CANNONDALE ISB SPORT and KTM Alchemist Brenta Brakes added to their overnight leads with victories on Stage 3 of the 2024 SPAR Swiss Epic. The men in yellow, Lorenzo and Nicolas Samparisi claimed their second stage win; while the women in orange, Monica Calderon and Tessa Kortekaas, added a third to their great Graubünden performance. 

On Thursday, August 22, the SPAR Swiss Epic's Stage 3 started and finished in Davos, marking the only day of the 2024 race that stayed below 2,000 meters above sea level. Despite a more cross-country style, the dominant teams remained unchanged. Monica Calderon and Tessa Kortekaas extended their overall lead by 6 minutes and 50 seconds, while Lorenzo and Nicolas Samparisi added 20 seconds to theirs.

The 64-kilometer stage featured 2,100 meters of ascent, with climbs to Alp Novai and Alp Drustscha, and thrilling descents on Grüenbödeli Selfranga Trail and Monbiel Downhill. The rooty forest trails provided the day's most dramatic moments.

In the UCI Men’s race, Fadri Barandun of the Engadin La Punt team crashed on a wet root but managed to finish the stage. Shortly after, Monica Calderon from the leading UCI Women’s team was also taken down by the same root, being catapulted over her handlebars. Despite the crash, which caused her knee to bleed, Calderon continued racing. Her teammate, Tessa Kortekaas, noted, “Monica had a little crash. It wasn’t so bad, but her knee bleeds easily. Thankfully, she stayed strong, and I’m super proud of her.”

At the time of Calderon’s crash, the CANNONDALE ISB SPORT team was already leading by over 4 minutes. Despite the setback, they extended their lead by an additional 2 minutes, thanks to their climbing strength on the ascent to Alp Drustscha. “It was a stressful day,” Kortekaas admitted. “We unexpectedly gained a gap on the first downhill and decided to push. Monica’s crash was a stressful moment, but she kept pushing, and we feel good going into the final two stages.”

After three days, Calderon and Kortekaas lead by 16 minutes and 22 seconds, with Vera Looser and Danielle Strydom in second and MenteCorpo Cicli Drigani’s team in third. The UCI Women’s top five is completed by the 1Vision - Concordia Burggen and Next Ride - Santa Cruz teams, with the latter comfortably ahead of Liv Alba in sixth.

Despite KTM Alchemist Brenta Brakes’ dominance in the first three stages, including a comfortable Stage 3 win, their overall lead is narrower than that of CANNONDALE ISB SPORT. To secure their position, they attacked 15 kilometers from the finish. “Today was amazing, with another win,” said Nicolas Samparisi. “I noticed the others were struggling on the final climb, so we attacked and pushed for the finish.”

Looking ahead, Lorenzo Samparisi added, “Tomorrow, we'll stay with the leading group until the last climb and then look for an opportunity to attack. Winning solo today was great, and we hope to do it again.”

Barandun’s struggles and a strong performance by the Mondraker Walter MTB - KA BOOM Krapf team have made the Swiss duo the closest challengers to the Italian leaders. Ursin Spescha and Simon Walter finished just 20 seconds behind the Samparisi brothers in Stage 3, trailing by 1 minute and 46 seconds overall.

Friday’s stage from Davos to Chur offers Spescha and Walter a chance to challenge the leaders, featuring three significant climbs, including the Walser Mule ascent to Strelapass. The final 15 kilometers, mostly downhill with a tricky singletrack ascent, could be fast but risky.

To follow the Stage 4 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 3:
1. KTM Alchemist Brenta Brakes: Lorenzo & Nicolas Samparisi (2:51:23)
2. Mondraker Walter MTB - KA BOOM Krapf: Ursin Spescha & Simon Walter (2:51:43| +20) 
3. BIXS Performance 2: Gian Schmid & Lukas Flückiger (2:52:25 | +1:02) 
4. Klimatiza Toteemi Cabberty 2: Miguel Munoz & Sebastian Gesche (2:54:54 | +3:31) 
5. Wilier Vittoria: Fabian Rabensteiner & Samuele Porro (2:54:55 | +3:32)

UCI Women | Stage 3: 
1. CANNONDALE ISB SPORT: Monica Calderon & Tessa Kortekaas (3:35:23)
2. Efficient Infiniti: Vera Looser & Danielle Strydom (3:42:13 | +6:50)
3. MenteCorpo Cicli Drigani: Costanza Fasolis & Chiara Burato (3:43:59 | +8:36)
4. 1Vision - Concordia Burggen: Daniela Höfler & Antonia Daubermann (3:49:31 | +14:08)
5. Next Ride - Santa Cruz: Chrystelle Baumann & Sandra Stadelmann (4:05:00 | +29:37)

UCI Men’s General Classification after Stage 3:
1. KTM Alchemist Brenta Brakes: Lorenzo & Nicolas Samparisi (9:50:56) 
2. Mondraker Walter MTB - KA BOOM Krapf: Ursin Spescha & Simon Walter (9:52:42 | +1:46)
3. BIXS Performance 2: Gian Schmid & Lukas Flückiger (9:53:28 | +2:32)
4. Klimatiza Toteemi Cabberty 2: Miguel Munoz & Sebastian Gesche (9:57:38 | +6:42)
5. Engadin La Punt: Fadri Barandun & Simon Vitzthum (9:58:59 | +8:03)    

UCI Women’s General Classification after Stage 3:
1. CANNONDALE ISB SPORT: Monica Calderon & Tessa Kortekaas (12:17:40)
2. Efficient Infiniti: Vera Looser & Danielle Strydom (12:34:02 | +16:22)
3. MenteCorpo Cicli Drigani: Costanza Fasolis & Chiara Burato (12:54:50 | +37:10)
4. 1Vision - Concordia Burggen: Daniela Höfler & Antonia Daubermann (13:04:32 | +46:52)
5. Next Ride - Santa Cruz: Chrystelle Baumann & Sandra Stadelmann (13:52:02 | +1:34:22)

For the full results from the 2024 SPAR Swiss Epic click here.