Historic victory for Alessandra Keller
Alessandra Keller from Team Thömus maxon celebrated a historic triumph at the Cross-Country World Cup in Lenzerheide. Keller became the first Swiss woman ever to win an XCO race in Lenzerheide, securing her second World Cup victory in this discipline. Vital Albin put in a strong performance in the men’s race, finishing in an impressive 8th place as the best Swiss rider.
The race was fiercely contested from the start. In the penultimate of seven laps, Keller picked up the pace decisively and pulled away from her last remaining competitor, Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds. Driven on by the frenetic support of the home crowd, she rode the last few kilometers at the limit and confidently maintained her lead to the finish line. Rissveds finished second, 16 seconds behind, while Savilia Blunk from the US secured third place despite a fall.
Carried by around 20,000 Swiss MTB fans, Keller summed up her feelings at the finish line, overjoyed: «It has always been a dream to win here in Lenzerheide. I love this track and the atmosphere was just incredible. Once I managed to pull away from Jenny, there was only one thing on my mind. I was completely in tunnel vision for the last two laps. But the last few meters were incredible and I was able to really enjoy the atmosphere once again.»
Albin best Swiss rider
At Nino Schurter’s grand farewell, Vital Albin impressed as the best Swiss rider. Albin rode a tactically clever race and steadily worked his way up from 15th position. With a strong effort in the final lap, Albin finished in an impressive 8th place – his second-best result of the season. « Racing in front of a home crowd is always special – it’s great. But to be able to deliver such a performance in front of so many familiar faces, friends, and family is fantastic.»
Mathias Flückiger and Lars Forster failed to get going. Flückiger had been feeling unwell all week, while Forster started the home World Cup not feeling 100%. In the end, they finished in disappointing 44th and 50th place.
World Cup finals overseas
With Alessandra Keller’s success, the entire Thömus maxon team is highly motivated as it travels to the remaining two World Cup events in North America in a week’s time, where it will be aiming for further top results.