It was an extremely hectic finale with all the title contenders on the last kilometer of the BerGiBike, which also counts as the Swiss bike marathon championship this year. The two main obstacles on the 79 km of winding roads between Fribourg and Bulle - La Berra and Le Gibloux - had not produced the desired selection. On the remaining 20 km to the finish in Bulle, a larger group with all the favorites came together again. Urs Huber, Martin Fanger, Konny Looser, Marc Stutzmann, Casey South and Andrin Beeli fought for the best position for the final sprint. Around the final bends, however, only Huber, Looser and Fanger were able to hold on to the lead. Looser ultimately showed the most staying power and the greatest willingness to take risks, catching Huber by a tire's width at the finish line.

In the winner's interview, Looser explained: "The finish was very difficult to ride. I had memorized two places in advance where I wanted to take the lead if I arrived with a group. But I didn't make it in either place. My luck was that Urs Huber didn't approach the last bend any tighter. So I was able to pass him just before the finish line." Looser already sensed in the morning that today could be his day. The previous week, the 33-year-old from the Zurich Oberland region had also won the marathon in Singen, Germany, with similar topography, in a sprint. He says: "This title means a lot more to me than the first one five years ago. The first title came as more of a surprise. Today, however, I really wanted to win it. I really like the BerGiBike course because it is tailored to me. In the end, everything worked out perfectly for me. That makes me very happy."

Urs Huber took himself by the nose at the finish. "I have no idea what I was studying over the last few meters. My tactics were right until Konny passed me." The entire race was very close at the front. "At La Berra, I put the pressure on for the first time. But everyone kept at it." The same game at Gibloux. He probably felt good, but he still couldn't pull away. Not even when Huber stepped up the pace at Gibloux. Stutzmann and Looser came along. Fanger, South and Beeli were also able to catch up again. The bend 800 meters before the finish was ultimately to be decisive.

Stutzmann rode in front, then Looser. Huber was able to overtake both and was the first to cross the finish line, believing himself to be the winner until Looser's attack came. "I'm the first loser, which annoys me a bit. I overslept the last ten meters," said Huber in self-criticism.Third-placed Martin Fanger was also not happy with the outcome of the race: "I knew that Konny was gunning for the title and I thought I had a chance of winning it too. But I just couldn't do any more in this finish area."

In the women's race, Steffi Häberlin lived up to her role as favorite. On the second and final main obstacle of the day, Le Gibloux, the 2020 title winner already had a lead of several minutes. Irina Lützelschwab, the 2020 SM bronze medallist, and Janina Wüst, the European Championship silver medallist, followed at loose intervals. Title holder Ariane Lüthi declared her withdrawal from the title race 24 hours before the start.

"I was pleasantly surprised by the high proportion of singletrack in the race. For me, this title win is confirmation that I'm on the right track athletically," explained Häberlin at the finish line.

Results of the Swiss Bike Marathon Championships:

Men (79 km), 1st Konny Looser (Hinwil) 3:28:08. 2nd Urs Huber (Mettmenstetten) gl. 3rd
Martin Fanger (Geneva) 0:01. 4. Marc Stutzmann (Belp) 0:07. 5. Casey South (Frauenfend) 0:10. 6.
Andrin Beeli (Sagogn) 0:13. 7. Emilien Barben (Chez-le-Bart) 2:38. 8. Hansueli Stauffer
(Sigriswil) 4:05. 9. Gilles Mottiez (Collognes) 5:21. 10. Damian Perrin (Bern) 14:41.

Women (79 km), 1st Steffi Häberlin (Happerswil) 4:02:53. 2nd Irina Lützelschwab (Wallbach) 4:16.
3. Janina Wüst (Lupfig) 5:30. 4. Antonia Bünter (Bern) 21:47. 5. Ilona Chavaillaz (Sommentier) 23:14. 6. Alessia Nay (Zizers) 28:42. 7. Carmen Zaugg (Hägendorf) 29:33. 8. Naika Racheter (Hauterive) 40:24. 9. Stefanie Zahno (Bürchen) 43:29.

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