The fifth race of the Swiss Enduro Series in the Aletsch region challenges the participants with world-class routes that boast epic views of the Great Aletsch Glacier, among other things. The athletes have no time to enjoy the magnificent views, as the four stages are among the most difficult that the race series has to offer, made even more difficult by the thin mountain air.

In the men's race, it is the Frenchman Patrick Lüthi who masters the first two downhill stages with the best time. "I'm surprised that I was the fastest on the second stage, the one along the Aletsch Glacier. Their style doesn't really suit me," explains Lüthi before setting off on the third stage.The 2021 Swiss champion starts the third descent 13 seconds ahead of Tim Bratschi and 28 seconds ahead of Gusti Wildhaber. But this time it is Wildhaber who sets the fastest time and cuts the time to around 21 seconds, even though he broke his collarbone just a month ago. "I'm still not riding completely free," Wildhaber says later at the finish,.

However, someone else is ahead there. Lüthi was able to regain his composure on the final stage and extend his lead over Bratschi, which had shrunk to ten seconds. At the finish, Lüthi wins the championship title by 23 seconds ahead of Wildhaber, who relegates Bratschi to third on the last stage.

The twins duel for the title

In the women's race, it is Scotland's Katy Winton who is back among the best after a difficult time and immediately demonstrates this with two fastest times. Halfway through the race, she is a good ten seconds ahead of France's Melanie Pugin and another 30 ahead of Anita Gehrig

On the third stage, the steep and extremely dusty forest descent from the Fiescheralp almost to Fiesch, Pugin gets serious and rides around ten seconds faster than Winton, whose lead is now only three hundredths of a second. Anita Gehrig also fails to get going on the third descent and loses her cushion to her sister Carolin Gehrig in fourth place.

While a duel between Pugin and Winton for the day's victory is looming on the final stage, the second duel between the Gehrig twins for third place and the Swiss Enduro championship title begins. Just three seconds separate the two before the final descent into the village center of Fiesch.
The duel for the day's victory was ultimately decided in Melanie Pugin's favor. Third place went to Anita Gehrig, who also won the Swiss Championship title. "It's incredibly cool that it's finally worked out after two attempts," says a delighted Anita Gehrig, who, together with her twin sister, formed the Swiss enduro elite for almost ten years.

Third place at the Swiss Championships goes to Ysaline van Kampen.

Results SES Aletsch