Absalon speeds to Worlds warm-up win at Swiss Racer Bikes Cup

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With just a few days to go until the start of the world championships in Champery, Switzerland, some of the favorites raced before a large crowd during the final of the Swiss Racer Bikes Cup in Muttenz. Foreigners triumphed in both elite categories with Julien Absalon of France winning the elite men's race and Annie Last of Great Britain taking the elite women's race. Lukas Flückiger in second and Kathrin Stirnemann in third were the best Swiss riders in each of those events.

In the men's race, 93 racers from 22 nations took to the start, but series leader Nino Schurter was not at the start. Lukas Flückiger was interested in the overall series and he led at the start as Absalon drove the chase. On lap three, the pair joined forces together with chasers Moritz Milatz, Patrick Gallati, Severin Disch, Matthias Stirnemann, Lukas Kaufmann and Marcel Kaufmann in hot pursuit.

After two more laps, Flückiger crashed and Absalon took advantage of the situation - that was the deciding point in the race. The Olympic champion took the race ahead of Milatz in third. The best under 23 racer was Matthias Stirnemann in seventh place.

The women's race was without overall leader Lisi Osl of Austria, which left Last to battle Sabine Spitz and Kathrin Stirnemann. Last forced the outcome in the final lap and won with a 30-second margin ahead of Spitz and Stirnemann.

Linda Indergand took the junior women's race in the absence of favorite Jolanda Neff. Among the junior men European 'cross champion Lars Foster finished head of Andri Frischknecht and American Howard Grotts.

Stefan Peter won the Amtaeurs and Masters category.

Full Results