Three victories for Flückiger, Keller and Wiedmann
At Mathias Flückiger’s home race, the final round of the ÖKK Bike Revolution in Huttwil, Thömus maxon could celebrate three victories. Local hero Flückiger won in front of his large home crowd, as did Alessandra Keller. While Luke Wiedmann took the U23 victory, Keller also won the women’s overall classification after her fourth series victory in a row.
Mathias Flückiger wore several hats at the international mountain bike race in Huttwil. Firstly, he was a local hero; he lives less than ten minutes away from the race course. Then he was involved in the local organization of the event as a course builder and ambassador. And last but not least, he was the big favorite. Flückiger mastered all three functions in style.
Flückiger pushed the pace right from the start. It came down to a duel with Marcel Guerrini. In a battle of attrition and much to the delight of the crowd, Flückiger won by seven seconds. Guerrini came second and thus secured the overall victory. Jordan Sarrou (Fra) rode to third place. Lars Forster was sixth on the day. Vital Albin had less luck, crashing heavily while in seventh position. With a suspected concussion, he was transferred to Langenthal Hospital for further examinations.
Keller takes overall victory with fourth win in a row
In the women’s race, Alessandra Keller, currently the best Swiss mountain biker, pulled away from the start and celebrated a controlled, unchallenged victory at the end of the day. Sina Frei crossed the finish line in second place, 14 seconds behind; Nicole Koller took third place. It was Keller’s fourth victory in a row. Only in Chur did she have to concede victory to the eventual Olympic champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot in second place. With this strong performance this season, Keller won the overall standings of ÖKK Bike Revolution by a wide margin.
Wiedmann makes for the perfect day
Luke Wiedmann ensured the perfect day for Thömus maxon. In the separate men’s U23 race, Wiedmann showed his full potential, put his stamp on the race and ultimately won in superior style.
Next Sunday, Luke Wiedmann is scheduled to compete in the final race of the CIC Swiss Bike Cup in Lenzerheide before the whole team heads to the USA and Canada for the last two World Cups of the season.