Keller and Sarrou win the City Race in Chur
It's the promised duel between Switzerland and France. And it's exciting right up to the last lap. The City Race in Chur, which starts in the old town of Chur, is very tactical. And so a leading group of five riders forms, including Vital Albin and Nino Schurter from Graubünden, Thomas Litscher and the Frenchmen Jordan Sarrou and Titouan Carod.
They set off together on the final lap. Sarrou, the 2020 mountain bike world champion, attacks on the last climb and is able to ride into the final downhill as the leader. From this position, he defended first place all the way to the finish. He beats Carod and Litscher in the sprint. The two Grisons riders finish in fourth and fifth place. To huge cheers from the many fans at the side of the course. Despite his fourth place, Nino Schurter from Chur beams for all the cameras at the finish line and hands out lots of autographs. "For me, fourth place is like a victory. It was a lot of fun today and I really enjoyed the great atmosphere at the side of the course!" The mountain bike world champion is one of the initiators of the ÖKK BIKE REVOLUTION and worked on the course design in Chur.
Keller up and away
In the elite women's race, Alessandra Keller from Nidwalden is back at the top of the world with a victory. Keller has already shown her good form with eighth place at the World Cup in Brazil. In Chur, she shows no mercy to her opponents and celebrates a start-to-finish victory. Towards the middle of the race, Anne Terpstra from the Netherlands was able to reduce her lead slightly. But then she stops the chase herself with a crash. She ends up in second place. And Sina Frei, bronze medal winner at the Olympic Games, finishes third. Ronja Blöchlinger from the Rhine Valley surprises in fourth place, with Ramona Forchini in fifth.
The city race in Chur goes down well with the public. "The proximity to the public is automatically higher in the city. There is definitely room for a race like this in a full racing calendar. We are happy about the good atmosphere on the course. It was fun," Ralph Näf, co-initiator of the series, was quoted as saying.
Well-attended pleasure tours and many visitors
In addition to the professional races on Saturday, almost 700 children and amateur athletes competed in Chur. Over 11,000 visitors were on site during the entire event weekend. As with the opening event in Rivera, the tours, which focused on enjoyment and adventure, were very well received.
The third round of the ÖKK BIKE REVOLUTION will take place in Huttwil on September 24 and 25.Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.