Swiss Epic in Arosa

The second Swiss Epic will take place in Graubünden from Tuesday to Saturday, 18 to 22 August 2020. This summer, the five-day mountain bike stage race of the worldwide Epic Series will run from Laax via Arosa to Davos. Three teams will be competing for Arosa: Christoph Sauser and Silvio Bundi, the two former mountain bike pros and winners of the Cape Epic in 2006, the brothers Thomas and Volker Martins from the Chaos Theater Oropax and the locals Markus Thommen and Daniel Wohlgensinger.

The Race
On five daily stages covering 320 kilometres and 12,250 metres of altitude difference, the two-man teams will battle it out on mountain bikes right across the canton of Graubünden. The Swiss Epic stands for a mountain bike race that is both physically and technically demanding, in which the participants are always surrounded by the impressive mountain world of the Grisons. In teams of two, whether professional or passionate recreational mountain bikers, the mountain bikers have the opportunity to discover the almost endless single trails in Laax, Arosa and Davos.

The Arosa Teams
For Arosa there are three teams at the start. In Team Arosa Horizonte, Christoph Sauser and Silvio Bundi will probably compete for the front places. The two former mountain bike pros know their trade very well. In 2006, for example, they were already able to win the Absa Cape Epic in South Africa in the team. Christoph Sauser is a four-time world champion in cross country as well as the overall world cup winner in 2004 and 2005. At the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000, Sauser won the bronze medal for himself. Silvio Bundi is responsible for the Swiss Marathon Champion title in 2007, six podium places at Swiss Championships, eight Swiss Cup victories, eleven European and eight World Cup participations and 37 World Cup races.
However, the Swiss Epic is not only a race for professionals, but also for enthusiastic recreational athletes. Such ambitious endurance athletes are the other two Arosa teams. Markus Thommen and Daniel Wohlgensinger are competing in the Swiss Epic for the first time and bring with them the necessary stamina and knowledge of geography from their longstanding home in Graubünden. The two brothers Thomas and Volker Martins from the Chaos Theatre Oropax also bring a lot of stamina - but also a big pack of humour. The comedian duo, which is best known in Arosa for its many performances at the Arosa Humour Festival, is contesting a mountain bike race of this calibre for the first time. The two passionate racing cyclists and swimmers have been training hard on their mountain bike skills since last winter. With great respect and even greater anticipation, both hope to make it through the demanding course to the finish. Spectators and competitors alike can expect to hear many sayings along the way. There is no shortage of creative and spontaneous ideas. The brothers already show this in their training videos, which can be found on the Arosa social media channels.

The stage destination Arosa
In Arosa, the Gaul of the Alps, the approximately 220 two-man teams can look forward to three stage days of varied single trails and the flow trail "Hörnli Trail". The first finishes will take place on Wednesday around 11 am. The riders will be greeted by Asterix and Obelix, who have been looking after the guests and inhabitants of Arosa since the beginning of the Corona pandemic and have been giving them tremendous strength. On Thursday the riders will have a promising round around the holiday region of Arosa. In three loops they will cover a good 50 kilometres and 1,900 metres in altitude. On Friday, the riders will continue on to Davos, where they will compete for overall victory on the final stage of the day on Saturday.

Stages Swiss Epic 2020
Stage 1: Tuesday, 18 August 2020, Laax - Laax
Stage 2: Wednesday, 19 August 2020, Laax - Arosa
Stage 3: Thursday, 20 August 2020, Arosa - Arosa
Stage 4: Friday, 21 August 2020, Arosa - Davos
Stage 5: Saturday, 22 August 2020, Davos - Davos

Arosa Teams
Arosa Horizonte Coffee: Christoph Sauser + Silvio Bundi
Arosa Chaos Theatre Oropax: Thomas Martins + Volker Martins from the Chaos Theatre Oropax
Arosa: Markus Thommen + Daniel Wohlgensinger