News: SWISS ENDURO CHAMPIONS CROWNED IN LAAX

SWISS ENDURO CHAMPIONS CROWNED IN LAAX

With EWS points up for grabs and over 400 riders competing for the prestigious Swiss Enduro Championship, there was much to play for at the first round of the 2022 Swiss Enduro Series in Laax.

Good weather and premium vibes provided the perfect backdrop for the battle to be at the second Swiss Enduro Championships. On the rather flowy but very physical course, the participants were challenged on 4 long stages.

In the competitive lineup of the Elite Men category, experienced EWS athletes Patrick Lüthi and Gustav Wildhaber were considered favourites. At the last Swiss Championships in Lötschental, the two dueled in an intense battle with Lüthi coming out on top. In the women’s race, everyone was looking forward to the three-way battle between the local Gehrig twins and defending champion Lisa Baumann.

Race day arrived and the men’s elite opened the race. Gusti Wildhaber set a great time on Stage 1 and gave himself the lead over second-placed Basil Weber. But the local shredder and UCI Downhill World Cup racer took the win on Stage 2 demoting Gusti to 2nd place with a six second advantage. At this point defending champion, Patrick Lüthi, had fallen more than thirty seconds behind and would have to pull quite the performance out of the bag on the last two stages to stay in the running. So, it was lining up to be a duel between Gusti Wildhaber and Basil Weber. On Stage 3, the most technical stage of the day, Basil Weber pulled ahead, putting an additional twenty seconds between himself and second-placed Gusti Wildhaber. With Patrick Lüthi nowhere to be seen, Basil Weber headed into the last stage of the day with a twenty-five second lead and managed his advantage with confidence. He crowned himself Swiss Enduro Champion with an incredible twenty eight second lead and three stage wins.

In the women’s race, only four seconds split the top four riders after Stage 1. Caro Gehrig was fastest ahead of reigning champion Lisa Baumann, followed by Anita Gehrig and Ines Thoma of Germany. On Stage 2, Lisa Baumann took the lead with a stage win, establishing a small four advantage over Caro Gehrig. On the third stage in the famous Green Valley, Caro was able to regain the overall lead, creeping out in front by about three seconds. With Anita Gehrig and Ines Thoma struggling to fight back it came down to a battle between the top two riders. The Swiss championship was decided for the women on the last stage starting on Crap Sogn Gion. The longest and fastest stage of the day seemed to suit Lisa Baumann well and she ended up securing the Swiss championship title for the second time with a lead of over 5 seconds.
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Results Elite Men: