LyelC

Rebekka Estermann (VC Sursee/Grüter Hans AG) and Vital Albin (Thömus Maxon) are the winners of the fifth of seven XCO races of the 30th CIC ON Swiss Bike Cup

The Queen Stage takes the teams from St. Moritz north to Davos. The stage begins with a short, steep climb up the Munt San Gian and then leads past the Lej da Staz, along the Engadin Marathon course, the seemingly endless flat kilometres, along the Flaz and Inn rivers to Zuoz, before a lively up and down towards the Val Trupchun National Park. Back in the Engadin valley comes the long climb of today's stage. Over the next 15 kilometres, the altitude difference rises from 1 600 to 2 605 metres above sea level. The Val Sasauna, a beautiful valley, compensates for the effort. From the service station Alp Funtauna the demanding ascent is awaiting on a single trail to the highest point. The ascent is mostly manageable on the bike, but if you want to save a little grain, the last 400 m will bemore a bike and hike adventure. The scenery is indescribable and once you reach the top, you know what all the exertion was for. There are 20 kilometres between the top of the Scalettapass and Davos, most of them downhill, many of them on a seemingly endless, stony natural path that bisects the rocky landscape, past Dürrboden into the Dischma valley and on to the stage finish in Davos on fast kilometres.

Stage 3 begins and gets into the climbing immediately. Teams leave St. Moritz and head directly into the mountains and up to the 2 472m above sea level mark within 10 kilometres. The Marmotta Flow Trail is the reward for the early efforts and gently winds down from Corviglia to Marguns with a few jumps – keep an eye out for the local Marmottas on the trail! The route continues its North-East trajectory towards Bever via Samedan.   Once in Val Bever, it is as if time has stood still as pristine nature and total tranquility abound, apart from the buzzing of freehubs from the teams racing through the center of the valley. Here the climbing begins and does not stop until teams reach the summit below Piz Nair at 45 kilometres. The climbs include ascents of the Pass Suvretta and Munt da San Murezzan trail with its incredible views of Bernina massif and the lakes of Engiadina. With the lion’s share of the climbing accounted for, the flow arrives in full force.  First up is the WM Flow Trail; the WM flow trail passes along the legendary racing slope on which three World Ski Championships have been held since 1974. The trail offers a breathtaking panorama and numerous challenging bends – not least a tricky "looping" (360°) bend – note it as something special. After a short climb the Olympia Flow Trail awaits, which has been harmoniously integrated into the surrounding landscape and leads across the 1948 Olympic Ski Slope through rocky terrain, ruggedly romantic Alpine meadows, and fragrant pine forests. The trail was even described by Danny MacAskill as an endless ride on a magic carpet! Finally, the Foppetas Flow Trail ends the day on a trail-induced high through the forest above Champfèr before the finish line is crossed in St. Moritz. Next up, the Queen Stage.

Stage 2 waves goodbye to Lenzerheide, but not before a short jaunt across Lake Heidsee; from 4km to 23km, the route trends downhill and takes in the forest trail from Tschividains to Alvaschein which presents amazing views across the valley to Zorten and Muldain towards Alvaneu. Flat and fast kilometres along the river Albula follow and offer a chance for the legs to awaken before the day’s 22-kilometre-long climb arrives.  The Albula Pass Strasse, along the UNESCO World Heritage section of the Rhaetian Railway, runs as near as possible to the Albula railway, regularly affording enchanting open views of a 100-plus-year-old artwork in stunning Alpine scenery and terrains. Teams pass the tanzenden Hexen von Bellaluna (dancing witches of Bellaluna), the unspoiled alpine village of Bergün, lavishly decorated with sgraffito, frescoes, and oriel windows and the 800-year-old Romanesque church and Roman tower that lie at the foot of the Albula Pass at the gateway to the Engadine. With these views, and the helical tunnels between Bergün and Preda, as well as the postcard-worthy view of the Lej da Palpuegna, the long climb to the summit of the Albula Pass never gets boring.  Once atop Albula Pass, the hard work is rewarded in the form of the Albula Trail, a perfect mtb trail with flow, jumps, and incredible views. After 9 kilometres and 625 vertical metres of descending, flat and fast kilometres (provided there is no wind) from Bever to Pontresina along the Inn and Flaz rivers follow. This section is a real treat for the eyes as teams are surrounded by the majestic Engadin mountains and the wide valley. One final climb, the Moor Plateau Alp da Staz through 1000-year-old Swiss stone pine forests, arrives right at the end of the day to ensure no teams are not too relaxed when they cross the finish line in St. Moritz.

Stage 1 begins in Lenzerheide and heads immediately, yet gradually upward on the lower slopes of the Parpan Schwarzhorn. along the trail Arsola where the burn in the legs is offset with incredible views of the valley below. Once teams reach Arsola the climbing truly begins as they head in the direction of the Panorama Trail to climb and descend the famous trail. The Bikepark FLOWline arrives and teams are treated to a trail that is packed with jumps and berms to get the excitement levels up before diving into the second half of the stage. The route then crosses itself and teams begin to understand why Lenzerheide is known as Bike Kingdom as they race through Nino’s Gold Trail by ÖKK – a trail that made history when Nino Schurter won the 2018 World Cup on it. The route then trends upwards for the next 13 kilometres as teams skirt alpine towns in search of the High Level Trail, from Alp Stätz to Alp Nova and on to Scalottas. Soak in the views of Bike Kingdom as it is not something that can be seen every day! Top Fops then arrives at the 37 kilometre-mark and delivers a pure fun and rock ‘n roll, natural flowing trail with rock gardens that is sure to delight every team in the race. The descending continues until teams reach Got da Lain where they will race through a larch forest and back to the finish. One stage down, four to go!

Since 2006, the competition has taken place in the Zittauer Gebirge nature park in the southeastern border triangle of Germany on the borders of Poland and Czech Republic