As the first of five days of epic riding kicked off in Davos, Graubünden today, 574 riders took to the trails for Stage 1 of the 2019 Swiss Epic.  Riders faced a total of 2800m of cumulative climbing on the 86km first stage which included highlights like the legendary Alps Epic Trail Davos, the historically renowned Landwasser Viaduct, climbs up to Albula pass and the beauty of Lake St. Moritz among others.

While much of the attention is often focused on the sharp end of the field, the true spirit of the Swiss Epic is found in the many stories of the amateur riders.  From honeymooners to those doing it for a personal challenge, those riding for a cause and those ticking the bucket list, the field was ready to conquer the Swiss Alps and make memories.

A stand out amateur pair riding the 2019 Swiss Epic for the first time this year, is Swiss duo Luca Tavasci and Kilian Badrutt racing as team #Lenzerheide @PluSport1.  Tavasci, a PluSport athlete and Paralympian, is a Graubünden local and keen sportsman best known for cross-country skiing in which he represented Switzerland at the Paralympic Winter Games. Born with aplasia of the left hand, Tavasci and his partner Badrutt decided to team up for the Swiss Epic as it has always been a goal for these lovers of mountain biking to complete the race, plus this year the race takes place on Tavasci’s doorstep.

Racing with a custom handlebar that has a prosthetic on the left and brakes on the right, Tavasci had a slightly tougher job than most.  “It was quite hard out there with the weather, it was rainy, but we knew that coming in. The downhills were a bit sketchy, but we had a lot of fun!” said Tavasci.  “It’s a beautiful landscape and everyone who loves mountain biking should participate in the Swiss Epic at least once”.  Tavasci and Badrutt have known each other for over 10 years and despite not having ridden many mountain biking races together, they seemed to be perfectly in sync. “It was quite cool that we always had a steady rhythm and always felt quite good.  We never really had to go over the limit today,” Badrutt added.

Looking into tomorrow’s stage which sees riders take on slightly shorter circular route of 65km within St. Moritz and surrounds including 2,250m of cumulative climbing, Tavasci and Badrutt along with their fellow riders will be treated to spectacular views of Piz Palu, Piz Bernina and the Engadine as well as conquering the highest point on this year’s race, the Laj Alv natural reservoir.

“I don’t know what’s nothurting at this stage, but we know the trails well because we’re locals so we’ll see how we recover by tomorrow!” laughed Tavasci.