A dramatic opening day of the SPAR Swiss Epic saw Lorenzo and Nicolas Samparisi edge out the local favourites, Fadri Barandun and Simon Vitzthum, to claim the first stage victory of the 2024 race. The UCI Women’s battle was a less helter-skelter affair with Monica Calderon and Tessa Kortekaas outclimbing their rivals to win the day and seize the orange CIOVITA jerseys.
Monica Calderon and Tessa Kortekaas won the opening stage in the UCI Women’s Race. Photo by Marius Holler.
Stage 1 of the 2024 SPAR Swiss Epic – on Tuesday, 20 August – produced exciting racing over a 75 kilometre long course, which started and finished in La Punt. The UCI Men’s race was blown apart within the opening kilometres, when the pre-race favourites faltered, which enabled the KTM Alchemist Brenta Brakes and Engadin La Punt to battle for stage honours. CANNONDALE ISB SPORT’s path to victory was less fraught, on the opening day, due to their climbing prowess.
Maloja Region of Graubünden played host to day one of the five-day event and the climb to Corviglia, on Piz Nair, dominated the day. The assent to 2 500 metres above sea level dwarfed the earlier climb to the Albula trailhead as well as the later assents. Yet it was not only a stage packed with climbing, as the WM Flow Trail, the Foppettas Flow Trail and the Engadin Ski Marathon trail all provided singletrack thrills too. In total the first stage of the race featured 2 150 metres of accumulated ascending and descending.
All three of the five-star favourite teams floundered on Stage 1. Photo by Marius Holler.
Before the climbing could begin in earnest the SPAR Swiss Epic had its first withdraw. Axel Roudil-Cortinat, of the Bulls Mavericks, was along a group of five-star favourites who took part in the European Marathon Championships in Denmark on Saturday, 17 August. This clearly left the French XCM Champion flat as he abandoned the race within the opening kilometres. Buff Megamo’s Hans Becking and Wout Alleman were also off the pace, as was Wilier Vittoria’s Fabian Rabensteiner and Samuele Porro. Though the Italian team were able to limit their opening day loses best of the three top ranked squads.
The favourites travails did not impact on the excitement at the sharp end of the stage however. The locals, Fadri Barandun and Simon Vitzthum took the fight to Lorenzo and Nicolas Samparisi, Roberto Bou Martin and Luis Martínez, Ursin Spescha and Simon Walter, as well as the two BIXS Performance teams. The group was whittled down by the ferocity of the racing and the challenging nature of the course until only the Engadin La Punt, the KTM Alchemist Brenta Brakes and the KLIMATIZA TOTEEMI CABBERTY teams remined in contention for stage victory. A crash, inside 15 kilometres to go, then put Roberto Bou Martin and Luis Martínez out of the running, setting up a two-team battle for supremacy.
Fadri Barandun and Simon Vitzthum made the racing for much of the stage and but missed out on stage victory. Photo by Nick Muzik.
Track specialist Vitzthum got the jump on the Samparisi brothers inside the final 2 kilometres, but the Italians remained calm, forcing Barandun into a sprint for the line, stage victory and the inaugural yellow jerseys of the 2024 race. “Coming around the final bend I was on the inside, Fadri [Barandun] and I clipped bars,” Lorenzo Samparisi explained. The loss of momentum cost the Swiss rider more dearly than the Italian and KTM Alchemist Brenta Brakes were able to cross the line first.
“I touched the fence, but stayed upright,” Samparisi elaborated. “It’s normal in a sprint for things to be so close and a bit chaotic. I have spoken to Fadri now and I think we’re okay. It’s an amazing day for us, we have been preparing for the SPAR Swiss Epic for two months and to take the jerseys is amazing!”
Lorenzo and Nicolas Samparisi were awarded the stage victory and survived a UCI Commissaire’s investigation into their sprinting. Photo by Marius Holler.
“I wasn’t expecting such a good race, but it was still disappointing to lose it like this, especially here at home,” Barandun grimaced after the finish. “It’s the first race for us together, because Simon [Vitzthum] doesn’t do many mountain bike races. There are a lot of strong teams on the start line and we weren’t expecting to be in contention for stage victories. But now, having seen how well Stage 1 went I think there will be some good opportunities for us in the rest of the race.”
KTM Alchemist Brenta Brakes’ margin of victory was a slender 4 seconds over the Engadin La Punt combination. Mondraker Walter MTB – KA BOOM Krapf’s Spescha and Walter joined the top two teams on the stage podium, ahead of Gian Schmid and Lukas Flückiger as well as Bou Martin and Martínez. The top five teams are all within 30 seconds of each other. There is 266 kilometres of racing still to contest however, so the best placed of the big favourites, Rabensteiner and Porro in tenth at 5 minutes and 39 seconds, are not yet out of the running for overall victory.
The climb to 2 500 metres above sea level was the decisive feature of the stage. Photo by Sam Clark.
In the UCI Women’s race a stellar opening day has Monica Calderon and Tessa Kortekaas leading by nearly that much already. The CANNONDALE ISB SPORT combination climbed away from their closest rivals, Vera Looser and Danielle Strydom, on the ascent to Corviglia and then extended their advantage over the second half of the stage. “I felt really good today. And I didn’t expect to feel so good,” Kortekaas confessed.” It usually takes me a bit of time to get used to the altitude. But I felt good today. Admittedly I could see the European Championships in my heart rate, but my legs were great.”
The Cannondale ISB Sport team put pressure on Efficient Infiniti Racing until Calderon and Kortekaas were able to open a significant advantage. Photo by Sam Clark.
“At one stage on the long climb we could see the chasers and estimated that our advantage was about 2 minutes,” she added. “After that we didn’t know if the gap was getting bigger or smaller. So, we just went at our own pace and I pushed hard on the flats. In the end, looking at the times today and our performance, I think we can feel relatively comfortable going into tomorrow.”
Though Stage 2 will be no easy day. The Queen Stage features 2 400 metres of climbing and takes in the highest peak of the 2024 race, at 2 606 metres above sea level. Starting in La Punt and ending in Davos the course heads north east toward Zernez before turning north west and scaling the mighty Scaletta Pass. The summit is just 20 kilometres from the end of the 76 kilometre long route and is followed by the Dürrboden and Dischma Valley Trails.
The sound of alphorns will welcome riders to the highest point in each stage, including to the summit of the Scaletta Pass on Stage 2. Photo by Sam Clark.
“The Scaletta Pass is a little [cough],” joked Looser, who has four SPAR Swiss Epic finishes to her palmarès already. “We will be climbing all day. But I hope the alphorns will be blown for us at the summit again. That is a really special part of the race!”
To follow the Stage 2 action live mountain biking fans are encouraged to tune into the SPAR Swiss Epic’s live broadcast on the Epic Series YouTube Channel here. Daily highlights from the race can also be viewed on the YouTube Channel, and the excitement from the trails of Graubünden will be shared on the SPAR Swiss Epic Facebook page and @swiss_epic on Instagram. To find out more visit www.epic-series.com/swissepic.
Lukas Fluckiger returned to the SPAR Swiss Epic as rider/manager for the BIXS Performance squad. Photo by Marius Holler.
2024 SPAR Swiss Epic Results:
UCI Men | Stage 1:
- KTM Alchemist Brenta Brakes: Lorenzo Samparisi & Nicolas Samparisi (3:16:39)
- Engadin La Punt: Fadri Barandun & Simon Vitzthum (3:16:43 | +4)
- Mondraker Walter MTB – KA BOOM Krapf: Ursin Spescha & Simon Walter (3:17:03 | +24)
- BIXS Performance 2: Gian Schmid & Lukas Flückiger (3:17:05 | +26)
- KLIMATIZA TOTEEMI CABBERTY: Roberto Bou Martin & Luis Martínez (3:17:09 | +30)
The UCI Women’s podium after Stage 1 of the 2024 SPAR Swiss Epic. Photo by Marius Holler.
UCI Women | Stage 1:
- CANNONDALE ISB SPORT: Monica Calderon & Tessa Kortekaas (4:03:01)
- Efficient Infiniti: Vera Looser & Danielle Strydom (4:07:57 | +4:56)
- MenteCorpo Cicli Drigani: Costanza Fasolis & Chiara Burato (4:16:21 | +13:20)
- 1Vision – Concordia Burggen: Daniela Höfler & Antonia Daubermann (4:23:01 | +20:00 )
- Next Ride – Santa Cruz: Chrystelle Baumann & Sandra Stadelmann (4:30:22 | +27:21)
For the full results from the 2024 SPAR Swiss Epic click here.
Exceptional purpose built mountain bike singletracks provide incredible riding at the SPAR Swiss Epic. Photo by Sam Clark.
