"Extremely cool". Mathias Flückiger (Stöckli Pro) uses this description of all things to describe his emotional state. The external conditions are the exact opposite. The BMC Racing Cup in Gränichen is the first heat race of the 2015 season and Mathias Flückiger first has to pour a bottle of water over his helmet at the finish line to cool down. He is involved in a great three-way battle with Australian Daniel McConnell (Trek Factory Racing) and Julien Absalon (BMC Racing) at the front of the almost 30-kilometer men's race. BMC rider Absalon can't quite keep up with his rivals on the downhills and has to keep closing the gaps on the climbs. "I've been riding almost exclusively on the fully for some time now. Now I'm probably having problems adjusting. I had to ride the gaps too often," explains Absalon, who finally loses contact at the end of the penultimate lap.

So the race came down to a duel between McConnell, who had spent the week in Gränichen, and Mathias Flückiger. "I always tried to ride from the front and that was the right tactic," said Flückiger. So he takes a few seconds advantage from the first descent of the final lap and chases up the next climb. McConnell has problems with his saddle, but does not want to see this as a reason for Flückiger getting away from him. "No," he defends himself, "second place is good after things didn't go so well for me in the World Cup races." He fights, but Flückiger is a tick stronger in the end. "I was extremely motivated, also because I was able to ride with Absalon. And the fact that I was able to beat him is something I'll take a lot from for the next few weeks," comments Mathias Flückiger. This is the first cross-country victory for the Ochlenberg native since he signed with the Stöckli Pro Team for the 2014 season.

Matthias Stirnemann (Möbel Märki) from Gränichen battled for fourth place for a long time, but a crash on the fifth of seven laps threw him back and he finished eighth. Florian Vogel, a member of the RC Gränichen club and a local hero, was eliminated on the second lap after his second defect. "I would have had to run a long way and wouldn't have had a chance," says Vogel.

Photos© Armin Küstenbrück

Neff with a huge lead
A race as if from a single mold: Jolanda Neff leaves no doubt about her current dominance in Gränichen. And because she doesn't seem to have an opponent at the moment, she looks for another one: Time. Last year it was 3:30 minutes, this year she increased her lead to an incredible 5:32 minutes by the finish after a good 25 kilometers, setting a new record.
"Always improving a little, that was already the goal," says the Thaler with a laugh about her ninth consecutive triumph in the BMC Racing Cup. "I took it easy this week. That's why I had enough energy for today. I'm really happy, next week we're going to Baku and the form is right so far," she continued. "The course here is fantastic, just made for me. Nice and technical and nice climbs and the atmosphere is great too."

Behind her, things are getting really exciting. First, the Russian Irina Kalentieva (Möbel Märki) was unlucky in second place with a rear wheel defect and on the last lap, the Italian Eva Lechner (Colnago-Südtirol) was also unlucky in second position. She also has a tire defect, so that the German Sabine Spitz benefits and rides across the finish line in second place.
"I am very happy with my race. When I rode up the asphalt climb for the second time, my hooves were already burning and I thought, what is this going to be? But then I rode my rhythm, never over the limit and benefited from Irina and Eva's flat feet," said Spitz.

Local hero Kathrin Stirnemann finished just seven seconds behind her. This is surprising after the past few weeks, in which she has been struggling with lung problems. And also surprising because she failed in the start phase. Rather atypical for the Eliminator World Champion. "I was stuck and had to dismount. Then I just rode my speed. Maybe that was a good thing. I never over-revved because of the heat. It's a huge weight off my mind now," explains Stirnemann. "The atmosphere here is tremendous, it was mega nice."

Photos© Armin Küstenbrück

UCI Junior Series: Another victory for the world champion
In the junior race, Germany's Max Brandl clearly beat Matej Prudek from the Czech Republic and another German, Lars Koch
. The Swiss junior champion Filippo Colombo misses the connection and then wins the sprint against Vital Albin. "I didn't have good legs in the first two laps, the first three were already gone. But I'm still happy with my race," says Colombo.

World champion Nicole Koller once again won the junior race, catching up with leader Sina Frei after initial difficulties and then distancing her in the third of four laps. "It didn't go so well at the start, but it was nice to have direct opponents for once," says Koller with a smile at the finish. Otherwise she always rides alone in front from the first lap. Third place went to the German Antonia Daubermann.

Photos© Armin Küstenbrück

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