This year's "Groupe e Celsius BerGiBike" gets off to a hectic start. Hansueli Stauffer picks up the pace on the steep Loreto climb out of Freiburg and initiates the first escape group, which also includes BiXS teammate and Swiss champion Konny Looser as well as last year's winner Adrien Chenaux and Urs Huber. As a result, the peloton splits into several chasing groups, which join up again at kilometer 20. Only on the main climb to La Berra does the quartet of Stauffer, Looser, Huber and Chenaux form up again, but they soon become the Huber/Chenaux duo. Looser gets a flat tire on the descent, has to insert a tube and later abandons the race. On the final climb to Gibloux, Huber was able to break away from Chenaux and defended his lead to the finish. Chenaux finishes second ahead of Stauffer.

"When Hausueli picked up the pace at the start, I struggled, but then I got into the race better and better. The collaboration with Adrien worked well. It was valuable for me that he was with me, because he knows the course much better than I do. The only time I've ever raced here was in 2012, but I had a problem with the saddle back then and had to retire," summarizes Huber. He initially thought that it would be a sprint finish. But on the climb to Gibloux, he noticed that Chenaux was struggling to keep up with his pace. "I kept up my rhythm there. But Adrien never gives up. That's very admirable. In the final on the long straights, I always stayed within sight of him and therefore had to make sure that he didn't close the gap," said the new Swiss Bike Classics leader Huber appreciatively.

Chenaux is also not sparing with praise for his rival: "Coming second behind Urs is like a victory for me! It was important for me to ride the climb to La Berra ahead of Huber, because as a Fribourg native this is my local mountain, so to speak. The symbolic effect of this picture is correspondingly great. I managed that. In the end, I lacked the strength to keep Huber's rear wheel on the Gibloux. But I'm still very satisfied." Stauffer says: "The BerGiBike was an interim goal for me. Next week, the European Ultrabike Marathon Championships will take place in France. I want to win the title there." As in the Ortler Bike Marathon, Norbert Amgarten triumphed among the fun riders, further extending his lead in the Bike Marathon Classics.

Sweet currently unbeatable

In the women's race, Esther Süss achieves an unchallenged start-finish victory. The 2010 marathon world champion said: "I have a bit of a cold at the moment. That's why I didn't know whether I would have enough strength to win until the end. But then it went surprisingly well and I was even able to enjoy the wonderful trails and the beautiful view of Gruyère from the Berra." Things are going like clockwork for the 44-year-old at the moment. With the exception of the marathon in Singen, she has finished at the top of the podium in every race so far this season.

Second-placed Ilona Chavaillaz is not really disappointed that she came second again, as she did last year: "Coming second behind Esther is like a victory for me." With Süss, Cornelia Hug and Andrea Ming, the field was so high-caliber that she hadn't expected to come second again. Surprisingly, the German Verena Huber snatched third place - just a few seconds ahead of Andrea Ming. The 24-year-old Huber has only been competing in bike marathons for two years and is still struggling with the rough terrain on the descents. "But it's getting better with every race," says the Offenburg native, who earns her living as a technical draughtswoman and has been racing for Lisa and Joe Broder's jb-Felt-Brunex team since this year. "Especially for the marathons", as she emphasizes.

Results men 79 km

1. Urs Huber (Mettmenstetten) 3:20:46.
2nd Adrien Chenaux (Fribourg) 0:24.
3rd Hansueli Stauffer (Sigriswil) 4:51.
4th Andreas Moser (Madiswil) 9:31.
5th Emilien Barben (Chez-le-Bart) 11:38.
6th Arnaud Rapillard (Saillon) 11:39.
7th Marc Stutzmann (Rüfenacht, BE) 12:03.
8. Roger Jenni (Jenaz) 14:25.
9th Anthony Grand (St-Légier) 14:25.
10th Rémy Dénervaud (Les Sciernes-d`Albeuve) 20:00.

Women 79 km

1. Esther Süss (Küttigen) 4:02:05.
2nd Ilona Chavaillaz (Sommentier) 5:49.
3rd Verana Huber (De) 12:14.
4th Andrea Ming (Neerach) 13:07.
5th Cornelia Hug (Unterlangenegg) 18:28.
6th Janine Schneider (De) 23:23.
7th Céline Farner (Schönenwerd) 38:41.
8th Alessia Nay (Zizers) 49:56.
9th Laure Baudois (Charmey) 50:24.
10th Sarah Merminoud (Fribourg) 50:31.

Men 36 km

1. Fadri Barandun (Samedan) 1:24:55.
2nd Marc Slinger (Bulle) gl. time
3rd Pascal Kiser (Giswil) 0:40.
4th Stefan Wüthrich (Uttingen) 0:57.
5th Joaquim Carmo (Zug) 1:18.

Women 36 km

1. Michelle Wittlin (Liestal) 1:31:29.
2nd Tanja Blickensdorfer (Horgen) 9:12.
3rd Marinette Martin (Les Moulins) 10:57.
4th Alexandra Lehmann (Oey) 11:16.
5th Susanne Tanner (Lucerne) 13:37.


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