Snow Epic – one for the diary for next year?

You may have missed this year’s event but if you’ve got a fat bike and feel the need for a real race with it, read on…

The Inaugural Snow Epic Comes To A Successful End

The premiere of the Snow Epic, Europe’s first winter festival of biking, a fatbike event held in the idyllic town of Engelberg, in the heart of the Swiss Alps has just come to an end. Riders competed in 5 races over 3 days, each with its own distinct character, taking in the groomed trails and slopes normally reserved for skiers.

The weather gods finally smiled on Engelberg on Friday evening and gave the Snow Epic’s riders exactly what they wanted, snow. And lots of it.

But with the abundant downfall came new challenges. Paths and roads that formed part of Race 5, the Snow Epic’s closing contest, were not in a condition to ride on and the start was delayed. Meanwhile, the organisers checked the route and made adjustments to ensure riders were able to enjoy the final day of the inaugural Snow Epic in safety.

After a neutral start section, in which riders could not race but followed a quad bike at a sedate pace, they reached the ascent and and the final day of racing officially began. After Friday’s gruelling climbs and rapid descents, the riders faced their final challenge, a 300m ascent to Gerschnialp.

Spain’s Ibon Zugasti again proved his strength on the climb, as he moved up the rankings and secured the final race victory of the first Snow Epic. Following closely was Switzerland’s Silvio Büsser, who beat Tomi Misser by only 7/10 of a second. Spaniatd Misser, however, still secured the overall victory in the men’s category. Second overall was Rune Hoydahl from Norway ahead of Büsser.

Swiss legend Esther Süss once again won the women’s category and secured the overall victory. In second and third position were Alba Wunderlin and Amber Stull. The podium for Race 5 therefore matched the overall podium for the women’s category.

On Saturday evening the riders were due to enjoy the 2015 Snow Epic Gala Dinner, including the overall prize giving ceremony and presentation of event videos, and to celebrate a highly successful inaugural Snow Epic.

Results here

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