Esther Suss was crowned Swiss XCM Champion on Sunday. Ariane Kleinhans finished in second place just under a minute behind the defending champion.
“The race started very well. It was a fast start with the men. I felt really good early on in the race. On the first climb, I build a gap on the rest of the field and my legs felt really strong. After the first big climb, there is a technical downhill section and I knew that I was a little too cautious down the descent.”
“I looked back to see if Esther has closed the gap, but I did not see her.”
“Up the second climb I could see Esther closing the gap. I had good feeling in the legs, but she finally caught me on one of the climbs. She made a small attack and I managed to stay with her for a little while. When she attacked the second time, I could not go with her. “
“I took many risks down the last descent and I closed the gap to Esther, but it was not enough”
“My form was really good coming into this race. I am not happy with my result, but I gave it everything I had. Now we look to Marathon Wold Championships next weekend. It will be a tough race with the gradient never less than 10% on the climbs”
Photo by: Marin Platter
Women Elite results
| 1 | Süss Esther | 03:47:55 | Switzerland |
| 2 | Kleinhans Ariane | 03:48:46 | Switzerland |
| 3 | Landtwing Milena | 04:01:08 | Switzerland |
