The Swiss MTB Marathon Championships, taking place this Sunday at the 30th Raid Evolénard FMV, promise to be thoroughly exciting. Among the men, a race within a race is shaping up. The battle for victory will likely come down to German rider Andreas Seewald, three-time winner and course record holder, and reigning Swiss champion Casey South, who is considered the favourite to claim a new national title. Among the women, Italian champion Claudia Peretti could well steal the spotlight from vice world champion Anna Weinbeer.
Andreas Seewald remains undefeated on the demanding Raid Evolénard course (62 km with 2,600 m of elevation gain), set in the heart of the magnificent Val d’Hérens. It was here that the German rider claimed his first European championship title in 2021, before returning in 2024 to set a new course record. In 2025, he pulled off an impressive double: the Hero Dolomites in South Tyrol on Saturday and the Raid Evolénard on Sunday. This year, the Hero Dolomites took place last Saturday; finishing seventh in a highly competitive race, Seewald shows he is returning to form and stands out as the clear favourite for a fourth victory in Evolène.
South Favourite to Defend His Title
For its thirtieth edition, the Raid Evolénard will host the Swiss Championships for the third time, after 2015 and 2016. The fight for the red jersey with the white cross promises to be wide open. While all eyes are on defending champion Casey South, the German-Swiss rider has never truly shone on this course. Quite the opposite of former Swiss champions Martin Fanger, a two-time winner of the Raid Evolénard, and Bernese rider Marc Stutzmann, who stood on the podium in 2024. More under-the-radar riders could also spring a surprise, starting with versatile Valaisien Simon Pellaud, or marathon specialists Micha Klötzli, Andrin Beeli and Fadri Barandun — unless Felix Stehli, the first stage winner of the Cape Epic on a 32-inch MTB, beats them all to the punch.
Peretti and Weinbeer Set for a Women’s Showdown
Among the women, vice world champion Anna Weinbeer is regarded as the one to beat at the start of this season. After winning every race she entered this year — including three World Cups and the opening stage of the Bike Marathon Classics — the Basel rider suffered a minor setback last weekend, finishing fourth at the Hero Dolomites. That race was won by Italian champion Claudia Peretti, who will also be on the start line at the Raid Evolénard. Despite this half-disappointment, Weinbeer will head to Valais as the leader of the Marathon World Cup standings, with a firm determination to take her revenge. A summit duel is therefore in the making, with both athletes set to give everything in pursuit of the course record set in 2015 by former world champion Esther Süss. Behind the two favourites, the battle for the Swiss Championship medals will be just as open: Graubünden riders Alessia Nay and Selina Rüegg, along with French-speaking Swiss rider Chrystelle Baumann and Valaisienne Stefanie Zahno, will certainly have a say.
In addition to the flagship distance of 62 km, two further distances of 35 km and 24 km will be available for recreational riders, also open to e-bikes. Registrations are open online until Wednesday midnight and on-site on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning