For the second time in my career, I travelled to Sweden for a World Championships. After the 2022 World Champs in Falun, we now went about 90 km further north-west, once again to Dalarna. Following the European Champs in Portugal, I put a lot of work into preparing for these World Championships. We travelled to Gothenburg for the O-Ringen in order to (re)familiarise ourselves with the particular characteristics of Swedish MTBO. Even though the terrain was considerably more demanding in riding terms and placed rather different navigational demands on us, it was an important part of the preparation, and it also gave us a chance to measure ourselves against the international field on Swedish soil. I finished the O-Ringen fourth overall, behind two other Swiss riders (Simi and Noah). (https://resultat.oringen.se/2026)
During the final weeks of preparation at home I struggled with the heat. I often couldn’t complete my planned intervals, having to ride them at a lower output than intended or abandon them altogether. I was aware of the effect the heat was having, but I found it hard to judge what sort of shape I was actually in. It was with that uncertainty that I travelled to Norway, where we had a short preparation camp planned. Unfortunately I fell ill on the journey there — first a day of fever, then a day of diarrhoea, before the whole business finally passed. As a result I missed several days of training and my form became even more of an unknown. In the end I managed two sessions at the close of the short training camp, and I was looking forward to a fresh, trouble-free start in Mora, the venue for the Worlds.
We travelled to Mora a full five days before the official start of the championships, so as to settle into our accommodation and put the finishing touches to our preparation on the training maps provided by the organisers. I felt ready for this World Championships!
The first race of the Worlds was the middle distance. Unfortunately, my favoured discipline turned out — over the relatively long middle section of the course — to be more of a short long distance, with comparatively little navigational challenge. The terrain would have allowed for more, and I was somewhat disappointed by how straightforward the course was. That simplicity produced a very tight race with small time gaps, and I finished 15th, just 19 seconds off the top ten and three seconds off the top twelve.
I wanted to do better the following day in the long distance. Although I knew that the very flat and rather sandy terrain doesn’t really suit me, I pinned my hopes on high navigational demands. For long stretches I rode a very clean race. Sadly not an entirely clean one, and that single mistake cost me around eight minutes. I confused control 19 with control 16 and only realised after control 18. The extra loop cost a lot of time, but it didn’t rob me of my morale. I was able to keep pushing hard afterwards and completed the demanding final section without error. Even so, 34th place was a big disappointment; I had hoped for considerably more from this race. That said, even without the mistake, not much more than a top-twenty place would have been possible on this day.
The last individual race was the sprint, as the mass start was missing from this year’s championship programme. In an exciting and superbly organised race, the aim was not to lose a single second. Unfortunately the course was once again not especially demanding, and the race was once again very close. I finished 24th, just under two minutes behind the winner and a good minute off the top ten. Looking back, I have to admit I probably rode a little too cautiously; in that race you really had to risk everything and not build in too much of a safety margin.
Different rules apply in the closing race, the relay. Far more mistakes are made here, and nerves play a part even for the very best riders. The second Finnish team, with the previous day’s world champion Tomi Nykänen, bowed out early with a puncture after a riding error over a railway line. Silas, who took the first leg for our team, rode an outstanding race for a long time and established himself in the leading group. Unfortunately he made a mistake shortly before the spectator control, which cost around two minutes. He handed over to me in 12th place (unadjusted to only one team per nation). I started my leg with a gap of roughly 20 to 30 seconds both ahead (Finland 3) and behind (Austria 1). The start of the course was fairly heavily forked, so I was able to tackle my race on my own. I felt confident in terrain that was largely familiar by then, and on several legs I could use exactly the same routes as in the earlier races. That allowed me to catch and pass more and more rivals, until I closed right up to the group fighting for second place. Shortly before the spectator control I chose a slightly slower route and so missed the slipstream in the purely physical final section. At least I made sure I punched the last control, unlike the first Finnish and the second French teams. Pre-race favourites Finland 1 took themselves out of contention rather carelessly, which threw the door to the podium wide open for us. I handed over in 6th place (5th adjusted, as only one team per nation counts) to Noah, who — still buzzing from his first individual World Championship medal the day before — set off in pursuit. He soon overtook several rivals, above all both Czech teams. France, who had built a big lead, steadily lost time, so Lithuania and we ourselves came closer and closer to the gold medal. Lithuania managed to catch France shortly before the final loop and then won the sprint for the line, while Noah brought home the bronze medal untroubled, with a margin of almost two minutes over fourth place (Italy)! My first World Championship medal since the last Worlds in Sweden was a reality, and after a rather mixed championships it came as an enormous relief. As tradition dictates, the championships closed with the banquet, of which — as tradition also dictates — no report is given. I’m now enjoying the end of the season back in the Swiss summer and back in the mountains whenever possible. In about a month you’ll be able to read a full season review here. See you soon!
Last but not least I would like to thank all the staff of our team. Special thanks go to Christine Schaffner, who looked after us the last time after 8 seasons as a coach. Also special thanks go to Marita, Rafael and everyone else involved, Merci!
