The 20th anniversary edition of the Eiger Bike Challenge was hard to beat in terms of drama. Urs Huber, the most successful Eiger Bike elite rider with five triumphs to date, suffered a broken frame on the descent from the "field" due to a riding error. The Swiss champion hit a deep rut with his rear wheel. He tries to leave it again during the ride. The rear wheel levered so violently in the frame that a seat stay broke. With a broken frame, Huber rode further up the ascent to Grosse Scheidegg, but had to abandon the race there because the rear wheel was rubbing against the frame with every pedal stroke.

The race is restarted. The two Bernese riders Hansueli Stauffer and Marc Stutzmann, who had already finished on the podium the previous year, take the lead. But Stauffer is penalized for his efforts. With stomach problems, he has to let Stutzmann go on the Kleine Scheidegg. Garmin Bike Marathon Classics leader Adrien Chenaux also manages to overtake Stauffer and finishes second behind Stutzmann. Stauffer reaches the finish line in third place.

"I didn't expect to win. My goal was to ride onto the podium again," said Stutzmann after his most significant marathon success to date, expressing his surprise. The competition was strong. He therefore approached the race rather defensively. Adrien Chenaux did not expect to finish second either, especially as he was already almost two minutes behind the leading group after the second climb to First. However, the Frenchman was the strongest on the climbs and fought his way back place by place. "Second place ahead of Stauffer gives me hope that I can win the overall classification," said Chenaux. But he is now looking from race to race. Hansueli Stauffer, who had set his sights on victory, was very disappointed. "I actually felt great. The fact that my stomach would play such a trick on me in the final caught me on the left leg," said Stauffer dejectedly at the finish.

In the women's race, Esther Süss made it clear from the start who was the boss in the women's peloton today. On the way to the peloton after 25 of 88 km, the rider from Aargau already had a lead of more than ten minutes over her first chasers Ariane Lüthi and Cornelia Hug. By the finish, this margin had grown to more than 19 minutes. Swiss champion Lüthi and Hug then rode their own lonely races. Süss commented on her fifth victory in Grindelwald as follows: "I didn't actually want to ride full throttle from the start. But I caught a good group. When I found out about the lead, I kept up my rhythm because I knew that Lüthi would tend to get faster towards the end of the race." Actually, she didn't have to prove anything to anyone. But then she always gets race fever, says Süss.

Lüthi said: "Of course I wanted to win today. But Esther rode in a league of her own today. Last year the race was much closer. Today it was a time trial." Cone Hug did not have a good day: "It would have been my plan to attack after I was able to keep Esther's rear wheel on the first climb last year. But things turned out differently. She set an incredible pace. I could feel early on that my legs didn't really want to."

Results
Men (88 km): 1. Marc Stutzmann (Rüfenacht, BE) 4:31:14. 2. Adrien Chenaux (Fribourg) 2:58. 3. Hansueli Stauffer (Sigriswil) 5:30. 4. Konny Looser (Hinwil, ZH) 9:52. 5. Jérémy Huguenin (Neuchâtel) 9:58. 6. Olivier Zurbrügg (Wilderswil) 10:35. 7. Andreas Moser (Madiswil) 13:15. 8. Arnaud Rapillard (Saillon) 13:33. 9. Anthony Grand (St. Légier-Chiésaz) 20:09. 10. Andy Klay (Movelier) 20:10.

Women (88 km): 1. Esther Süss (Küttigen) 5:24:08. 2. Ariane Lüthi (Thun) 19:19. 3. Cornelia Hug (Unterlangenegg) 27:57. 4. Verena Huber (Bad Peterstal) 32:31. 5. Ilona Chavaillaz (Sommentier) 34:09. 6. Andrea Ming (Neerach) 36:29.

Men (55 km): 1. Remo Fischer (Oberhallau) 2:50:17. 2. Fadri Baradun (Samedan) 0:43. 3. Mario Wernli (Erlinsbach, SO) 3:33. 4. Stefan Spielmann (Lostorf) 3:39. 5. Kevin Georges (Evolene) 4:17. 6. Micha Klötzli (Tramelan) 6:05. 7. Sascha Deplazes (Sedrun) 6:56. 8. Sascha Wälti (Mühledorf, BE) 7:23. 9. Pascal Kiser (Giswil) 10:03. 10. Luis Grilo (Saas im Prättigau) 12:13.

Women (55 km): 1. Michèle Wittlin (Liestal) 3:19:46. 2. Arina Riatsch (Sent) 2:00. 3. Alessia Nay (Zizers) 16:30. 4. Marinette Martin (Les Moulins) 31:27. 5. Alexandra Lehmann (Oey) 32:05.