Alessandra Keller - Team Stöckli

Alessandra Keller rides the race with the new prototype of the Stöckli Riocat. This will be manufactured for series production in Taiwan. The bike is equipped with Shimano's XTR Di2 and weighs 9.8 kilograms. It is interesting to note that Alessandra's wheels have bound spokes. This brings more stability to the wheels and makes them less sensitive to side impacts.

Nicola Rohrbach - Team Goldwurst Power - Felt

Nicola Rohrbach's Felt Edict FRD barely resembles the production bike. DT Swiss XMC 1200 carbon wheels, X313 shock and O.D.L Limited suspension fork from the same company, Crank Brothers "Cobalt" carbon stem adorn his bike. Rohrbach is also a test rider for Chaoyang tires, which means he is involved in their further development.

Ariane Kleinhans - Team Spur

Ariane Kleinhans is one of the best marathon riders, but every now and then she makes forays into the cross-country scene. As she is so used to her hardtail, she doesn't ride a full-suspension bike. The Spur team rider relies on a Specialized Fate S-Works with Rock Shox RS1 fork and XX1 gears from Sram. The wattage measurement system from Power2Max, which measures Ariane's wattage on the Rotor cranks, is interesting.

Mathias Alig - Pivot

"I don't care how heavy my bike is, but it rides really well!" Mathias Alig normally rides marathon races and is looking forward to the cross-country detour with his Pivot "Mach429". With 100 millimetres of rear suspension travel and 120 millimetres at the front, it has enough reserves to cope with rough trails. The wheels and handlebars come from the high-end parts manufacturer "Super Cycle" Alig is one of the few riders who still rides with two chainrings and swears by them.

Kathrin Stirnemann - Team Haibike Ötztal

Kathrin Stirnemann raves about the combination of her Haibike "Sleek Team" and the Bike-Ahead wheels: "The wheels are very stiff and hard, but together with the fully it's the perfect combination. The wheels guarantee incredible propulsion." Stirnemann's 9.9-kilogram Sleek is truly an eye-catcher.

Roger Jenny - Team Bischi

Roger Jenny is in his first elite year and rides for the Swiss Bischi team. His "Maschin VI" weighs just 8.7 kilograms, despite being equipped with the slightly heavier XTR Di2. Roger rides a 32 t chainring from Wolf Tooth at the front. The chain is held on the chainring by the "Finger Chain Guide" from Hope. Also interesting are the Pancho-Wheels carbon rims, which are clamped onto the Tune King hubs with DT Swiss Aerolite spokes.

Lars Forster - BMC Mountainbike Racing Team

Lars Forster unfortunately has to miss the World Cup race in Lenzerheide due to his slight knee injury. However, the BMC Fourstroke 01 he would be riding here is equipped with Shimano's XTR Di2 and the Fox suspension elements can also be locked or unlocked electronically. It's striking that Lars rides his FS01 in size S, whereas he could also ride an M due to his height.

Martin Gujan - Team Wheeler

This is Martin Gujan's first year with the Wheeler team and he seems to be happy there. He is also comfortable on his new "Falcon Team". The frame was developed in Switzerland, is equipped with the XTR Di2 groupset and is damped by DT suspension elements.

Fabian Giger - Team Kross

Fabian Giger has changed teams again this season and now seems to have regained his old strength in the Kross team. Giger has tuned his hardtail with a Kind Shock LEV vario seatpost. This gives him confidence on descents and also saves energy.