Every marathon stage race has a Queen stage, the longest, hardest stage in the race that offers an opportunity for some riders to show their class, and strikes fear into riders who are not sure of their preparation. Stage 3 was the Queen Stage at the Swiss Epic, as the race tackled 91km and 3000m […]
Swiss Epic teams get their flow on in Leukerbad
Stage two of the Swiss Epic was al about finding your flow. While not strictly listed as a time trial, each team had their own start time high above Leukerbad. The stage offered more metres of descent than climbing for both racing formats Epic and Flow, thanks to individual team starts at the Rinderhütte on 2313 m […]
BMC and Stockli teams extend at Swiss Epic
After one of the most impressive prologues in marathon stage racing, the Perskindol Swiss Epic rolled into stage 1 on 13th September, with riders embarking on a 90km route with 3000m of climbing on their way to Leukerbad. In the men’s category the BMC Mountainbike Racing Team I with Lukas Flückiger and Reto Indergand defended […]
Swiss teams lead the Swiss Epic after Prologue
There are marathon stage races around the world, but the Swiss Epic sits head, shoulders and torso above just about all of them. The combination of racing, trails, event logistics and service aren’t matched at any other race we have visited or competed in. And on Monday 12th September, the third edition of Perskindol Swiss Epic kicked […]
Who can win the Swiss Epic?
The 2016 Swiss Epic is barely one week away, and come 11th September, Zermatt will be flooded by a mix of lycra, whizzing freehubs, bright all-mountain clothes and some highly excitable mountain bikers. The 3rd Perskindol Swiss Epic will begin the very next morning. Based in the Valais, the Swiss Epic is 6 days of […]
The Swiss Epic as a ready-made holiday
Imogen Smith explores the Swiss Epic and finds the mountain bike stage race and package holiday together at last. Stage racing is the perfect way to combine a massive mountain bike hit with an overseas experience but, until recently, roughing it and complex logistics have held many of us back from what might otherwise be the perfect […]
Swiss dreaming – memories of the 2015 Swiss Epic
The mountain bike year has well and truly begun. Unlike riders in the north, in Australia we receive little respite over the holiday period. We don’t go skiing, we don’t escape to summer climes. We live in the perfect training haven, more or less. So while our whole National XCO Series has been wrapped up, […]
The best value mountain bike stage races
Mountain bike racing and riding can take you around the globe. I have used mountain biking as an excuse to travel for about 10 years, thanks to a highly infectious travel bug bite after a long around the world adventure when I was 6. And sure, while I’m away from home I long for my […]
Six days in the Valais – the Swiss Epic highlight video
The 2015 Perskindol Swiss Epic has come and gone, with new category winners, hard fought battles, countless corners shredded, carved and railed, and much food and drink consumed. Let’s not mince words here – the Swiss Epic is a premium stage race that offers one of the best mountain biking, and racing, experiences out there. […]
Tips for finding the right stage race partner
Undertaking a big paired stage race might be the highlight of your mountain biking year – but if you pair up with the wrong person, it might be a real low point. Just because you’re great friends with a rider, it doesn’t mean you will end up as a good team. Stage races exist around […]