A successful outing for Thömus maxon at the traditional Tour de Berne in Lyss: Lars Forster claimed victory in the men’s race with an impressive solo ride, while Alessandra Keller took the win in the Elite women’s category. For Mathias Flückiger, the focus was primarily on rebuilding form after his return from South Korea.
The traditional road race, held on Saturday, 9 May, took place on a selective circuit around Lyss. For the Thömus maxon riders, it provided valuable race kilometres ahead of the upcoming challenges in the mountain bike World Cup.
Forster launches the decisive attack
The men’s race was aggressive from the start. Already on the first of four laps, Lars Forster broke away with two other riders. The trio worked well together for a long time before Forster launched the decisive attack on the final lap, on the climb towards Frienisberg.
The rider from Eastern Switzerland managed to open a gap and defend a narrow advantage all the way to the finish.
“After my attack, there was still a long way to go to the finish. Fortunately, I was able to defend my lead until the end. It is always special to win a race,” Forster said after the race.
Mathias Flückiger crossed the finish line with the main field and placed 20th.
Keller takes victory in the women’s race
In the Elite women’s race, Alessandra Keller secured the day’s victory and added another strong result to her successful season so far. For the rider from Nidwalden, the race also marked the start of her next intensive competition block.
Ideal timing ahead of the World Cup
Team manager Ralph Näf was pleased with the team’s performance and viewed the race as an important step in the season plan: “Lars and Mathias only returned from South Korea a few days ago and were able to gain valuable insights from the race. For Alessandra, this event marked the start of a new competition block ahead of the European mountain bike World Cup opener in Nové Město.”