As anticipated, the battle for victory at the Raid Evolénard, which doubled as the Swiss Marathon MTB Championship, came down to a duel between last year’s winner, Germany’s Andreas Seewald, and the Swiss defending champion, Casey South. Over the 62 km course, Seewald claimed his fourth win at the event, while South successfully defended his national title. Swiss silver went to Martin Fanger, with bronze going, for the second year running, to Andrin Beeli of Graubünden.In the women’s race, Basel’s Anna Weinbeer, world championship runner-up, claimed her first Swiss title, finishing ahead of Italy’s Claudia Peretti and France’s Margot Moschetti. Behind them, the national podium went once again to Alessia Nay of Graubünden (silver, her third in a row) and Stefanie Zahno of Valais (bronze).
Seewald Still Unbeaten in Evolène
From the start, a Swiss trio, Casey South, Martin Fanger, and Fadri Barandun, tried to force an early split by attacking off the front. But the chasing group, led by fellow favorites Andreas Seewald, Andrin Beeli, Frans Claes, and Marc Stutzmann, allowed the leaders only a one minute gap before responding. Seewald, followed shortly after by Beeli and Claes, picked up the pace to steadily close the distance. By the first passage through the finish zone at Les Haudères, the German trailed the duo of South and Fanger by just 30 seconds, with Barandun 15 seconds further back.
As in previous years, it was the final climb to Béplan, the course’s high point at 2,480 m, before the long descent to the finish, that decided the race. “The race was fast from the very start, with Casey and Martin setting an incredible pace. I had to let them go,” Andreas Seewald recalled. “I caught back up on the second climb, but then had a mechanical issue on the descent, and it took me a while to close the gap a second time. Casey gave me a real fight, he was clearly pushing hard. In the end, I just had a bit more left for the final climb.” South ultimately crossed the line 93 seconds behind. Despite oppressive heat, the German beat his own course record by three minutes, finishing in 3:03:45.
For South, the day’s real target had been the national title rather than the overall win. “The course is really beautiful and I enjoyed it a lot,” he said. “I set a strong pace from the start to split the group, and I eventually found myself out front with Fanger. We worked well together. On the final climb I had to let Seewald go, but I was able to open a big gap on Martin, so I’m happy to have successfully defended my Swiss jersey.“
Behind them, the battle for Swiss silver stayed open until the very end: Beeli, finding better legs on the final climb, caught back up to Fanger, and the two went head to head for second place in the national championship, decided only in a sprint finish, with Fanger getting the better of Beeli.
Anna Weinbeer Back in a League of Her Own
In the women’s race, the decisive move came earlier. The two main contenders, Anna Weinbeer and Italian champion Claudia Peretti, rode together at first before the Swiss rider pulled away. Behind them, already at a respectable distance, came former French champion Margot Moschetti, along with the other contenders for the national medals: Alessia Nay, Stefanie Zahno, and Chrystelle Baumann.
Weinbeer reached Les Haudères alone in the lead, already more than four minutes ahead of Peretti. That gap only grew before the finish, where the Basel rider completed the course in 3:41:19, smashing the previous women’s record, held by former world champion Esther Süss, by more than six minutes. “I’m really happy with my first Swiss championship title. I definitely didn’t expect to break the record in this heat,” Anna Weinbeer said afterward. “I felt the thin air on the last climb and suffered more than I expected, but the course was insanely beautiful, and I loved the singletrack on that final descent.“
For Peretti, reigning champion at the Hero Dolomites, the day didn’t bring a repeat of that winning form, but racing the Raid Evolénard for the first time was its own reward. “I had wanted to take part in the Raid Evolénard for several years, but unfortunately I had never managed to fit it into my racing calendar before this year due to various scheduling conflicts,” Claudia Peretti said. “The race fully lived up to my high expectations: the course is great fun, with a faster first section followed by a more technical second half. At the top of the climbs, you can enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains, and the finish inside the arena was truly spectacular. I leave with many wonderful memories, a second place finish that I am very happy with, and a strong desire to return to the Val d’Hérens, perhaps as a tourist, to discover even more of this beautiful valley.“
Moschetti completed the podium 21:34 behind the winner, ahead of Alessia Nay, Swiss silver medalist for the third year running, and Stefanie Zahno, who finished more than half an hour behind the winner but claimed national bronze.
