Reis wins by slim nine-second margin

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Surrounded by steep Alps, Ricardo Paulo Reis Marinheiro (Portugal) won the men’s junior race here in Champéry on the strength of his climbing. Reto Indergand (Switzerland) battled hard for the victory but had to settle for second place. Matthias Stirnemann (Switzerland) was third, Evan Guthrie (Canada) fourth, and Aurelien Daniel fifth.

The course at Champéry is technical, with many steep climbs and descents. Riders who could handle the steep climbs well faired much better than riders accustomed to flatter courses. Marinheiro and Indergand rode much of the race together, but Indergand suffered a small crash on flat singletrack with one half lap to go, allowing his rival to get away on the final climb.

"On the second lap I attacked and got twenty meters but he came back. He crashed on the last lap so I attacked again on the uphill section," said Marinheiro.

Evan Guthrie, a pre-race favorite appeared to have a bit of trouble with the steepness of the course. "It was very hard after all the travel. I didn’t have a great start and fell back quite a bit then had to pass some guys. But on the steep part of the climb the gap would open up huge….that was my weakest part. Then I would close the gap on the false flat at the top. But, I’m happy to go home with another medal."

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