The best stage XCM takes place in the Alps: everything ready for the SPAR Swiss Epic 2025

From August 13 to 17, Davos and the spectacular landscape of Graubünden will be the setting for one of the toughest and most spectacular stage races on the international calendar, the SPAR Swiss Epic 2025. Five days, 307 kilometers, almost 10,000 meters of positive elevation gain, and mountain passes above 2,000 meters will test the elite of the XCM stage racing world.

The SPAR Swiss Epic 2025 promises excitement and will once again be one of the most spectacular mountain bike races on the planet

The race, part of the Epic Series circuit, will bring together several of the best teams from the past Absa Cape Epic, promising a high-level duel in the women's category and an intense battle between the local defense and the international offense in the men's category.

The 2025 edition will take cyclists through iconic passes such as Albulapass, Lej Alv, or Scaletta, with stages that will always exceed 2,000 meters in altitude. The combination of endless climbs, technical descents, and changing conditions will turn the race into a true test of endurance and skill.

The champions of the previous edition are favorites once again

RECOMENDADO

"It's not work, it's part of our passion": a brand like Orbea is much more than designing and selling bicycles

Mondraker ends its relationship with Edgar Carballo after the UCI sanction for sexual harassment

From May to October and with 9 rounds, this is how the calendar for the 2026 XCO World Cup is being built

3 one-hour workouts to improve speed, strength and endurance

The UCI suspends Edgar Carballo for one year for sexually harassing another rider

Van der Poel returns to competition after abandoning the Tour due to pneumonia

The reigning champions, Monica Calderon and Tessa Kortekaas (Cannondale ISB Sport), are the favorites after a year marked by their victory in the 4Islands Croatia. However, the path to retaining the title will not be easy.

They will face Rosa van Doorn and Janina Würst (Buff Megamo), with the German especially motivated to compete at home after overcoming injuries that marked her early season. Also vying for victory are the Swiss Vera Looser and the American Alexis Skarda (Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM), a combination of experience and power that has already demonstrated its ability on big stages.

In addition, the revamped Saffari Essence Titan Racing team, with Bianca Haw and Danielle du Toit, runners-up in the 2024 edition, are determined to reach the top of the podium. Other teams like Next Ride - Santa Cruz, Bulls Swiss, or Torpado Kenda FSA will keep the tension high in each stage.

The Swiss want to reign in the Swiss Epic once again

In the men's category, the Swiss Lukas Flückiger and Gian Schmid (Bixs Performance) will defend their title. Flückiger, a three-time Swiss Epic champion, guarantees excitement in the high mountain sections.

Among their main rivals are Wout Alleman and Martin Stošek (Buff Megamo), winners of the 4Islands, although Alleman acknowledges that the long ascents will be his biggest challenge. The list of contenders includes the Samparisi brothers (KTM Spada), Fabian Rabensteiner and Casey South (Torpado Kenda FSA), and the two squads from Klimatiza Orbea, with Stutzmann and Porro on one side, and Gesche and Martínez on the other.

The local audience will also closely follow Urs Huber and Axel Roudil-Cortinat (Bulls) and the duo from the Giant Factory Offroad Racing, Dario Lillo and Kevin Kuhn, who are familiar with the terrain.

In the end, at the finish line in Davos, only those who have conquered the mountains of the Alps will be able to raise their arms as champions.