Wednesday, 21 August 2024’s, 76-kilometre trek – over alpine passes, across mountain meadows, and along Graubünden’s green valleys – from La Punt to Davos was won by Wilier Vittoria and CANNONDALE ISB SPORT. In the UCI Men’s race Fabian Rabensteiner and Samuele Porro fought back from a difficult opening day to win Stage 2. While Mónica Calderón and Tessa Kortekaas reaffirmed their status as the best climbers in the UCI Women’s competition. 

The Queen Stage featured 2 400 metres of climbing and took in the highest peak of the 2024 edition of the SPAR Swiss Epic, at 2 606 metres above sea level. Starting in La Punt and ending in Davos the course headed northeast toward Zernez initially, before turning northwest and scaling the mighty Scaletta Pass. The summit was just 20 kilometres from the stage finish and the Dürrboden and Dischma Valley Trails played a key role in Wilier Vittoria’s victory.

"We focused on recovery yesterday, with a good massage and early rest," Rabensteiner said. "We started conservatively today but pushed hard when we saw the leaders about a minute ahead on the Scaletta Pass. On the final climb before Davos, they were just 50 meters ahead, so we went full gas, caught them on the descent, and won the sprint."

"Five minutes is a big gap in the general classification," the Italian Marathon Champion admitted, "but we'll keep trying because anything can happen. Nothing is finished until it’s finished."

Rabensteiner and Porro managed to split Lorenzo and Nicolas Samparisi in the final stretch, crossing the line with Nicolas ahead and Lorenzo behind. Despite this, the KTM Alchemist Brenta Brakes team maintained their overall lead, as Mondraker Walter MTB - KA BOOM Krapf and Engadin La Punt lost time. The Samparisis now lead Ursin Spescha and Simon Walter by 1 minute and 26 seconds, with Gian Schmid and Lukas Flückiger 4 seconds further back in third. Barandun and Vitzthum dropped to fourth, while Rabensteiner and Porro moved up to seventh, still 5 minutes and 39 seconds behind the leaders.

In the UCI Women’s race, Calderón and Kortekaas quickly gained an early advantage. "We decided to ride at our own pace without taking risks," Kortekaas explained. This strategy allowed CANNONDALE ISB SPORT to build a 5-minute lead at the summit of the Scaletta Pass. Although Efficient Infiniti reduced the gap on the descent, the women in orange secured the stage victory, crossing the line 4 minutes and 36 seconds ahead of Vera Looser and Danielle Strydom.

“Today was relentless,” Kortekaas laughed. "I felt good, but tomorrow will be different—more up and down, which is tough on the legs. With our lead, we can’t relax but don’t need to stress either. We’ll play it by ear and work to our strengths."

Heading into Stage 3, starting and finishing in Davos, Calderón and Kortekaas lead Efficient Infiniti by 9 minutes and 32 seconds. Despite finishing fourth on Stage 2, MenteCorpo Cicli Drigani’s Costanza Fasolis and Chiara Burato held onto third overall, ahead of 1Vision - Concordia Burggen's Daniela Höfler and Antonia Daubermann. Stage 3 features a 64-kilometer course described as “undulating,” with significant climbs like Alp Novai and Alp Drustscha and exciting descents such as the Grüenbödeli Selfranga Trail and the Monbiel Downhill, plus two passes through Klosters.

To follow the Stage 3 mountain biking fans are encouraged to tune into the SPAR Swiss Epic’s Live Broadcast in https://youtu.be/3UDUgwc1GHI. To keep you updated visit us on the SPAR Swiss Epic Facebook page or follow @swiss_epic on Instagram. The Daily Highlights from each stage can also be viewed on the Epic Series YouTube Channel. To find out more visit www.epic-series.com/swissepic.  

2024 SPAR Swiss Epic Results:
UCI Men | Stage 2: 
1. Wilier Vittoria: Fabian Rabensteiner & Samuele Porro (3:42:54)
2. KTM Alchemist Brenta Brakes: Lorenzo & Nicolas Samparisi (3:42:54| ST) 
3. Mondraker Walter MTB - KA BOOM Krapf: Ursin Spescha & Simon Walter (3:43:56 | +1:02) 
4. BIXS Performance 1: Joel Roth & Timon Rüegg (3:43:57 | +1:03)
5. BIXS Performance 2: Gian Schmid & Lukas Flückiger (3:43:58 | +1:04)

UCI Women | Stage 2: 
1. CANNONDALE ISB SPORT: Mónica Calderón & Tessa Kortekaas (4:39:16)
2. Efficient Infiniti: Vera Looser & Danielle Strydom (4:43:52 | +4:36)
3. 1Vision - Concordia Burggen: Daniela Höfler & Antonia Daubermann (4:52:00 | +12:00)
4. MenteCorpo Cicli Drigani: Costanza Fasolis & Chiara Burato (4:54:30 | +15:14)
5. Next Ride - Santa Cruz: Chrystelle Baumann & Sandra Stadelmann (5:16:40 | +37:24)

UCI Men’s General Classification after Stage 2:
1. KTM Alchemist Brenta Brakes: Lorenzo & Nicolas Samparisi (6:59:33) 
2. Mondraker Walter MTB - KA BOOM Krapf: Ursin Spescha & Simon Walter (7:00:59 | +1:26)
3. BIXS Performance 2: Gian Schmid & Lukas Flückiger (7:01:03 | +1:30)
4. Engadin La Punt: Fadri Barandun & Simon Vitzthum (7:01:11 | +1:38)
5. Klimatiza Toteemi Cabberty 2: Miguel Muñóz & Sebastián Gesche (7:02:44 | +3:11)

UCI Women’s General Classification after Stage 2:
1. CANNONDALE ISB SPORT: Mónica Calderón & Tessa Kortekaas (8:42:17)
2. Efficient Infiniti: Vera Looser & Danielle Strydom (8:51:49 | +9:32)
3. MenteCorpo Cicli Drigani: Costanza Fasolis & Chiara Burato (9:10:51 | +28:34)
4. 1Vision - Concordia Burggen: Daniela Höfler & Antonia Daubermann (9:15:01 | +32:44)
5. Next Ride - Santa Cruz: Chrystelle Baumann & Sandra Stadelmann (9:47:02 | +1:04:45)