Bernese rider Mathias Flückiger wore several hats at the international mountain bike race in Huttwil. Firstly, he was a local hero. He lives less than ten minutes away from the race course. Secondly, he was involved in the local organization of the event as a course builder and ambassador. And last but not least, he was one of the top favorites to win the day. He mastered all three functions with aplomb. Many fans had made the pilgrimage to Huttwil because of him and were able to enjoy an attractive course.

In the race, Flückiger pushed the pace right from the start. At first, only Swiss champion Filippo Colombo was able to follow him. While the Ticino rider fell back over the course of the race, Marcel Guerrini caught up with Flückiger from behind. Guerrini also lives very close to Huttwil, in Ufhusen in the canton of Lucerne. Jordan Sarrou, the 2020 world champion, followed behind him. To the delight of the crowd, Flückiger won the ÖKK Bike Revolution final by seven seconds. Guerrini came second and thus secured overall victory in the most important Swiss mountain bike series. Jordan Sarrou came third, beating U23 World Championship silver medallist Dario Lillo in the sprint.

In the women's race, the current best female mountain biker Alessandra Keller pulled away from the start and celebrated a controlled, never threatened victory at the end of the day. Sina Frei crossed the finish line in second place, 14 seconds behind. Behind her, the trio of Jolanda Neff, Nicole Koller and Steffi Häberli battled for third place, with Koller coming out on top. It was Keller's fourth victory in a row. Only in Chur did she have to concede second place to the eventual Olympic champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. With this strong performance this season, she won the overall standings by a wide margin.

In the U23 men's race, Luke Wiedmann put in a perfect finish. He beat European champion Finn Treudler by a clear margin of 1:20 minutes. Third place went to Sven Gehrig. In the U23 women's race, Ginia Caluori climbed to the top step of the podium. The Grisons native won by around half a minute ahead of Fiona Schibler and Monique Halter.

The international Huttwil mountain bike race as part of the ÖKK Bike Revolution once again attracted mountain bike fans to Oberaargau in their droves this year. Over 12,000 visitors were counted over the entire weekend. "We are very satisfied with the season and were able to improve the quality in almost all areas," said co-initiator Ralph Näf in Huttwil in an initial review. Talks are currently underway with the UCI and Swiss Cycling to finalize the 2025 calendar. The year 2025 will be an important mountain bike year with the World Championships in Crans Montana.

Results

Elite women

1. Alessandra Keller, Ennetbürgen, Thömus maxon, 1:24.01
2. Sina Frei, Uetikon am See, Specialized Factory, + 0.14
3. Nicole Koller, Laupen, Ghost Team, + 2.12
4. Jolanda Neff, Thal, Trek Team, + 2.35
5. Steffi Häberli, Happerswil, Team BMC, + 2.40

Elite men

1. Mathias Flückiger, Leimiswil, Thömus maxon, 1:21.09
2. Marcel Guerrini, Ufhusen, BiXS Team, + 0.07
3. Jordan Sarrou, Frankreicht, Team BMC, + 0.32
4. Dario Lillo, Eschenbach, Giant, + 0.32
5. David List, Germany, Team Lexware, + 0.55

Full rankings and race analysis

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