Schurter leads powerful Swiss team to mountain bike worlds

Nino Schurter (Scott Swisspower) leading a climb on lap three

Nino Schurter (Scott Swisspower) leading a climb on lap three (Image credit: Dave McElwaine)

Swiss Cycling has selected 30 cross country and four cross riders for the Swiss National Team heading to the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships on September 1-5. The worlds will be held in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, Canada.

Current World Champion Nino Schurter will be going for his second consecutive title. He'll be joined by former World Champion Christoph Sauser, Lukas Flückiger, Fabian Giger, Martin Gujan, Ralph Näf and recent World Cup winner Florian Vogel.

On the women's side, European cross country champion Katrin Leumann will lead a strong team including newly crowned marathon World Champion Esther Süss, World Cup round winner Nathalie Schneitter and Sarah Koba and Marielle Saner-Guinchard.

The Swiss team often excels in international-level men's and women's individual cross country events at the junior, U23 and elite levels, and after winning the European Championship in July, it is also a favorite for the team relay at worlds.

Not as well known for its four cross accomplishments, the Swiss team will send two men and one woman: David Graf, Roger Rinderknecht and Lucia Oetjen for that event.

The downhill roster is still pending following the European Championships this past weekend.

Swiss National Team for the 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships

Cross Country

Elite men
Lukas Flückiger
Fabian Giger
Martin Gujan
Ralph Näf
Christoph Sauser
Nino Schurter
Florian Vogel

Elite women
Katrin Leumann
Sarah Koba
Marielle Saner-Guinchard
Nathalie Schneitter
Esther Süss

Under 23 men
Severin Disch
Mathias Flückiger
Martin Fanger
Patrik Gallati
Thomas Litscher
Pascal Meyer

Under 23 women
Michelle Hediger
Vivienne Meyer
Kathrin Stirnemann

Junior women
Jolanda Neff
Vania Schumacher

Junior men
Claude Koster
Fabian Paumann
Stefan Peter
Roger Walder

Four cross

Elite men
David Graf
Roger Rinderknecht

Elite women
Lucia Oetjen

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Sue George is an editor at Cyclingnews.  She coordinates all of the site's mountain bike race coverage and assists with the road, 'cross and track coverage.