The SwissPower Cup #1 opened April 1 in Schaan, Liechtenstein. It was the first-ever foreign opener...
Julien Absalon (Image credit: Eduard Aguilera)
The SwissPower Cup #1 opened April 1 in Schaan, Liechtenstein. It was the first-ever foreign opener for the series. Julien Absalon (Orbea) and Sabine Spitz (Ghost International) won the elite men's and women's categories.
Racing started right from the gun for the 160-rider elite men's field. Absalon pushed the pace early, and racers started dropping off almost immediately. His victory was almost assured early on, and the battle raged behind him for the other podium places. Florian Vogel (Swisspower), Nino Schurter (Swisspower), Fredrik Kessiakoff (Cannondale-Vredestein), and Inaki Lejarreta Errasti (Orbea) worked together on the final lap. Kessiakoff and Vogel took second and third.
Irina Kalentieva (Topeak-Ergon) and Spitz fought a duel in the women's race. Initially, on the first three laps, Renata Bucher (Stockli-Craft) was able to keep up, however she fell back to sixth place in the end.
2003 World Champion Spitz got away on the second lap from the end and to take her first Swisspower Cup victory of the season. Third place was decided in a battle taken by Italian Eva Lechner (Colnago) and Sabrina Enaux (Lapierre International).
The next Swisspower Cup stage takes place in two weeks in Winterthur.
