The overall winners of the Bike Marathon Classics. © velomedia.ch / Martin Platter

Stauffer and Weinbeer win the Bike Marathon Classics

The triumph of Alexandre Balmer, who registered at short notice, in the Iron Bike Race helped Hansueli Stauffer in his last elite race on Swiss soil. The Sigiriswil native secured second place and thus the overall victory of the Bike Marathon Classics for the second time. In the women's race, runner-up world champion Anna Weinbeer also claimed the overall victory with her final victory.

September 28, 2025

From: pm

The situation before the final race of the Iron Bike Race in Einsiedeln was more exciting than ever before. Bike Marathon Classics leader Frans Claes (Belgium) was tied with Hansueli Stauffer at the top of the interim standings. European champion Andreas Seewald (Germany) was just four points behind, waiting for his chance. Even fourth-placed Martin Fanger – last year's overall winner – still had a very real chance of taking the overall victory, 58 points behind the leader, as a win in Einsiedeln is worth 250 points.

However, the late entry of French-speaking Alexandre Balmer ultimately threw the calculations into disarray. While Belgian leader Claes took a "jour sans" and lost contact with the leading group early on, a quartet consisting of Balmer, Fanger, Seewald, and Stauffer fought for the final victory until the final climb. Balmer then attacked and managed to pull away slightly. Stauffer fought his way into second place, ahead of Fanger and Seewald. Fourth place allowed European champion Seewald to move up to second place in the final standings, ahead of Claes, who crossed the finish line in seventh place behind Fadri Barandun and Fabian Heinzer.

Hansueli Stauffer celebrating. © velomedia.ch / Martin Platter

"My tactics worked perfectly. I increased the pace on the final climb, and no one followed me. I then rode the slippery final descent with measured risks," explained winner Balmer. Second-placed Stauffer admitted: "In the end, I was no longer racing for victory, but rather focused my tactics on Martin Fanger and Andreas Seewald. I absolutely wanted to finish ahead of them so as not to jeopardize my overall victory. I succeeded, and that's why I'm not dissatisfied with second place."

Both Seewald and Claes complained of a certain fatigue and lack of energy, attributing this to the length of the season and the numerous competitions they had competed in. Claes also said: "The slippery track conditions were completely unsuitable for me. I fell three times." The marathon specialist, who lives in Gunten, doesn't yet know what his future holds for the sport.

Anna Weinbeer was in a class of her own. © velomedia.ch / Martin Platter

In the women's race, Anna Weinbeer once again rode in her own category. She beat second-placed Irina Lützelschwab by 32 minutes, thus securing the final ranking. Czech rider Milena Kalasova crossed the finish line in third place. Vice World Champion Weinbeer thus also secured the overall Bike Marathon Classics ranking ahead of Lützelschwab and last year's winner Alessia Nay, who had to withdraw due to injury.

“Abnormal track conditions”

"The course conditions were terrible. The grassy sections, in particular, were very exhausting and extremely slippery. I'm glad it didn't rain more," said Weinbeer. She was very satisfied with her performance, however, and also with the overall victory in the Classics. She will remain committed to marathon racing next year. Not so Lützelschwab, who will shift her focus to gravel racing in 2026. She explained: "It's simply more fun to ride in a field with other competitors. In the marathon, she often races largely alone."

In the Fun Men's category, leader Andreas Plüss also secured the overall ranking with his final victory, ahead of Marcel Berbalk and Urs Kropf. The latter had overtaken Marc Marguet in Einsiedeln to secure the podium. The middle distance saw a change of leaders in the final. Sascha Deplazes, who had led for a long time, was narrowly defeated by the much younger French-speaking Nathan Chiffelle. Guillaume Stettler took third place.

The starting field at Klosterplatz. © velomedia.ch / Martin Platter

In the women's race, leader Elodie Python confidently won both the final race and the final ranking. Ursina Condrau finished second, ahead of Roxane Cutilla.