defect

World champion Nino Schurter was also dissatisfied. The rider from eastern Switzerland has a lot of bad luck. On the exit from the stadium, his chain broke on lap two. The way to the tech zone was short, but the repair takes too much time. Schurter is clearly distanced.

Meanwhile, the competition is pulling away at the front. The New Zealander Samuel Gaze wins in the end 16 seconds ahead of the Italian champion Gerhard Kerschbaumer and Matthias Stirnemann as the best Swiss. Reto Indergand was able to defend his lead in the overall standings by a wafer-thin margin and will start the final in Lugano at the end of September as the leader.

www.swissbikecup.ch