One year after the World Championships in Lenzerheide, World Championship medals in mountain biking will once again be awarded in Switzerland. While competitions in the cross-country and downhill disciplines took place in Graubünden, the marathon world champions will be determined in Grächen in a week's time. In Upper Valais, there will be an exciting clash between the world's best marathon specialists and a selection of cross-country riders who are venturing into foreign climes shortly before the end of the season.

At marathon world championships, each national association is allowed to enter six athletes. In addition to this contingent, all athletes who have achieved a top 20 place in a competition of the UCI marathon series - as well as all athletes who are ranked in the top 50 in the marathon world rankings - are eligible to take part. On the Swiss side, these admission criteria lead to a large contingent. It is expected that 19 female and 28 male athletes will be competing with the white cross on their chest. The Swiss athletes listed below have the best chance of achieving a top place.

Women
Florence Darbellay, 1977, Neuchâtel
Nicole Koller, 1997, Schmerikon
Ariane Lüthi, 1983, Thun
Esther Süss, 1974, Küttigen

Men
Adrien Chenaux, 1991, Fribourg
Martin, Fanger, 1988, Geneva
Lukas Flückiger, 1984, Wynigen
Mathias Flückiger, 1988, Leimiswil
Urs Huber, 1985, Mettmenstetten
Hansueli Stauffer, 1987, Sigriswil

Starting lists Marathon World Championships Grächen

Flückigers in top form

Cross-country specialist Mathias Flückiger is one of the title contenders. The silver medal winner from Mont Sainte-Anne, who finished fourth at the 2018 Marathon World Championships in the Dolomites, is in excellent form. But his brother Lukas is also showing a strong upward trend: he finished a strong twelfth at the World Cup final in the USA.

But some foreign cross-country specialists also want to have a say in the long-distance titles in Grächen. The newly crowned cross-country world champion Pauline Ferrand Prevot (FRA) and Elisabeth Brandau (GER) will start in the women's race.
Among the men, Ondrej Cink (CZE) and Jordan Sarrou (FRA) are the best-known stars of the short course. Defending champion Henrique Avancini, however, will not be at the start.

Among the long-distance specialists, the Swiss champions Ariane Lüthi and Urs Huber are the strongest. But the concentrated long-distance power can also be expected from other countries. From Germany, for example, marathon champion Janine Schneider and the grande dame of mountain biking, Sabine Spitz. Among the men, Karl Platt, Markus Kaufmann and Sacha Weber are dangerous names. Also from neighboring Austria with Alban Lakata and Daniel Geismayr, Juri Ragnoli or Samuele Porro from Italy or Leonardo Paez from Colombia.

The races will be held on Sunday, September 22. The women will start at 09:00 and cover a distance of 70 kilometers. The men take to the course at 10.00 a.m. and have 95 kilometers to cover. Winning times in the region of four hours are expected.

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