Up to the Chaschauna Pass, the main obstacle of the National Park Bike Marathon at almost 2700 meters above sea level, the starting position is still open. On the steep climb, where most of the participants run, Urs Huber increases the cadence. The "Grand Raid" winner is able to gain a few meters on Sauser. What is even more astonishing, however, is that last year's winner Lukas Buchli only loses a small amount of time on the two front runners despite two broken ribs.

Before the culmination point, Sauser has regained contact with Huber and is the first to set off on the long descent from the Chaschauna Pass. However, Huber was not to be shaken off and Buchli was still riding within sight. Only in the last counter-climb to Lavin, 20 kilometers before the finish, was Sauser able to bring about the decision with an increase in speed.

"I wanted to win. But after all the exertions of the last few weeks with lots of racing and traveling, I was tired and struggled to find my rhythm at the start." Added to this was the cold in the morning, which he didn't like. "But my spirits returned with the sun. On the last climb before the finish, I tried to distance Huber, which I managed to do. I didn't want it to come down to a decider in the downhill like last Saturday at the Grand Raid. Because it was pretty slippery," explains Sauser.

The women's race ends closer than ever before at the National Park Bike Marathon. Swiss champion Ariane Kleinhans and Milena Landtwing fought a fierce duel. Landtwing, who lives in Pontresina and was Swiss champion in Scuol in 2011, can put her greater experience to good use. She caught up with Kleinhans on the descent from the Chaschauna Pass. "That spurred me on, while it probably put a damper on Ariane," explains Landtwing. She was finally able to distance herself from the Bernese on the final climb. In the end, the two were separated by just 53 seconds, after a ride time of over six and a half hours.Almost 2000 mountain bikers took part in the National Park Bike Marathon in ideal weather conditions.www.ixsclassic.ch