Double win for Switzerland: Urs Huber and Ariane Lüthi win 26th Ischgl Ironbike Marathon
Urs Huber in the men’s race and Ariane Lüthi in the women’s race claimed a place on the podium after one of Europe’s toughest mountain bike marathon races that covered 76.8 kilometres and 3,700 metres elevation gain.
The 26th Ischgl Ironbike Marathon, which took place from 4-7 August 2021, saw 1,000 mountain bikers compete in various individual and stage races, as well as the Ironbike routes “Hard” (76.8 km), “Medium” (49.7 km) or “Light” (29.6 km). The night-time Hillclimb and the Ironbike Kids & Juniors’ Trophy were also received well by riders and spectators.
Gold for Urs Huber and Ariane Lüthi at the 26th Ischgl Ironbike Marathon
On 7 August, pros and amateurs competed on three varying routes. Depending on their fitness levels, they could choose: Hard (76.8 kilometres and 3,700 m elevation gain), Medium (49.7 kilometres and 2,098 m elevation gain) and Light (29.6 kilometres and 849 m elevation gain). The supreme discipline was won by Urs Huber from Switzerland with a time of 3:53.41,4 in the men’s, and Ariane Lüthi also from Switzerland with a time of 5:00.37,2 in the women’s race. Gold over the Medium-distance was taken by Noah Laschewski from Germany with a time of 2:28.18,0, and Tinetta Strimer from Switzerland with a time of 2:57.59,0. Taking top spots on the podium for the Light-route were Luca Hertner from Germany with a time of 1:10.06,2, and Paulina Spindler (also from Germany) with a time of 1:25.39,3.
UCI S1 stage race
Those who had set their sights on the overall win in the Ischgl Ironbike Stage Race S1, and wanted to pick up UCI-points, had to complete four race-formats. Altogether, 90 competitors in the categories “individual time trial”, “Alpenhaus Trophy”, “Short Track” and “Ironbike Hard” lined up for the start. At the end, all four individual times were added up and the winners announced. For both the men and ladies, points were awarded for the pros and amateurs. The well-deserved top spot in the pros’ category was won by Urs Huber from Switzerland in the men’s and Ariane Lüthi also from Switzerland in the women’s race. The amateur race was won by Dominik Schranz from Austria in the men’s and Bianca Somavilla also from Austria in the women’s.
Silvretta MTB King and Queen 2021
This year’s mountain bike crowns for the Silvretta MTB King and Queen 2021 were bestowed in Ischgl. To determine the winners, the times for completing the M3 Montafon MTB Marathon on 31 July and the Ischgl Ironbike Marathon on 7 August were added up to a combined overall time. The fastest on the routes “M³ Extrem and Ironbike Hard” and
“M² Challenging and Ironbike Medium” were crowned. To give all amateurs a fair chance, the category “M³ Extrem and Ironbike Hard” awarded points separately for amateurs and pros. This year’s majesties in the pros “M³ Extreme and Ironbike Hard” are Frans Claes from Belgium in the men’s and Adelheid Morath from Germany in the women’s race. In the amateur “M³ Extreme and Ironbike Hard” race, Jon Stiekema took home the crown and the title “MTB King”. In the category “M² Challenging and Ironbike Medium “, Wolfgang Pfister in the men’s and Alexandra Sleegers in the women’s could rejoice over the crowns and associated titles of Silvretta MTB Prince and Princess 2021.
Night-time chase at the Alpenhaus Trophy
The night-time Hillclimb attracted 134 mountain bikers to the start. Starters could line up for the “Alpenhaus Trophy” as an individual race or as part of the UCI S1 stage-race. On the
7.65-kilometre-long route covering almost 1,000 m elevation gain, Andreas Seewald from Germany in the men’s and Ariane Lüthi from Switzerland in the women’s race successfully outdid the opposition.
Young mountain bike talents get a whiff of racing air
At the “Ironbike Kids & Juniors Trophy” on 6 August, kids and juniors aged five to 16 showed they were a force to be reckoned with in the future.
Save the Date: The 27th Ischgl Ironbike will be held from 5-6 August 2022.
