From Top World Cup Finish to Broken Kneecap - The Toughest Race in Switzerland

The fifth and penultimate World Cup of the season took us to the beautiful country of Switzerland, specifically to the sleepy little village of Fiesch. My girlfriend Lotta came along to support me during this race, helping me with some tasks so I could concentrate on the competition. On the way to Switzerland, we stopped at a gym in Karlsruhe to get in one last training session and wrap up the week of preparation.

Arriving in Fiesch, we set up camp at the campsite where it felt like the entire German enduro scene had gathered. For me, it was time to lace up my running shoes and walk the final stage to get a feel for the track conditions on race day. It quickly became clear that the final stage would be extremely fast, but the vast sea of roots and rocks would make it difficult to maintain speed. Meanwhile, Lotta had already prepared dinner so I could load up on carbohydrates that evening - something I would definitely need on training day.

The day of training was fantastic. Five varied stages awaited us - from high alpine sections where there was more rock than dirt, to freshly marked clay sections, to some bike park bashing on the famous Bellwald descent. The view before the first stage was overwhelming: the Aletsch Glacier, which was also the highest starting point of the race, was a true natural wonder.

Overall, practice went really well for me. I felt comfortable on the course and after practice I knew this could be an epic race day. However, in the evening we got the news that the race would be postponed due to a storm warning, which meant two extra rest days for us. Since my Madonna V3 was running perfectly after practice, I didn't have much to do other than mount the race wheels and check everything. The day before the race we did a little pre-race session at the Bikepark Bellwald - party laps, bikes sideways in the air and a lot of fun increased the motivation even more.

After a good dinner and a last look at the GoPro footage before going to bed, I felt really ready for the big day.

On race day, we had over 5000 meters of descent and over 1700 meters of climbing to do on our own. My strategy was to keep loading up on carbs, so I took two gels on the lift before stage 1.

Stages 1 and 2 went well for me. Stage 1 had some super hard climbs, and then my dropper post cable got stuck, forcing me to ride two-thirds of the stage with the saddle up. Stage 2 was littered with rocks from top to bottom - definitely not a place you want to crash. A clean ride put me in the top 30 and I knew I could really push from there.

Stage 3 went really well. Despite a small mistake I finished in 23rd place and reached the tech zone in 25th place where Lotta was waiting for me. After a quick wrap, refilling the hydration pack, lubricating the chain and checking the tire pressure, it was time to move on.

Ahead of us was the longest climb of the day, which required both pushing and carrying the bike. It was extremely tough in the heat, but my nutrition plan was working and I still had plenty of energy when I reached the top of Stage 4.

Stage 4 was an absolute monster - the longest stage at over 7 kilometers. I was just in the zone, taking almost every corner I wanted, and when I caught the guy in front of me halfway through, I knew it was going to be a fast run. It wasn't until later that I realized that stage was going to be my best of the year, and I finished 12th.

I wanted to carry the momentum from stage 4 into the final stage, but on stage 5 I was stopped by a crash. My front wheel got knocked off by a rock and I went down hard. I knew immediately that something was wrong with my knee. But I didn't want to end what had been a great day with a DNF, so I fought my way to the finish. There I experienced a mix of emotions: finishing the race in 21st place, just 2.5 seconds outside the top 20 in the world, was a huge success. But at the same time, there was the disappointment of coming so close to the top 20 and the realization that I might have injured my knee.

In the end, it turned out that I finished the last stage with a broken kneecap. But it was worth it, because 21st place was my best result in a World Cup so far. Unfortunately, this injury means that I'll miss the last World Cup and the World Championship. A few days after the race, I'm just thankful that nothing worse happened in the crash, even though I'm out of the race. Despite everything, the synergy between my Madonna V3 and all the races this season has been outstanding and I can't wait to get back on the bike. A huge thank you goes out to everyone at RAAW for making this World Cup season possible.

Words: Joni Heitmann

Photos: Boris Beyer