Tomorrow, Sunday 17th August, some of the best marathon mountain bike racers in the world will line up to contest the Swiss National XCM Title. For 2014, the race is attached to the Eiger Bike marathon, racing 88km and climbing 3900m from Grindelwald, in the Bernese Oberland. The Swiss have a formidable reputation in cycling, but especially in mountain biking. The job of choosing the Swiss Olympic Team for London would have been very difficult, considering the talent they have in XCO racing. Marathon racing isn’t that different. With riders like Urs Huber, Konny Looser, Oliver Zurbrugg, Christophe Sauser, Lukas Buchli, and many more, all potential winners of any hard marathon race, the fields are stacked! The women’s field is no less impressive, with 2013 champion Ariane Kleinhans ready to defend her title, and take it to her new home in South Africa. She won’t be short of a challenge though, with Cornelia Hug, Milena Landtwing and Esther Suess all ready to race hard to earn the National Champion jersey. Australia will be represented not only by myself and Imogen Smith from Subaru-MarathonMTB.com in the 55km race, but by U23 racer Kyle Ward in the full distance event. Kyle is choosing to finish his racing sojourn with a couple of Swiss classics.
Kyle Ward checks out the final climb above Grindelwald.
The course is ‘typical euro’ but of the older style Marathon race, not the newer technical courses that are coming into vogue. It climbs from Grindelwald to Grosse Scheidegg on the road, before traversing the mountain and descending via a mix of walking track, forest road, bike path and double track. Before long you are sent right back up a ski run, through clouds of cigarette smoke and the clanging of cow bells. The next climb to Kleinne Schiedegg is long but not overly steep, and the descent and final smaller climbs below the Eiger create a quintessential Swiss back drop. The course isn’t an accurate reflection on the riding in Switzerland – save for the scenery. It’s a country where people spend a lot of time in the mountains. MTB routes are marked all over the nation, and the Swiss Mobility Scheme encourages the population to traverse ranges, regions, rivers and indeed the whole country via well marked routes on their mountain bike, touring bike, canoe, by foot, or even by rollerblades. It is Europe afterall. With the sun finally coming out for race day, hopefully it’s a glorious day to crown two new Swiss XCM Champions.