Schurter wins home race

There were no surprises at the Racer Bikes Cup round in Flims, Switzerland, on Saturday afternoon, when World Champion Nino Schurter (Scott Swisspower) and Esther Süss (Wheeler-IXS Pro Team) won.

Local hero Schurter finished 12 seconds ahead of Lukas Flückiger (Trek World Racing) at the the finish. Heat and the circuit proved to be selective in determining the race's outcome. On lap one of eight total, Schurter, Martin Gujan (Cannondale) and the two Flückiger brothers established themselves quickly as the leaders, with a gap to the rest of the field.

The world's best ranked Under 23 rider Matthias Flückiger (Trek World Racing) put in a strong performance, but suffered a flat tire during lap two and had to make a comeback to work his way back onto the podium.

Schurter got away on lap four and got himself a lead of almost a minute. On the finale lap, Lukas Flückiger managed to come close to Schurter, but the local favorite held on for the victory.

Despite his flat, Matthias Flückiger worked his way back into third place.

In the women's race, European marathon champion Esther Süss won her final test before the European Championships next week in Israel. She built a steady lead from the start of the six-lap race, and at the end, she finished one and a half minutes ahead of German Elisabeth Brandau (Team Haibike) and the third-placed Sarah Koba (Team Giant Swiss).

Roger Walder (Scott Swisspower) and Linda Indergand (FRM TG Zentralschweiz/IG-RS Uri) won the junior men's and women's races while Matthias Stirnemann (Merida Suisse) won the amateur and masters category.

The next major Swiss race is the National Championships in Gränichen in two weekends although the race will not count toward the Racer Bikes Cup series.

Results