Schurter outsprints Absalon in Lugano round of BMC Cup

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Spectators at the BMC Cup in Lugano/Tesserete witnessed a thrilling finish to the elite men's race on Sunday with Nino Schurter (Scott Swisspower) outsprinting Julien Absalon (BMC Racing). Esther Süss (Wheeler-IXS) won the women's race solo.

During the weekend of glorious spring weather, 720 total racers competed on the 6.1km course, which is known for its many technical sections.

Men

Once again the Schurter and Absalon showed no mercy in their fight for victory. Just like in many of their dramatic duels on the World Cup level, they had to find out in a final sprint who would be the day's champion. Only for a short period of time after the start did the two icons tolerate companions: Lukas Flückiger (BMC) was hampered by a flat tire, and last year's winner Moritz Milatz (BMC) suffered from the hot weather. Martin Fanger (BMC), who eventually finished third, was the last to lose contact with Schurter and Absalon.

The two race favorites set a blistering pace and fought a hard battle to the finish line. A critical situation arose when Schurter overtook Absalon in a somewhat risky way in the final U-turn just before the finish line. But this scuffle was deemed to be within the limits of permissible body contact.

"My last cross country race was the Worlds in September 2012," said Schurter after winning. "Some time and a lot of training has passed since then. Now I'm hungry for racing. At the Cape Epic, I felt I was ready for the season. Now after winning the first two races, I have the proof. Good to know I'm on the right track."

Absalon did not waste much time grieving over the lost victory. He found solace in what he had experienced on the race course and was enjoying racing after having finally switched over to riding a bike 29er wheels.

"I am delighted that I managed to keep up with Nino in the descents. He used to be faster than I am in the downhills. Now this experience gives me a lot of confidence for the upcoming big races. And I know now that I am in good shape."

Schurter was also impressed by Absalon's performance in the downhill sections. "He came so close, he even pushed me," the Swiss rider said.

All in all, in the top positions the elite men's race were a fight between two big teams, both located in Switzerland. With only one exception, all riders up to eighth place were either members of team BMC Racing or of Scott Swisspower. Whereas Schurter scored the elite victory for Scott Swisspower, Matthias Stirnemann won the under 23 competition (fourth place overall) for BMC Racing.

Women

In the women's event, Esther Süss found the right rhythm from the beginning. Very early in the race, she broke away from her competitors and remained virtually unchallenged 'til she crossed the finish line after five laps in 1:17:50.

Katrin Leumann (Ghost Factory Racing) was second almost one minute back. Last year's champion Kathrin Stirnemann (Sabine Spitz Haibike Pro Team) snatched the third spot on the podium.

Race winner Esther Süss was feeling strong throughout her lonely race in the front position, but she also was careful not to take any risks. "If I can push myself to speed up, then my competitors are capable to do so as well. Never feel safe with a leading position! Therefore I kept on riding very fast."

Leumann was quite happy with second place. She offered two explanations for not being able to challenge Süss. "My legs were fine, but I had breathing problems due to pollen levels.. In addition, I have recently done some rigorous training for the World Cup races."

Juniors

Frenchman Hugo Pigeon (Velococ laplesse) won the junior men's race.He was 12 seconds faster than Swiss rider Dominic Grab (Grab-Credo/VC Maur). Frenchman Neilo Perrin-Ganier (Focus Rotor Coaching-system) was third.

Alessandra Keller (Strüby MTB Kader) won the junior women's race ahead of Laura Charles (Focus Rotor Coaching-system) and Mallory Barth (JB Felt Team).

Full Results