Formula

Boosted by three stage victories the Stöckli bike team duo Urs Huber and Konny Looser won the prestigious Mountain Bike Transalp for the very first time. Both marathon aces controlled the race in a convincing manner, even during the last leg of the eight-stage race from Mittenwald to Riva del Garda, again with a second place at the finish.

“The last leg was special. Although we knew yesterday evening that overall victory was practically in our lap we still had to master the remaining 75 kilometers,” Huber commented as leader before the start of the final leg. “We thus aimed at simply repeating the concentrated riding we put into the past seven days,” Stöckli team colleague Konny Looser added.

No sooner said than done. Neck and neck with the duo was a strong Full Dynamix team who during the entire week tried in vain to gain a stage victory. Right from the start of the first long ascent the Full Dynamix team stayed in tow with the Stöckli leaders – a constellation that did not change until the end of the race. “On the long flat stretch heading towards Riva del Garda we harmonized well and thus not only were able to maintain but also improve our lead over the Bulls Team that had been holding second place in the overall standings,” Huber was pleased to say. After the race he then left immediately for Küblis to start in the Swiss Bike Masters as the previous year’s winner. This provided an exciting comparison of performance thanks to the presence of bike marathon world champion Christoph Sauser who was also at the start in Prättigau.

As on the previous day, the Stöckli leaders left the stage victory to the initiators of the breakaway group, in this case the Italians. “What a feeling to drive calmly into the finish line in front of many enthusiastic spectators,” Huber raved. “Reaching the goal that we had set eight days previously in Mittenwald was simply a perfect finish,” Looser added.