August 12, 2007 (Verviers, Belgium) – Ralph Näf and Christoph Sauser have put their stamp on mountain biking’s world marathon championships. The two Swiss riders were in the lead for almost the entire race until a mechanical threw back Näf 25 kilometers from the finish, forcing him to hand over his world championship title to Sauser without a fight.

The women’s race started without the defending world champion Gunn-Rita Dahle FlesjÃ¥ who is still out of competition due to a viral infection – Petra Henzi, another Swiss rider won that race.

Defending his title seemed to be within reach for Näf for a long time. “I was on par with Sauser in terms of strength and we had a fair battle. Everything looked as if there would be a thrilling finish,” the defending champion commented after the race. “I do not grudge Sauser this title, he has more than deserved it.”

Due to a mechanical on his bike’s chain, Näf had to let his compatriot go, but soon after he got back within reach. To close the gap, he had to risk a lot, flatting a tire in one of the downhills as a consequence. “I came here to defend my title, not just to finish on the podium. In order to catch up with Sauser, I had to risk everything,” said Näf as he analyzed the race.

Moritz Milatz also delivered a fine result. With his eleventh position at the world marathon championships he showed that his form is on a rise. And he got a top-ten finish within a hair’s breadth. Midways through the race he lost contact to a group of riders and continued on his own. On a course like the one in Verviers, Belgium it proved almost impossible to close a gap to a group for a single rider. Still Milatz was more than satisfied with his eleventh-place finish, hoping to improve on this result in races to come.

Apart from Näf and Milatz, no other riders of the “Multivan Merida Biking Team” were competing. Dahle FlesjÃ¥ has not recovered from her viral infection sufficiently to compete on her usual level. So instead she decided to prepare herself in Southern Tirol in order to be ready for the world MTB cross country championships due to be held in Fort William.

Results

Pro Men

1. Christoph Sauser (Switzerland) 4.23.06
2. Roel Paulissen (Belgium) 5.23
3. Thomas Dietsch (France) 7.26
4. Hector Leonardo Paez Leon (Colombia) 8.21
5. Massimo De Bertolis (Italy) 8.5
6. Filip Meirhaeghe (Belgium) 9.51
7. Gilberto Simoni (Italy) 9.52
8. Fredrik Kessiakoff (Sweden) 9.53
9. Karl Platt (Germany) 9.54
10. Alban Lakata (Austria) 10.12
11. Moritz Milatz (Germany) 14.21
12. Andreas Kugler (Switzerland) 14.35
13. Bas Peters (Netherlands) 15.31
14. Julio Humberto Caro Silva (Colombia)
15. Aleksejs Saramotins (Latvia) 17.19
16. Sandro Spaeth (Switzerland) 17.5
17. Karl Markt (Austria) 17.53
18. Stefan Sahm (Germany) 18.45
19. Johann Pallhuber (Italy) 18.54
20. Marzio Deho (Italy) 19.3
21. Martin Kraler (Austria) 21.48
22. Thomas Zahnd (Switzerland) 22.04
23. Roland Stauder (Italy) 22.19
24. Hannes Genze (Germany) 25.02
25. Tomas Vokrouhlik (Czech Republic) 25.04
26. Jérôme Chevallier (France) 25.05
27. Ramses Bekkenk (Netherlands) 25.09
28. Mario Alberto Rojas Rojas (Colombia) 26.07
29. Mike Felderer (Italy) 26.51
30. Roland Golderer (Germany) 26.57
31. Frank Schotman (Netherlands) 26.58
32. James Ouchterlony (Great Britain) 27.25
33. Urs Huber (Switzerland) 29.02
34. Nicolas Vermeulen (Belgium) 29.39
35. Jan Jobanek (Czech Republic) 30.08
36. Pierre-Geoffroy Plantet (France) 30.4
37. Paolo Montoya (Costa Rica) 32.33
38. Ruud Rentmeester (Netherlands) 32.48
39. Tim Wijnants (Belgium) 32.57
40. Joris Massaer (Belgium) 36.04
41. Kevin Van Hoovels (Belgium) 36.05
42. Kris Lapere (Belgium) 36.09
43. Martin Horak (Czech Republic) 37.2
44. Jhon Jairo Botero Salazar (Colombia) 37.37
45. William Bjergfelt (Great Britain) 37.5
46. Eero Jappinen (Finland) 38.05
47. Kevin Evans (South Africa) 38.43
48. Rick Evers (Netherlands) 40.57
49. Ivan Rybarik (Czech Republic) 42.54
50. Oldrich Hakl (Czech Republic) 42.57
51. Bjorn Rondelez (Belgium) 43.04
52. Ramon Bianchi (Italy) 43.05
53. Peter Coddens (Belgium) 44.53
54. Max Friedrich (Germany) 45.29
55. Gabor Bogar (Hungary) 46.35
56. Ken Van Den Bulke (Belgium) 47.22
57. Thomas Stoll (Switzerland) 48.17
58. Lukas Buchli (Switzerland) 48.19
59. Silvio Bundi (Switzerland) 48.28
60. Wilco Verwegen (Netherlands) 48.58
61. Nico Berckmans (Belgium) 49.09
62. Dries Govaerts (Belgium) 49.52
63. Daniel Gathof (Germany)
64. Marton Blazso (Hungary) 49.59
65. Kris Henderieckx (Belgium) 51.37
66. Jan Weevers (Netherlands) 51.49
67. Michael Borup (Denmark) 52.06
68. Leon De Jong (Netherlands) 53.02
69. Thomas Frischknecht (Switzerland) 53.4
70. Emil Lindgren (Sweden) 54.03
71. Kris Janssens (Belgium) 54.41
72. Olegs Melehs (Latvia) 54.55
73. Kris Hertens (Belgium) 55.2
74. Aurélien Collet (France) 55.29
75. Peter Szalay (Hungary) 59.41
76. Ervins Smolins (Latvia) 59.51
77. Alexis Swetloff (Great Britain) 1.01.32
78. Michael Storgaard Iversen (Denmark) 1.01.39
79. Baticon Nunez (Spain) 1.02.14
80. Jose Silva (Portugal) 1.03.12
81. Wolfgang Mayer (Germany) 1.03.26
82. Dries Hollanders (Belgium) 1.05.57
83. Thomas Achouri (Belgium) 1.06.46
84. Bart Van Keimpema (Netherlands) 1.07.42
85. Tibor Gijssen (Netherlands) 1.07.47
86. Jaco Venter (South Africa) 1.09.46
87. Mikko Siltanen (Finland) 1.09.49
88. Marcel Reiser (Germany) 1.11.11
89. Reinis Andrijanovs (Latvia) 1.13.26
90. Robby De Bock (Belgium) 1.13.46
91. Thibaut Legastelois (France) 1.13.47
92. Peter Ven (Belgium) 1.14.07
93. Daigoro Yamada (Japan) 1.15.57
94. John Paul Pearton (South Africa) 1.16.03
95. Joao Marinho (Portugal) 1.16.23
96. Job Van Hout (Netherlands) 1.16.54
97. Bart Spierings (Netherlands) 1.18.01
98. Emmanuel Morel (France) 1.19.21
99. Rudy Megevand (France) 1.22.45
100. Justice Makhale (South Africa) 1.29.43
101. Sébastien Schuler (France) 1.31.26
102. Timothy Carleton (Canada) 1.32.15
103. Didzis Praulins (Latvia) 1.34.03
104. Jonathan Cormier (France) 1.34.37
105. Tom Hartkamp (Netherlands) 1.36.44
106. Johan Van Zyl (South Africa) 1.37.58
107. Jérome Junker (Luxembourg) 1.40.13
108. Thibaut Ruamps (France) 1.42.05
109. Ad De Brabander (Netherlands) 1.42.23
110. Stéphane Urbain (France) 1.53.13
111. Nelson Luis (Luxembourg) 1.54.20
112. Frank Luikens (Netherlands) 1.56.36
113. Karlis Smilktens (Latvia) 1.58.53
114. Florent Martin (France) 2.00.12
DNF Mathias Smet (Belgium)
DNF Kristof Houben (Belgium)
DNF Martino Fruet (Italy)
DNF Ludovic Mottet (Belgium)
DNF Steffen Thum (Germany)
DNF Roman Rametsteiner (Austria)
DNF Bjorn Brems (Belgium)
DNF Dario Acquaroli (Italy)
DNF Justin Price (New Zealand)
DNF Tim Bohme (Germany)
DNF Kashi Leuchs (New Zealand)
DNF Johnny Cattaneo (Italy)
DNF Davy Coenen (Belgium)
DNF Ralph Naef (Switzerland)
DNS Mathieu Louis (Belgium)
DNS Christian Scheidawind (Germany)

Pro Women

1. Petra Henzi (Switzerland) 5.12.11
2. Sabine Spitz (Germany) 2.07
3. Pia Sundstedt (Finland) 11.59
4. Elsbeth Van Rooij-Vink (Netherlands) 23.22
5. Esther Süss (Switzerland) 23.49
6. Evelyn Staffler (Italy) 27.1
7. Arielle Van Meurs (Netherlands) 28.5
8. Katrin Schwing (Germany) 33.33
9. Sarah Koba (Switzerland) 33.47
10. Anna Enocsson (Sweden) 34.01
11. Fabienne Heinzmann (Switzerland) 35.54
12. Andrea Kuster (Switzerland) 40.32
13. Asa Erlandsson (Sweden) 43.39
14. Michela Benzoni (Italy) 44.51
15. Ivonne Kraft (Germany) 47.22
16. Ivanda Eiduka (Latvia) 47.49
17. Yolanda Speedy (South Africa) 52.07
18. Jenny Copnall (Great Britain) 53.06
19. Lene Byberg (Norway) 53.07
20. Carina Ketonen (Finland) 55.04
21. Jennifer O’Connor (New Zealand) 59.34
22. Virginie Souchon (France) 1.02.44
23. Sandra Santanyes Murillo (Spain) 1.05.07
24. Tatjana Dold (Germany) 1.05.41
25. Elizabeth Scalia (Great Britain) 1.05.44
26. Tania Raats (South Africa) 1.07.18
27. Barbora Radova (Czech Republic) 1.09.23
28. Nina Kunz (Germany) 1.14.01
29. Emma Colson (Australia) 1.14.03
30. Kerstin Brachtendorf (Germany) 1.31.19
31. Amy-Jane Mundy (South Africa) 1.36.14
32. Kristien Nelen (Belgium) 1.49.17
33. Monika Derntl (Austria) 1.58.29
34. Shari Hausbeck (USA) 2.04.19
35. Daniela Bargholt (Germany) 2.04.53
36. Anda Savlenko (Latvia) 2.40.50
37. Dolores Maechler-Rupp (Switzerland) 4.35.57
DNF Blaza Klemencic (Slovenia)
DNF Gabi Stanger (Germany)
DNF Kim Saenen (Belgium)
DNF Lucia Curikova (Czech Republic)
DNF Caroline Beysserias (France)
DNF Petra Mermans (Belgium)
DNF Ellane Van Wyk (South Africa)