Fast and Furious Racing at the Tamaro Trophy

Once again this year, the Swiss Bike Cup at Monte Ceneri proved to be a world-class race. The races were filled with big names from the mountain biking world, and the track was strewn with sharp rocks, steep climbs, and technical sections.

So the first major test awaited our riders with the Tamaro Trophy. Following the successful weekend in Gränichen, spirits were high, and motivation was even higher. The weather cooperated somewhat better this weekend too. Sunday greeted us with sunshine and a pleasant 11 degrees Celsius. Perfect conditions for fast races.

For Fiona, the weekend started a bit roughly. A crash during the track inspection on Saturday left its marks, casting doubt on her participation initially. Nevertheless, she remained confident and found herself at the starting line for the U23 women's race just before 12:00 on Sunday. Once again, the competition was fierce with incredibly fast riders. She had a good start and crossed the finish line after the first lap in 13th place. With the seventh fastest lap time in the second lap, she managed to secure 9th place. However, the following laps showed that the crash had taken its toll on her. "I was in some pain, especially in my back, and I had to gather myself after the descents before tackling the next climb," Fiona remarked. Despite this, she fought bravely through the race and finished in a very respectable 11th place.

Shortly after, it was the guys' turn. An unusual sight greeted us at the starting line because all three had to line up quite far back due to lacking world ranking points. It was time for a comeback. Nick and Fabio had a very good start, and they were able to make up several positions in the steep ascent of about a minute. Luca missed his pedal at the starting line, putting him at a slight disadvantage. However, he pushed hard during the first lap and fought his way back towards the top 15 by the second lap. In the third lap, he had a collision with another rider which caused a brief fall, but he didn't let that deter him and managed to finish in 15th place. Certainly, there was more potential, but overall it was a very solid race. Nick found a good rhythm relatively quickly and steadily worked his way up the field. Temporarily in 19th place, he had to yield to Thomas Litscher in the final lap but still secured a place in the top 20. Fabio didn't have the perfect day, but he battled through and managed to pick up the pace towards the end, earning him 26th place. With these results, we can definitely be satisfied in such a highly competitive race, even though it's clear that there's more to come.