Switzerland had bad luck during the mixed relay at the Zurich Worlds. Johan Jacobs suffered a failure, while Elise Chabbey suffered a mechanical problem. Impossible in these conditions to fight for the title, but the event nevertheless had its share of suspense and great stories. A look back at a day of competition that was always special.
JACOBS PARKS While Johan Jacobs had indicated at the start of the week that he was in excellent shape, his race only lasted… 4’15. The 27-year-old from Zurich collapsed on the difficult climb up the Zuribergstrasse, which he knows perfectly well, having been born in Winterthur. This 17% slope got the better of his large size (1m91 all the same), forcing him to let go, disappointed, of his colleagues Stefan Bissegger and Fabian Weiss after only 3.5 of the 27km planned for the men’s relay.
The remaining duo then gave their all to try to limit the damage as best they could, finishing in 9th place. The women’s trio composed of Elise Chabbey, Noemi Rüegg and Jasmin Liechti (who let go mid-race) did better, allowing Switzerland to overtake Spain (8th) at the last minute.
I felt good, but racing one and a half is still hard
A BAD DAY “We didn’t do much wrong. Johan had a bad day, anyone can have one. This time it was him, but it must be remembered that he was not originally planned for this relay. It’s unlucky, but that’s how it is. Fabian didn’t have his best day either. I felt good, but racing at one and a half is still hard“, explained a fatalistic Stefan Bissegger on the RTS microphone. “I wasn’t aware there was a problem with men“, indicated Elise Chabbey who ran the entire relay on the big plateau due to a mechanical problem. When things don’t work…
NEITHER BELGIAN NOR SLOVENIAN The mixed relay has only been practiced since 2019 as part of the World Championships and, as in many other sports, this hybrid event is struggling to find legitimacy with certain major nations. Belgium of Remco Evenepoel and Lotte Kopecky and Slovenia of Urska Zigart and Tadej Pogacar, two teams which would have been huge favorites, did not line up in Zurich. That didn’t stop other teams such as France and Australia from coming in with the heavy artillery.
Double reigning world champion, Switzerland is generally an example with a real tradition in this discipline, but the withdrawals of its best cartridges (Marlen Reusser ill, Marc Hirschi, Stefan Küng and Mauro Schmid preserved for the road race) do not did not allow us to hope for a third consecutive coronation.
AUSTRALIA OF NOTHING With Michael Matthews, Ben O’Connor, Jay Vine, Grace Brown, Brodie Chapman and Ruby Roseman-Gannon, true world stars, Australia had put all the chances on its side to win this event for the first time. This coronation, however, hung by a thread, since Germany finished less than a second (85 hundredths) behind the Oceanians.
The race for the podium also remained undecided for a long time, since Italy only trailed Australia by 8 seconds, while France only missed 15 seconds to beat the Transalpines and climb on the “box”. An exciting finale which confirmed all the interest that such a format can have.
SEE YOU IN A YEAR Rwanda is one year away from becoming the center of the international cycling world. The country of a thousand hills will indeed succeed Zurich by hosting the 2025 Road Cycling Worlds next September. The presence of a Rwandan team at the start of this mixed relay proves that preparation is in full swing for the athletes who want to shine at home. “It was very important for us to be able to line up here. This allows us to learn how to ride well together without letting go of anyone or losing too much power.“, explains Xaverine Nirere (22 years old), who usually competes in gravel.
Her teammate Diane Ingabire (23 years old), who plays in the reserve of the Canyon-Sram team, indicates the next objective to be competitive in a year: “We have to finish races and show that we are capable of fighting for a top-10, a top-20 or whatever. Last year, we didn’t finish the tests, even among the juniors“, she regrets. Objective fulfilled during the mixed relay, which Rwanda finished 18th and antepenultimate, 14’27 behind Australia.
>> Also read: Switzerland 8th in the mixed relay And Noemi Rüegg: “My current form is similar to that of Paris”
From Zurich, Bastien Trottet
