With the start of the 2020 Swiss Epic just weeks away, the Elite field has taken shape with the names of the world’s greatest MTB racers, including the 2019 Absa Cape Epic champions and the winners of the 2019 Swiss Epic.
On 18 August 2020, the Swiss Epic will being in Laax, Switzerland. Ahead of riders lie 320km of Alpine trails and 12 250m of climbing as they are tasked with making their way from Laax, to Arosa, and finally to Davos along many of Graubünden’s famed trails.
The Swiss Epic is set to be the first Epic Series event to have been given the green light to go ahead in 2020, and since the devastation of the 2020 Absa Cape Epic cancellation, it is no wonder that the world’s best mountain bikers have registered and made their intentions known.
The 2019 Absa Cape Epic champions, Nino Schurter and Lars Forster of SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing were the first to commit to the event.
Schurter last raced the Swiss Epic in 2016. That year he and Stirnemann finished third, after losing time to a catastrophic puncture on the opening day. Since then his World Cup schedule has meant that taking part in his home stage race was simply not possible. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its enforced postponement of many events, including the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup races, Schurter will now make his competitive season debut when the Swiss Epic gets underway in Laax, and he is ready to race – a fact he proved when he was crowned Swiss Champion at the second event in the Proffix Swiss Bike Cup, last weekend.
“First of all, I’m happy to finally go back to racing” an enthusiastic Schurter said. “Particularly as we missed the Absa Cape Epic this year. It’s great we can now use the Swiss Epic as a warm-up for the World Cup racing to follow. I always race for victory though, so it will be more than just a warm-up. And racing on some of my ‘home trails’ is going to be special too. A Swiss Epic win is missing from my palmarès, so I’ll be giving it my all to change this.”
In 2019, Trek Pirelli (Trek Selle San Marco at the time) put on a flawless display and claimed the top step of the Swiss Epic podium.
Casagrande and Rabensteiner’s race victory was built upon teamwork with Samuele Porro and Damiano Ferraro. In 2020, they are taking teamwork to another level by arriving with a squad of four teams and this strength in depth could be pivotal to the Italian squad’s plans as they are up against the strongest ever field assembled in Graubünden.
“The 2020 Swiss Epic will be a unique and unrepeatable event” Porro prophesied. “The best riders in the world will be at the start in Laax and everyone will have a great desire to win after this long period without competitions.” SCOTT-SRAM and the defending champions are not the only squads with multiple cards to play, or the last of the big names to be announced.
“The race will be more tactical this year” predicted Casagrande, having heard who the as yet unannounced big team are. “But we always race with two teams, so we are really good in team play!” “I don’t feel pressure being the defending champions” Casagrande’s partner, Rabensteiner said. “It is more an honour for me. We will again give our best; and then, let’s see what it brings…”
The latest team to throw their proverbial hats into the ring is the German outfit, Team Bulls.
Armed with local trail knowledge, decades of experience, and a healthy dose of youth and enthusiasm, the Team Bulls trio is set to ensure that the Swiss Epic podium race is nothing short of a showdown.
Urs Huber, who will race alongside Simon Stiebjahn, stated “For me it’s a great feeling to race against the best teams in the world in my own country. I think it’s a little advantage to be on home terrain, but the competition will be super strong. In every race Simon [Stiebjahn] and I try to focus on ourselves and it will be no different in the Swiss Epic. We will be happy if we can give our 100% every day and enjoy racing again. If we reach that, the result comes naturally.”
“The Absa Cape Epic cancellation was a big disappointment” Lakata, one of the squad’s most senior members, allowed. “It took me some time to digest that. But I found new ways to motivate myself to train. I did different challenges and projects to keep myself motivated, without any races in sight. Now, finally, we have a new provisional race schedule and with the Swiss Epic, there is also a big goal ahead of us, to work hard for.”
Stay tuned to the Swiss Epic website as more teams are announced ahead of the 2020 Swiss Epic in Graubünden.
Karl Platt and Christoph Sauser win NTT Masters category in fine style
