Steinmaur, Switzerland 15 Oct 2023 Class C2 – Class 2
Website www.vcsteinmaur.ch Email radquer@vcsteinmaur.ch
Kevin Kuhn (SUI) unbeatable – Sara Casasola (ITA) 1st place women
At the second round of the Swiss Cyclocross Cup in Steinmaur Kevin Kuhn was again unbeatable. The Cup leader won in an extremely exciting race just ahead of the Belgian Lander Loockx and the second Swiss, Dario Lillo. In the women’s race, a strong Zina Barhoumi just missed the podium in fourth place.
Despite the rainfall the day before, the track on the Steinmaurer Egg presented itself extremely fast. These conditions ensured that there were hard-fought competitions and close decisions in most categories.
The last decision of the day, in the elite men’s category, was exciting until the very end. For a long time a large leading group stayed together in front, before the leader Kevin Kuhn and the Belgian Lander Loockx showed that they are the strongest. The two let the race for the victory become a duel. “In fact, it was very exciting until the end. I didn’t feel super, not really fresh and noticed my good and extensive training week. So I knew quickly that I had to figure something out if I wanted to win,” Kevin Kuhn looked back after the race.
Double hurdles bring decision
The double hurdles became the decisive factor, which Loocks, in contrast to Kuhn, could not jump. The hurdle passage brought the decision in the last lap. Kuhn, starting in the red leader’s jersey of the Swiss Cyclocross Cup, was the first to approach it, jumped it and thus gained two or three seconds on Loockx, which he was able to save until the finish. “Nice that it was enough for the third victory in a row despite a difficult day,” summed up a tired but happy Kevin Kuhn. Only just 36 seconds behind, Dario Lillo reached the finish line in third place and ensured the second Swiss podium finish. Local hero and Swiss champion Timon Rüegg finished a good fifth after an intense week, with already two MTB races in Greece in his legs.
There was a classic and superior start-finish victory in the women’s race by 23-year-old Italian Sara Casasola. The twelfth-place finisher at the last World Championships rode a race for herself. Every lap, except for the last one, when she was safely in the lead, Casasola clocked the fastest lap time. Second and third place went to France – to Amandine Fouquenet and Hélène Clauzel.
Great morale of Barhoumi (SUI) rewarded with 4th place
Behind her, Zina Barhoumi from Bern showed a strong race. Despite a very bad start lap, in which she was pushed away, had to get off the bike and later also lost the chain, the Swiss Champion of 2020 showed great morale. From tenth place, she made up position after position and achieved her first international podium finish since January 2, 2022 in Meilen. “It was a very cool race for me, even though the start lap was anything but optimal. But after that I was able to push through my pace and steadily work my way forward. That gives me a lot of confidence with regard to the rest of the season. The two races in Schneisingen and Hittnau are very important to me, because I would love to win the overall ranking of the Swiss Cyclocross Cup”, Barhoumi looked ahead.
Exciting races, large fields of participants, many spectators and a great atmosphere. The 62nd edition of Switzerland’s oldest cyclo-cross event was a great success!
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CX – Steinmaur CX: C2, 2023 | MEN
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