40-year-old, two-time SPAR Swiss Epic champion, Lukas Flückiger stormed to stage victory and into the general classification race lead alongside his BIXS Performance 2 teammate, Gian Schmid, on Stage 4. The Swiss combination leapfrogged from third to first on the leaderboard to set up what is sure to be a dramatic final stage on Saturday. Another strong climbing performance from CANNONDALE ISB SPORT all but secured Monica Calderon and Tessa Kortekaas the UCI Women’s title, with a day remaining in the race.
BIXS Performance teams embarked on a bold early attack which paid dividends in the form of a stage victory and the yellow jerseys for Gian Schmid and Lukas Flückiger. Photo by Michael Chiaretta.
Lukas Flückiger had no fear of Fridays as he and Gian Schmid blitzed the Stage 4 SPAR Swiss Epic route from Davos to Chur, on 23 August 2024. The BIXS Performance 2 combination had started the day in third, but stage victory by 1 minute and 46 seconds allowed them to usurp KTM Alchemist Brenta Brakes’ Lorenzo and Nicolas Samparisi and seize the leaders’ jerseys. In the UCI Women’s competition Monica Calderon and Tessa Kortekaas continued their inexorable march to the title by winning for the fourth time., despite two crashes. This sets the CANNONDALE ISB SPORT team up to achieve a rare clean-sweep of stage victories on Saturday’s final stage.
Misleadingly dubbed a downhill day, due to the 3 350 metres of descending on the 64 kilometre course from Davos to Chur, the route still featured three challenging climbs. These included the Walser Mule climb to the summit of the Strelapass, at 2 352 metres above sea level, as well as the ascent to Schanfigger Ridge and that of the Mittenberg. The final 16 kilometres however were effectively all downhill, from the Mittenberg at 1 500 metres above sea level to Chur at just 500 metres.
The KTM Alchemist Brenta Brakes team fought manfully over the first two climbs before losing contact completely on the third and final climb of the stage. Photo by Sam Clark.
Together with the BIXS Performance 1 team, Flückiger and Schmid went on the attack from the off. They managed to gain a narrow but ultimately vital advantage by the 25 kilometre mark. Behind them the KTM Alchemist Brenta Brakes pair were fighting to maintain a grip on yellow. “We could stay with the main group, chasing the BIXS Performance teams, on the first two climbing,” Nicolas Samparisi recalled. “But then on the third climb we could only push very slowly and the gap went out quickly.” “The first climb was okay, but on the second I lost power,” Lorenzo Samparisi confessed. “It was a very tough day for me today!”
The opposite was true for Flückiger and Co, though it did not go all to plan. “We stayed together with the BIXS Performance 1 team because the plan was for Team 1 to go for the stage win and for us to go for the general classification,” the 2016 and 2022 SPAR Swiss Epic winner said. Unfortunately for the BIXS Performance set-up, Team 1 had a mechanical just before the third service station, at the 49 kilometre mark, which put them out of the running for stage honours.
On a downhill day to Chur there was still a lot of climbing to conquer. Photo by Michael Chiaretta.
This did not slow BIXS Performance 2’s flight through the closing kilometres though. Despite the fact that they did not know they were racing their way into yellow; Flückiger and Schmid pushed on to seize back every possible second from the Samparisis and the Mondraker Walter MTB – KA BOOM Krapf team, who had both started the stage ahead of the day’s winners. “We didn’t expect to be in yellow. This is a massive bonus! One more stage to go now, lets see how the legs are speaking tomorrow,” Flückiger smiled.
When the dust settled on the Chur finish line BIXS Performance 2 had won the stage by 1 minute and 46 seconds over Ursin Spescha and Simon Walter. BUFF MEGAMO’s Hans Becking and Wout Alleman enjoyed their best day of the race and were third on the stage. Lorenzo and Nicolas Samparisi ceded 7 minutes and 24 seconds to the winners, which dropped them from first to third on the general classification. The new leaders take a 60 second advantage, over Mondraker Walter MTB – KA BOOM Krapf’s Spescha and Walter, into the final stage. While the final news from the UCI Men’s race on Stage 4 was that of Fabian Rabensteiner’s withdrawal from the event. The Wilier Vittoria man did not start Stage 3, which relegated the Italian Marathon Champion and his teammate, Samuele Porro, out of the overall standings.
Fabian Rabensteiner did not start Stage 4. Photo by Michael Chiaretta.
For the second stage in a row CANNONDALE ISB SPORT’s route to victory was anything but serene. Despite adding another 4 minutes and 7 seconds to their general classification buffer Calderon and Kortekaas had to overcome several obstacles. The Colombian started the day with her right knee bandaged after her Stage 3 fall, but on Stage 4 it was Kortekaas’s turn to flirt with disaster.
“Nothing was easy today,” the former triathlete laughed. “The climbs were tough and the downhills were technical. Because of that we were longer on the bike than we expected. I also had two crashes today. The one was like a superman… I had to get off the bike and I didn’t dismount like I expected. Later there was another technical downhill and because of my earlier crash I was very cautious. There was a drop and I tried to stop, but I couldn’t manage to come to a stop without crashing again.”
Tessa Kortekaas took two tumbles but emerged unschathed from the penultimate stage. Photo by Michael Chiaretta.
The only damage, fortunately, was a muddy orange CIOVITA jersey. Though the incidents highlight how quickly things can change at the SPAR Swiss Epic. “I’m hoping for an easier day tomorrow,” Danielle Strydom stated, after finishing alongside Vera Looser. “But to be honest, I know it will be just as tough as today! The climbs are steep and the descents are really technical in places, so you have to be focused all the time.”
Stage 5 will demand the teams’ full attention with its three major climbs and 2 450 metres of accumulated ascending. The final day begins with a climb to the Höhenweg, at 2 321 metres above sea level, before descending the world-famous Panorama Trail and racing down the Gotschnaboden Trail towards the Alps Path climb and the Clavadeler Alp. The Ischalp and Bolgen Trails all but complete the 2024 SPAR Swiss Epic experience and bring the 62 kilometre long course to a fitting conclusion.
Danielle Strydom is under no illusions as to how tough the final stage of the 2024 SPAR Swiss Epic will be. Photo by Michael Chiaretta.
To see if BIXS Performance 2 and CANNONDALE ISB Sport can maintain their holds on the yellow and orange jerseys, respectively, 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.
Monica Calderon’s bandaged right knee. . Photo by Marius Holler.
2024 SPAR Swiss Epic Results:
UCI Men | Stage 4:
- BIXS Performance 2: Gian Schmid & Lukas Flückiger (3:09:48)
- Mondraker Walter MTB – KA BOOM Krapf: Ursin Spescha & Simon Walter (3:11:34 | +1:46)
- BUFF MEGAMO: Hans Becking & Wout Alleman (3:13:58 | +4:10)
- KTM Alchemist Brenta Brakes: Lorenzo & Nicolas Samparisi (3:17:12 | +7:24)
- BIXS Performance 1: Joel Roth & Timon Rüegg (3:17:17 | +7:29)
UCI Women | Stage 4:
- CANNONDALE ISB SPORT: Monica Calderon & Tessa Kortekaas (4:09:45)
- Efficient Infiniti: Vera Looser & Danielle Strydom (4:13:52 | +4:07)
- 1Vision – Concordia Burggen: Daniela Höfler & Antonia Daubermann (4:15:58 | +6:13)
- MenteCorpo Cicli Drigani: Costanza Fasolis & Chiara Burato (4:27:48 | +18:03)
- Next Ride – Santa Cruz: Chrystelle Baumann & Sandra Stadelmann (4:46:50| +37:05)
The Stage 4 UCI Men’s podium at the SPAR Swiss Epic. Photo by Marius Holler.
The Stage 4 UCI Women’s podium at the SPAR Swiss Epic. Photo by Marius Holler.
UCI Men’s General Classification after Stage 4:
- BIXS Performance 2: Gian Schmid & Lukas Flückiger (13:03:16)
- Mondraker Walter MTB – KA BOOM Krapf: Ursin Spescha & Simon Walter (13:04:16 | +1:00)
- KTM Alchemist Brenta Brakes: Lorenzo & Nicolas Samparisi (13:08:08 | +4:52)
- Klimatiza Toteemi Cabberty 2: Miguel Munoz & Sebastian Gesche (13:17:21 | +14:05)
- Ischgl-Simplon-KMC: Teus Ruijter & Michael Wohlgemuth (13:32:52 | +29:36)
UCI Women’s General Classification after Stage 4:
- CANNONDALE ISB SPORT: Monica Calderon & Tessa Kortekaas (16:27:25)
- Efficient Infiniti: Vera Looser & Danielle Strydom (16:47:54 | +20:29)
- MenteCorpo Cicli Drigani: Costanza Fasolis & Chiara Burato (17:10:48 | +43:23
- 1Vision – Concordia Burggen: Daniela Höfler & Antonia Daubermann (17:32:20 | +1:04:55)
- Next Ride – Santa Cruz: Chrystelle Baumann & Sandra Stadelmann (18:38:52 | +2:11:27)
For the full results from the 2024 SPAR Swiss Epic click here.
Gian Schmid and Lukas Fluckiger will start the final stage in the yellow CIOVITA jerseys. Photo by Marius Holler.
The final kilometres of the SPAR Swiss Epic took teams along the Rhine River into Chur. Photo by Marius Holler.
