A better stage for the last race of the 2024 CIC Swiss Bike Cup season is hard to imagine: in 2018, Lenzerheide was the venue for the XC World Championships and until 2023 was an integral part of the UCI World Cup. The legendary and demanding XC course is extremely challenging both technically and physically.

Favorite Filippo Colombo
In the field of elite men, Swiss champion Filippo Colombo (SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing) is the big favorite. The 26-year-old from Ticino, ranked fifth in the UCI world rankings, spontaneously decided to take part and will face strong competition: for example, 25-year-old four-time Italian champion Juri Zanotti (Team BMC) or the under-23 rider Luke Wiedmann (Thömus maxon), who is currently in very good form.

Vital Albin (Thömus maxon) is also one of the favorites in his home canton. However, the overall winner of 2022 and 2023 had a bad crash last weekend. It is to be hoped that the winner of the CIC Swiss Bike Basel can recover in time and show his potential again in Lenzerheide.


Hot race for the overall title
The battle for the overall title between the current leader Timon Rüegg (BIXS PERFORMANCE Race Team), Fabio Püntener (Bike Team Solothurn) and Vital Albin will be hot. Albin could even win the overall title for the third time in a row. The last one to do so was another Graubünden native, Nino Schurter, in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

The best four results of the season count for the overall ranking, with the final in Lenzerheide being definitively evaluated. Thus, the decision for the cup winners will only be made at the finish line.


Ginia Caluori with home advantage?
Ginia Caluori (WILIER - VITTORIA Factory Team XCO) is also one of the favorites in the women's race. The Swiss rider, who lives in the canton of Graubünden, wants to use her home advantage. Caluori, who impressed this season with second places at the U23 World Cup in Mairiporã (Brazil ) and at the CIC Swiss Bike Cup on Monte Tamaro, is currently one of the strongest U23 female riders in the world.

Caluori is challenged by her teammate, four-time Danish champion Sofie Pedersen, as well as by Seraina Leugger (BIXS PERFORMANCE Race Team) and Paula Gorycka (Strüby Sting). There will also be a showdown in the overall standings between Seraina Leugger and Paula Gorycka, with Leugger from Basel having the slightly better chances.


Awards in 22 categories
The general classification awards are on of the highlights of the season. A total of over 200 riders will be honored in 22 categories. The races in many junior categories, the #championsoftomorrow, where the coveted participation in the Swiss Bike Cup Kids Camp is also fiercely contested, will be particularly exciting. This year's kids camp will also take place in Lenzerheide (October 6-11).

The winners of the overall rankings in the Proffix Uphill Challenge will also be honored, a special ranking in a climber segment. The prerequisite for this is that the classified riders have taken part in all the races in the CIC Swiss Bike Cup during the 2024 season.

A total of around 550 participants are expected in Lenzerheide.

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