Lukas Flückiger has been ruled out of the Mountain Bike World Championships in Lenzerheide. In a training crash, he suffered a laceration with bursitis above the right kneecap. The wound was stitched up, but the knee will have to be immobilized for at least two weeks. For the man from Oberaargau, the World Championships are over before they have even begun. "It hurts me extremely that I can't be there. I was feeling good and my form was very promising. I'm no longer 25 and probably won't get another chance to take part in a home World Championships," the 34-year-old states.

Nicola Rohrbach (Edlibach) will be competing in the cross-country race in Flückiger's place. The 32-year-old from Zug had fulfilled the World Championship standard, but had to drop out due to the high performance density in the Swiss men's team.
Rohrbach's joy about his post-selection is somewhat limited: "I wouldn't have wished any of the eight riders to miss out, but the fact that Lukas, a very good friend, has been hit is understandably very annoying."

Rohrbach will join the Swiss team on Wednesday lunchtime.