The hub for marathon mountain biking
The Perskindol Swiss Epic went off with a bang in its first year in 2014, and the Swiss mountain bike stage race will be taking place this year for the second time, from 14 to 19 September 2015. Two-person teams will come from Switzerland and beyond to race their bikes across the Valais in the Swiss Epic format (400 […]
The Swiss Epic have announced that they have opened race registration for single riders for the 2015 event. Although the race is a pairs race, there is now an option for riders who want to try the event, or who just don’t want to find a partner, to race it as a solo entrant. There […]
If ever there is an event to re-write the format for first year success, it’s the Swiss Epic. Matt Page and Stu Spies raced the inaugural event for MarathonMTB.com in 2014, and can attest that it was one of the best races either of the two had done. Technically and physically demanding, but with great […]
The Swiss Epic attracted some of the very best MTB racers in the World, from XC, to Marathon and Enduro in the first edition in 2014. While there were lots of very special bikes within the field, I caught up with the Topeak-Ergon team to capture Robert Mennen’s Lux CF 29. Robert was racing with Alban Lakata and […]
The 2014 Perskindol Swiss Epic captured the minds of mountain bikers around the globe. Six days of racing in the Valais region, along ancient trails that traversed huge mountains and joined the stage towns of Verbier, Leukerbad, Grachen and of course Zermatt. Matt Page and Stu Spies raced for MarathonMTB.com, and covered the races here: […]
A week ago I arrived in Switzerland, meeting race partner Stu for the first time in the baggage reclaim. Having not ridden with Stu before I was a little apprehensive to say the least. While I wasn’t at the Swiss Epic for a “result”, I still wanted to push myself and do well and a […]
I keep getting all ‘hero worship’ but heres todays chat, Matt to Karl Platt, ‘Hey Karl you doing the Munga?’ Karl to Matt ‘Yeah, it should be good but I’ve never done 24 hour racing before’, Kulhavy to Sauser ‘Hey Susie we go from the gun yeah?’ *nervous laughter from those in earshot* Sauser to […]
3 days done, that’s the halfway point and we are on the run in now… except when its 3 days with elevation profiles that look like sharks teeth! On paper it was only 61km to Grächen, but within that it contained 3000m of climbing. How is that even possible?! On a road bike back home […]
Well after yesterdays horror and semi-terminal implosion in the final 5km today was all about survival and pacing, no real tactics just get to the end respectably! Hard to do when you get sucked along in the vortex that is the mad UCI peloton but this faded the minute we hit the climb and my […]
Stage 1. Queen stage. 95km, 3050m climbing. BOOM! That was one tough day in the saddle. Around the start line it was pretty surreal, lining up in the same starting box as the people I have been watching on TV for years – even as the race started I stuck with them until it got […]
