Absalon races to win in Switzerland

Olympic champion and Frenchman Julien Absalon (Orbea) and World Champion Irina Kalentieva (Topeak-Ergon Racing Team) of Russia won the elite races at the Racer Bikes Cup in Tesserete. A total of 639 racers competed in round two of the national series.

The men raced in cool, dry conditions, and the favorites soon emerged at the front on the first lap. Absalon, Italian champion Marco Aurelio Fontana (Cannondale Factory Racing), Tony Longo (Full-Dynamix) and Alexis Vuillermoz (Lapierre International) dominated in the beginning.

On the fourth lap, Longo suffered a mechanical and dropped out of the race while others struggled to keep up with the speedy Absalon as he soon found himself solo off the front. Lukas Flückiger (Trek World Racing) raced in second place, making up some ground and Vuillermoz and Fontana followed.

Absalon went on to win his ninth Racer Bikes Cup round. Flückiger tried to hold on for second place, but Absalon's compatriot Vuillermoz got him in the end.

"I am happy with the outcome on this great track," said Vuillermoz.

"I was missing some liveliness," said Flückiger, who was Switzerland's top finisher with his third.

21-year-old Patrik Gallati was the top Under 23 rider.

The women's race was a tight one with World Champion Irina Kalentieva winning by just three seconds ahead of Frenchwoman Cécile Ravanel (Lapierre International). Eva Lechner (Colnago Arreghini Südtirol) was third, and Esther Süss (Wheeler-IXS Pro Team) in fourth, was the top Swiss woman.

"A beautiful course," said the winner Kalentieva, who was racing her bike for the first time this year. Ravanel seconded Kalentieva's comments on the course.

Jolanda Neff (ewz-Giant MTB-Team) celebrated her second win in the junior women's category while fellow Swiss rider Roger Walder (Scott-Swisspower MTB Racing) won the junior men's race.

Lukas Loretz (Giant-Swiss-Team) won the amateur and master's race by a razor-thin margin. Two weeks ago, Loretz was beaten by a similar margin by German Markus Schulte. This time, he reversed the tables and won ahead of Matthias Stirnemann (Merida Suisse Team) and Reto Indergand (TG Zentralschweiz/IG RS-Uri).

Full Results