Gold for Keller and Flückiger – total triumph for Thömus maxon
The Swiss XCO Championships in Crans Montana (VS) turned into the big festival for Thömus maxon. Gold for Alessandra Keller and Mathias Flückiger, who successfully defended their titles from last year. With silver for Lars Forster and bronze for Vital Albin, all three medals in the elite men’s race went to Thömus maxon. Since U23 rider Luke Wiedmann also made it to the podium in third place, the maximum of five medals was achieved.
In the women’s race, Alessandra Keller never left any doubt as to who would wear the red jersey with the white cross for the next 365 days. The world number 1 already pulled away in the first lap and defended her title from last year in a superior way. After winning gold in the short track on Friday, Keller is now double Swiss champion.
Keller superior and controlled
“This title means a lot to me today. We are a Swiss team, have the absolute Swissnesss and now I can compete all over the world with the Swiss cross on my chest. It was a perfect day for me, because thanks to my big lead I was able to control the race well, to dose the risk and even to save energy in the last two laps in view of the upcoming competitions with the home World Cup in Lenzerheide”, the Swiss champion was overjoyed.
Mathias Flückiger also fully lived up to his role as favorite. He already had a 15-second lead after the start lap and extended this continuously. Behind him, Lars Forster and Vital Albin also showed that they are in excellent shape. While Flückiger won with a lead of around two and a half minutes, Forster and Albin secured the silver and bronze medals.
“This jersey simply belongs to me”
For Flückiger it was the third title in a row, the fourth total. A very important victory, as he said at the finish: “It means extremely much to me that I could defend this title today. I love this jersey and it simply belongs to me. Although my feeling wasn’t really good right at the beginning of the race, I was able to deliver a super race afterwards and pull through my rhythm. I had great fun today on the new course in Crans Montana and I’m looking forward to competing here in a World Cup in 2024 and the World Championships in 2025.”
Medals also for Forster, Albin and Wiedmann
Thanks to the extremely strong performances of Lars Forster and Vital Albin, there was even a triple victory for Thömus maxon in the elite men’s race! In addition, Luke Wiedmann won the bronze medal in a close U23 race.
Team manager Ralph Näf was overjoyed: “To go into the race as favorites and to win in such an impressive way is never easy. The fact that the whole team delivered such an incredible performance makes me proud. We are ready and looking forward to the World Cup in Lenzerheide next weekend.”