Verbier / La Tzoumaz

Verbier / La Tzoumaz /
Switzerland

Announcing the Perskindol Swiss Epic Perskindol Swiss Epic

The secret is out: PERSKINDOL SWISS EPIC, Switzerland’s new six-day mountain bike stage race from Verbier Bike Park through Leukerbad and Grächen and ending in Zermatt will take place in 2014. This week’s test ride let the first riders experience the flowing singletrack route and was a brilliant premiere for the trail. More than 80 mountain bike enthusiasts took on the challenge. From September 15-20, 2014 around 600 professionals and ambitious amateur athletes in teams of two will take on the scenic tour. With a distance of 400 km and an elevation gain of 15,000 meters, the course will be a challenge to even professional riders. Downhill bikers can choose the somewhat shorter SWISS EPIC FLOW at 300 km and just 8000 meters of climb, with a shuttle service to transport bikes and riders.

Singletrack, flow, Swissness and a unique experience welcome all those taking part in the PERSKINDOL SWISS EPIC. The bike community has long been speculating about the location and route of Switzerland’s first six-day mountain bike stage race for teams of two. It's now official: the Valais will host the premiere of the race scheduled from September 15- 20, 2014. With Verbier, Leukerbad, Grächen, and Zermatt among the destinations, some of Switzerland’s most beautiful regions are included in the PERSKINDOL SWISS EPIC. These communities are using this special opportunity to push mountain bike tourism in their regions. «We’re really honoured and excited to be a destination in the PERSKINDOL SWISS EPIC. The event gives us the opportunity to work together with service providers in the region to establish a full range of mountain biking activities and routes as well as to make them known», said Daniel Luggen, Director of Zermatt Tourism. Thanks to the four locations during the six-day stage race, participants can stay two nights in the same place, which greatly increases their comfort and recovery time. Participants will notice that on the route both the flow experience as well as the breathtaking mountains of the Valais take centre stage. Nino Schurter, reigning world champion in cross country believes in the race’s format, and looks forward to his participation in 2014: «What I like about the PERSKINDOL SWISS EPIC besides its attractive route is that team spirit is also very important. In addition, Switzerland as a mountain bike country hasn’t yet had a world class race – this will surely soon change with the PERSKINDOL SWISS EPIC.

Strong partners and a steadfast team

Already a year before its premiere, the mountain bike stage race has found great interest both nationally and internationally as it captures the spirit of the time. The UCI, the international governing body for cycling, has classified the PERSKINDOL SWISS EPIC as a S2 race. SWISS EPIC was able to gain a strong partner at its side when PERSKINDOL signed on as the title sponsor. For over 25 years, the Swiss product for muscle and joint discomfort has been an indispensable product for athletes and become strongly rooted in professional sporting events. The mountain bike stage race and Perskindol are therefore perfect partners. «The PERSKINDOL SWISS EPIC means nature, passion, teamwork and Swiss culture. The PERSKINDOL SWISS EPIC gives bikers epic experiences, but also pushes them to their physical limits. SWISS EPIC and PERSKINDOL are thus almost made for each other», said Steve Borloz, Brand Manager at Perskindol. On top of that PERSKINDOL will offer a massage service during the stage race. PERSKINDOL SWISS EPIC’s second partner, SCOTT, brings a great deal of expertise in bike sport as the presenting sponsor. Behind the ambitious mountain bike stage race is a high profile team with Joko Vogel, Dany Gehrig, and mountain bike icon Thomas Frischknecht. As the project manager, Olivia Schoch has been successfully pushing the PERSKINDOL SWISS EPIC forward.

It’s all about the experience

The race format in teams of two is unusual and one of a kind in Switzerland. PERSKINDOL SWISS EPIC seeks to celebrate mountain biking as a sport with those who are enthusiastic about it. Three different all-inclusive packages are available to participants: SWISS EPIC Heaven, SWISS EPIC Comfort, and SWISS EPIC Camper, which differ in the comfort of the accommodations and food. Avid mountain bike enthusiasts can enrol as early as 13.10.2013 at 1:10 pm at www.swissepic.com for the chance to win a team starting-place. The number of places is limited to 300 teams. Regarding the race, there are four categories in the SWISS EPIC: Ladies, Men, Mixed, and Masters. Downhill riders or those who would prefer a shorter track can select the SWISS EPIC FLOW race of 300 km and 8000 meters of altitude in the categories of Ladies, Men, and Mixed. The climbs are partially bypassed thanks to a shuttle service that transports both bikes and bikers. Companies are invited to submit corporate teams of six. For these teams, three two-person teams will race and a cumulative rating – two teams will negotiate the SWISS EPIC, and one team the SWISS EPIC FLOW. In addition, the corporate teams will support the project Rwanda Cycling through the contribution included in the registration fee.

About PERSKINDOL SWISS EPIC

PERSKINDOL SWISS EPIC is the first of its kind six-day mountain bike stage race in Switzerland. Teams of two will cover a distance of approximately 400 km and climb some 15,000 meters in the Swiss Alps. The unique event will take place for the first time in the Valais from September 15-20, 2014. Each year the race will feature a new route. Participation is open to professionals and ambitious amateur athletes aged 18 and older, the number of starting places is limited to 300 teams. SWISS EPIC provides four categories: Men, Ladies, Mixed, and Masters. In addition, there is also a shorter race focused on the downhill segments called SWISS EPIC FLOW, which also features the categories Ladies, Men, and Mixed. In this race, a shuttle bus service will transport bikes and bikers for part of the route allowing them to bypass large segments of the climb. Companies can participate as a corporate team with three two-person teams that will race in both races and be rated with a cumulative score. The organizers of PERSKINDOL SWISS EPIC are Joko Vogel, Dany Gehrig, and mountain icon Thomas Frischknecht; project manager is Olivia Schoch.

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