Lars Forster and Lea Huber become Switzerland’s first Gravel Champions in a race dominated by MTB riders

The mountain bike has been the main protagonist of the first Swiss Gravel Championship, held this Saturday in Bern. Lars Forster and Lea Huber have claimed the two elite titles in a competition that brought together specialists from different disciplines. For Forster, in addition, the victory represents a perfect farewell to Thömus Maxon, a team that has already announced its departure for 2027 and whose next destination we still do not know.

The MTB dominates the first Swiss Gravel Championship with victories from Forster and Huber

The Gravel Festival Bern hosted a historic event for Swiss cycling on October 17. For the first time, the national federation put the official gravel titles at stake, taking advantage of a race that has been held since 2018 and has established itself as one of the major gatherings of this modality in the country.

The course, approximately 60 kilometers long with just over 1,000 meters of positive elevation gain, ran through tracks and paths around Bern, with sections through the forests of Bremgarten and Mäderforst and the area of Lake Wohlensee.

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Although the competition was open to riders from gravel, road, and mountain biking, it was the latter who ultimately imposed their experience.

Lars Forster wins the title in his last race with Thömus Maxon

The men's race ended with a victory for Lars Forster ahead of Filippo Colombo and Fabio Püntener, on a podium entirely made up of specialists from the XCO World Cup.

The dominance of the mountain bikers was even greater when we expand the classification. Vital Albin finished fourth and Luca Schätti took fifth place, completing a Top 5 composed exclusively of regulars on the international MTB circuit. 

For Forster, 33 years old, this result has a special meaning that goes beyond becoming the first national gravel champion in the history of Switzerland.

On October 2, Thömus Maxon announced that Lars Forster and Vital Albin would no longer be part of their roster at the end of the 2026 season. Both participated in the last MTB World Cup in Lake Placid, and the team later confirmed that the Swiss Gravel Championship would be their last competition wearing their colors.

Forster joined Thömus Maxon in 2023, coming from SCOTT-SRAM, and during these four seasons has achieved significant results, including his victory in the XCO World Cup in Leogang in 2023.

Now he closes this chapter with another national title, after also winning the Swiss Short Track Championship last July.

For now, it has not been announced what Lars Forster's next team will be for 2027. His departure from Thömus Maxon is confirmed, but it is still officially unknown where he will continue his sporting career. The departure of Vital Albin also leaves two important vacancies in the men's structure of the Swiss team.

Men's elite classification

1. Lars Forster
2. Filippo Colombo
3. Fabio Püntener
4. Vital Albin
5. Luca Schätti

Lea Huber surprises Nicole Koller with an attack in the last kilometer

The women's race also featured a mountain bike rider, although with a very different outcome than the men's race.

Lea Huber, 22 years old, managed to surpass Nicole Koller after a duel that lasted practically until the finish line.

Both arrived together at the decisive part of the course, but Huber took advantage of the last kilometer to launch an attack that Koller could not neutralize. The difference at the finish was just two seconds, after approximately two hours of competition. 

The victory confirms Huber's progression, who had already been crowned U23 European Short Track champion last August.

Nicole Koller, for her part, fell just short of adding her second national championship of the season, after having won the Swiss XCO title. Elena Hartmann completed the women's podium.

Women's elite classification

1. Lea Huber
2. Nicole Koller (+2 seconds)
3. Elena Hartmann