Strong performances go unrewarded
Team Thömus maxon looks back on an intense—and at times unlucky—World Cup weekend in Pal Arinsal (Andorra). Despite being in good shape and posting promising lap times, the raw numbers in the standings do not fully reflect the riders’ potential. Alessandra Keller posted the team’s best result with a 7th-place finish.
After a chaotic start and a crash halfway through the race, Alessandra Keller showed great resilience and fought her way back to 7th place with a strong catch up game.
The Swiss champion offered a level-headed analysis at the finish: “I touched Savilia Blunk’s rear wheel during the startperiode and had to get off my bike. Then I was pretty far back after the first lap and had to start a comeback. On top of that, I had a self-inflicted crash on the third lap. After that, I just tried to find my pace. Actually, I’m satisfied with my performance, because it was a pretty rough race. And yet I still managed to finish 7th.”
Vital Albin solid; mechanical issue costs Flückiger a good result
Vital Albin got off to a solid start from the front row and delivered his usual competitive performance. He crossed the finish line in a respectable 18th place and is already looking ahead: “I struggled quite a bit throughout the entire race, hovering between 15th and 20th place. I’m not disappointed with my 18th-place finish. It’s a very solid result, and I’m looking forward to the Swiss Championships.”
For Mathias Flückiger, a top-15 finish would have been well within reach. A mechanical issue halfway through the race cost him a lot of time and sent him far back in the field. The fact that he still finished the race in 25th place while posting strong lap times is encouraging.
Lars Forster is still struggling to find his rhythm, finishing the race in 58th place.
Conclusion: The trend is positive
Even though the really big results didn’t materialize in Andorra, team manager Ralph Näf takes away a lot of positives: “That was an important step in the right direction. The physical condition and morale are good—now we need to get the necessary bit of racing luck back on our side for the upcoming races.” The Swiss Championships are already on the schedule for next weekend in Leysin.