The first participants will start the prologue of the first Swiss Epic event tomorrow Monday at 11.00 am. Although this is a warm-up for the tough stages to come, the prologue is certainly no walk in the park. A long, crisp climb of over 800 meters in altitude puts a strain on the leg muscles. This is followed by a flowing and then technically demanding descent, which will also demand a lot from the pros - a foretaste of what is to come over the 400 kilometers and 15,000 metres of altitude.

The name says it all, so the event promises to be an epic trail experience. An experience that even the world's best marathon and cross-country riders won't miss out on. The big favorites are Christoph Sauser with his Czech team partner Jaroslav Kulhavy, Urs Huber and Karl Platt, or the Austrian Alban Lakata and Kristian Hynek from the Czech Republic. But there are also some top candidates from the cross-country camp. First and foremost Nino Schurter and Florian Vogel. The two are good for a stage win or two. More dangerous for the overall classification, however, are Ralph Näf and Lukas Flückiger as well as Mathias Flückiger, who will be competing with marathon great Lukas Buchli.

Among the women, Denmark's Annika Langvad and Ariane Kleinhans have the best maps. The marathon world champion has already won the Cape Epic in South Africa in spring 2014 together with Kleinhans from Switzerland. The strongest competitors are Esther Süss and the flying Dutchwoman Hielke Elferink.

There are also some well-known names in the mixed category. Here, the racing couple Mary McConneloug and Michael Broderick from the USA are favorites. McConneloug was one of the world's best cross-country riders for several years and her partner Michael Broderick was often among the top 50 in the World Cup. Despite their World Cup experience, the two are not the only favorites. National Park Marathon winner Milena Landtwing and the tireless Bärti Bucher should not be overlooked. Strictly speaking, the Landtwing/Bucher pairing is more experienced over the long distance than the mixed team from the USA.

Flow epic with familiar names
In the enduro-oriented version of the Swiss Epic, a total of 47 teams of two will be at the start. The names Katja Rupf and René Wildhaber stand out in the mixed category. This is the first time the couple from Sarganserland have competed together in such an event. But they are not just doing it for their own pleasure. By taking part, Rupf and Wildhaber are raising money for "World Bicycle Relief" - a charitable organization that uses bicycles as a development aid factor worldwide.

Ride reports daily on the events at the Swiss Epic and also features an experience report from the Ride Swiss Epic team with Philipp Zenklusen and Balz Weber.

www.swissepic.com