Successful start to the 2022 Swiss Enduro Series in LAAX

There was a lot at stake for the more than 400 participants in the first round of the 2022 Swiss Enduro Series in LAAX, because not only were Enduro World Series points up for grabs, but the Swiss Enduro Championship titles were also at stake right at the start of the season. Great atmosphere and cloudless weather provided the perfect backdrop for the battle at the second Swiss Enduro Championships.

On the rather flowing but very physical course, the participants were challenged on four long stages. In the balanced starting field of the Elite Men, experienced Enduro World Series athletes Patrick Lüthi and Gustav Wildhaber were considered the favorites. At the last Swiss Championships in Lötschental, the two fought an intense duel, with Lüthi coming out on top. In the women's race, everyone was excited to see the three-way battle between the local Gehrig twins and defending champion Lisa Baumann.

Elite Men: Downhill riders also strong in enduro

On the first stage, Gusti Wildhaber set a fantastic time and beat the second-placed local rider and UCI Downhill World Cup racer Basil Weber by 0.6 seconds. On the second stage, Basil Weber took the lead with a six-second advantage. At this point, the reigning Swiss champion Patrick Lüthi was more than 30 seconds behind Weber and was unable to fight his way back onto the podium before the end of the race. He finished the race in fifth place. Everything pointed to a close battle between Gusti Wildhaber and Basil Weber. But on the technically demanding third stage, Weber managed a very clean run, gaining almost 20 additional seconds on Wildhaber in second place. Basil Weber entered the final and longest stage of the day with a 25-second lead. With his third stage victory and a fabulous lead of almost 28 seconds, he was crowned Swiss Enduro Champion!

Elite Women: Last year's winner impresses again

In the women's race, the top four riders were separated by just four seconds after stage 1. Carolin Gehrig was ahead of reigning Swiss champion Lisa Baumann, her twin sister Anita Gehrig, and Ines Thoma from Germany. On the second stage, Lisa Baumann took the stage win and built up a small lead of four seconds over Carolin Gehrig. On the third stage in Green Valley, Carolin regained the overall lead by just under three seconds, with the two professionals, Anita and Ines, falling slightly further behind. The Swiss championship for women was decided on the final stage, which started at Crap Sogn Gion. The longest and fastest stage of the day seemed to suit Lisa Baumann well, and she ultimately secured the Swiss championship title for the second time with a lead of over 5 seconds.

All results from SES LAAX are available at swissenduro.ch/copy-of-results.