Great podium finish for Alessandra Keller in Lenzerheide
Alessandra Keller has provided the big highlight for Team Thömus maxon with her hard-fought third place at the home World Cup in Lenzerheide. Even if the men missed the podium, it was an extremely successful weekend for the whole team.
Pure suspense in the women’s race until the last meter. Five riders fought a duel until the last meter in front of a huge crowd of spectators. While the European champion Loana Lecomte (Fra) took the victory in Lenzerheide for the second time in a row, Alessandra Keller achieved a strong third place. It was only on the curved finishing straight that Keller was able to catch and overtake world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot.
Old wisdom proves itself
“The race is not over until the finish line. As always, I fought for every second, for every meter and always gave my best. I am overjoyed with this third place on the podium,” Alessandra Keller summed up at the finish line. Addressed to the fantastic atmosphere, Keller added: “I tried to run the race with an open mind and also to absorb the incredible atmosphere and turn it into positive energy. I managed to do that and enjoy it despite the extreme effort.”
In the men’s race, the trio of Albin, Flückiger and Forster started furiously. In the first two laps, all of them were present in the top 10. Vital Albin even led the race for a while before he had to pay a little tribute to his speed: “I just wanted to give it a try today and see how far I can go. Even though I “only” finished 15th in the end, I don’t regret the way I rode today. It was a super experience and will help me in the future.”
Victory in the team classification and strong Luke Wiedmann
Not satisfied with his result was Mathias Flückiger, who finished in 11th place: “Of course I hoped for more. That’s why I’m disappointed. But today, also in view of the previous days and my injury, simply went no more,” said the Swiss champion. Thanks to the 13th place of Lars Forster, however, Thömus maxon won the award for the best team in the men’s category for the second time in a row.
In the morning, Luke Wiedmann also convinced in the race of the U23 category. Wiedmann did not have a perfect start and was already behind the six top riders after the first lap. But he rode his laps constantly, practically always alone and hardly lost any time until the final. With this very consistent performance, Wiedmann took a strong seventh place.
Already next week the third World Cup of the season is on the program in Leogang (Ö).