"Tire and line choice are crucial today," explains Mathias Flückiger ahead of the muddy cross-country race. Sufficient watts on the long climb are of course also necessary, but grip is definitely the biggest challenge for the riders on this day.

Three Swiss women are on the front row after the successful short track race. However, it is the Frenchwomen Loana Lecomte and Pauline Ferrand Prévot who put their stamp on the race in the first lap. Almost inevitably, Loana Lecomte, who is also technically strong, deposited her eight-year-old compatriot and from then on - once again - rode a lonely race at the front.

Behind them, the battle for positions raged, the long climb ensured selection - but above all the slippery technical passages, on which almost every one of the top riders crashed once or several times, kept shaking up the classification. Particularly noticeable are Jenny Rissveds, who, however, repeatedly ties herself back with several crashes, and Evie Richards, whose excellent bike control does not save her from crashing either. Sina Frei is consistently in 7th place, Linda Indergand is always just behind the top 10. And while the pursuers have to take risks to get to the front, the 20-year-old Frenchwoman rides away from the front seemingly carefree and not at the limit. With a 51-second lead, she rolls out onto the home straight, her fourth win in the fourth race of the season. "Best of the rest" is Jenny Rissveds, another 21 seconds later Evie Richards crosses the finish line, ahead of the slightly disappointed Pauline Ferrand Prévot, who has already lost 1:51 to her young compatriot. Sina Frei rides safely to the finish in 7th place. At the finish, Loana Lecomte said: "I was a bit tense after the short track race because I made a mistake that you would expect from an U17 rider. But we got it under control and so it was a special victory in front of my home crowd, my family and my friends."

Mathias Flückiger and Ondrej Cink pulled away from the rest on the first lap, overtook them on a flying jump combination and rode confidently at the front for the rest of the race. Behind them, Jordan Sarrou (FRA) and Alan Hatherly (RZA) fought a duel for third place that lasted several laps. In the next group, Nino Schurter set the pace and took the last place on the podium of five by putting the twins Daniele (6th) and Luca Braidot (8th ITA) and Simon Andreassen (7th DEN) in their place. There is no doubt that his fighting spirit and his riding technique are intact, but whether he will once again be able to keep up with the fastest riders remains unclear after this weekend. Because one thing also puts Mathias Flückiger's magnificent performance into perspective: the "man-to-beat" in mountain biking remains Mathieu van der Poel, who was wearing the yellow jersey of the Tour de France until Saturday. Regardless of this, Mathias Flückiger is delighted with his magisterial double victory: "My confidence has been high since the last World Cup, but also thanks to the short track race on Friday. It was really special because the conditions were completely different to the previous days." At the finish line, the presenter wants to know whether the overall World Cup leader's jersey gives him a boost. Math Flückiger turns the tables: "This jersey is the result of my self-confidence and my results."

Lars Forster was also in very good form, starting from the third row, fighting his way forward lap by lap and achieving his first top 10 result with 9th place. Marcel Guerrini also had a strong race in 17th place, while Andri Frischknecht was 21st

Women's ranking

Ranking list men