Swiss Epic recap, trail chaos, brutal climbs, wild descents, and Brage’s POV carnage to keep the vibe high. LET'S SEND IT 👇
1580 words of pure stoke.
Read time: 6 min 02 seconds.
Photo of the Day
Italians have Ferrari, pasta, and piazzas.
But they also had Tomas Slavik shotgunning down their heritage site at Red Bull Cerro Abajo.
📷 Bartek Wolinski behind the lens.
Video of the Day
MUST WATCH: Some POVs show skill, this one shows survival instinct.
Brage rips through roots, chutes, and whatever else Canada throws at him like he owes the forest money.
⏰ Watch time - 01 min 53 sec
Bonus: DJ Brandt serves up a reminder that mountain biking isn’t about spotless perfection. It’s about dirt under your nails and duct tape solutions that still slap.
Wabi Sabi is riding’s rough edges made beautiful, with DJ stitching chaos into art like a trail-building poet.
Smooth is overrated!
⏰ Watch time - 04 min 58 sec
Support The Send It Daily - Get The REAL Newspaper 🗞️🤙
Edition 1 - The Send It Daily
The Send It Daily runs on good dirt, good vibes, and support from readers like you.
If you love what we’re doing, consider backing the crew whether that’s grabbing the newspaper or joining as a Serious Sender.
Your support keeps the content flowing and the ride going!
Send of the Day
Bring in your big level of commitment to clear this 🤯
The Swiss Epic – Pain, Pastries, and Podiums
PC: Nick Muzik.
While Whistler was busy blasting foghorns and tossing slopestyle riders into the stratosphere last week, Switzerland was quietly running its own brand of mountain biking chaos: the Swiss Epic.
Five days, 307 kilometers, and almost 10,000 meters of climbing.
Translation: enough vertical gain to make your quads sign a petition for early retirement and your soul start Googling “cheap flights home.”
The Swiss Epic is like the Cape Epic’s alpine cousin.
The one that owns multiple pairs of Oakleys, never sweats in public, and somehow still looks fresh after hammering up grades.
Riders bounce between Davos, La Punt, and passes that sound like craft beer labels — Albulapass, Scaletta, Bernina — before limping across the finish line looking like someone just unplugged their life force.
Worth it, right?
Women’s Race: Looser Wins Big, Skarda Goes Full Beast Mode
PC: Marius Holler.
Vera Looser and Alexis Skarda (Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM) basically treated the women’s field like a Swiss chocolate bar, snapped it into pieces and ate it stage after stage.
They bagged four out of five stage wins, secured the GC by over 13 minutes, and somehow still had enough energy to smile at the finish line.
Looser called it “absolutely incredible,” which is cyclist-speak for “I’m too polite to say my legs are now held together by espresso and tape.”
Rosa van Doorn and Janina Wüst (Buff Megamo) tried to keep it spicy, but by Stage 5, they were running on fumes and fondue dreams.
The Bulls Swiss duo of Alessia Nay and Kim Ames managed third overall, proving that Switzerland doesn’t just export cheese and neutrality, they also manufacture podium spots.
Meanwhile, defending champs Monica Calderon and Tessa Kortekaas (Cannondale ISB Sport) found themselves out of sync, finishing fifth.
Tough week, but hey, someone’s gotta carry the emotional burden of being “that team that was really fast last year.”
Men’s Race: Rabensteiner & South Play it Cool
PC: Michael Chiaretta.
On the men’s side, Fabian Rabensteiner and Casey South (Torpado Kenda FSA) didn’t bother with stage-win theatrics.
They just rolled out every day with the smug confidence of guys who know their post-race pasta is already reserved.
Three wins went elsewhere, but consistency got them the big prize — a 5:22 margin over Klimatiza Orbea.
PC: Sam Clark.
South, racing in his national champion’s jersey, called the victory “special.”
Understatement of the year.
Dude basically defended his honor on home soil while being chased by Swiss legends, Italian diesel engines, and the Samparisi brothers, who apparently trained for this by only riding uphill in hell.
The Mountains: The Real Villain
Forget rivals, the true enemy of the Swiss Epic is Switzerland itself.
Every stage went over 2,000 meters, which means the altitude alone was enough to make lungs feel like damp balloons.
Climbs like the Wolfgang and Panorama Trail turned the peloton into a slow-motion parade of suffering.
PC: Nick Muzik
If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like when endurance athletes bargain with mountain gods, check the photo galleries.
Spoiler: it’s grimaces, sweat, and the occasional “why am I doing this?” stare into the void.
PC: Nick Muzik.
And then there’s the descents.
Technical, rocky, fast.
Riders had to bomb down ribbons of singletrack with names that sound too pretty for how much carnage they can cause.
Think “Flüela Trail,” which in English roughly translates to “you better have your brake pads sorted.”
Aftermath: Celebration, Sort Of
PC: Nick Muzik.
The victors sprayed champagne, hugged teammates, and pretended like they’d actually enjoy sitting on a saddle again someday.
South summed it up perfectly: “We’ve got time for a small celebration now.”
Translation: “Beer, please, but also an ice bath and someone to peel me out of this kit.”
The Swiss Epic is a reminder that Europe can throw down stage racing as brutal as anything in South Africa, Canada, or wherever else people voluntarily cook their legs.
You sign up thinking it’ll be scenic, and yes, the scenery is epic.
But you leave realizing Switzerland has the cruelest sense of humor: it hides torture behind postcard-perfect views.
Next stop for the Epic Series is Wines2Whales in South Africa, where the climbs are shorter, the vibe’s looser, and the post-race wine is significantly cheaper.
Until then, the Swiss Epic will sit in everyone’s memory as that week in August where riders learned the Alps don’t care how fit you are, they’ll chew you up, feed you Rösti, and still make you say danke.
2025 SPAR Swiss Epic Results:
UCI Men’s General Classification Standings after Stage 5:
1. Torpado Kenda FSA: Fabian Rabensteiner & Casey South (12:44:20)
2. Klimatiza Orbea: Marc Stutzmann & Samuele Porro (12:49:41 | +5:21)
3. KTM Spada powered by Brenta Brakes: Nicolas & Lorenzo Samparisi (12:51:25| +7:05)
4. Metallurgica Veneta: Nicola Taffarel & Diego Arias (12:53:30 | +9:10)
5. Scott Racing 2: Andrin Beeli & Davide Foccoli (12:57:29 | +13:09)
UCI Women’s General Classification Standings after Stage 5:
1. Efficient Infiniti SCB SRAM: Vera Looser & Alexis Skarda (15:49:27)
2. Buff Megamo: Rosa Van Doorn & Janina Wüst (16:03:09 | +13:42)
3. Bulls Swiss: Alessia Nay & Kim Ames (16:26:09 | +36:42)
4. Torpado Kenda FSA: Katazina Sosna Pinele & Giorgia Marchet (17:07:45 | +1:18:18)
5. Cannondale ISB Sport: Monica Calderon & Tessa Kortekaas (17:12:30 | +1:23:03)
Get Your Content Featured!
Snapped an epic trail shot? Caught your buddy mid-air (or mid-crash)? Have a story you want to share?
WE WANT IT!
Submit your best photos, videos, bikes or stories and get featured in The Send It Daily (bragging rights included).
Shoot us an email at editorial@thesenditdaily.com!
Dream Rides ❤️
Blackbird Bikes basically just called “dibs” on the coolest ride in Europe.
Four Bullits, Fox podium spec, built to make your bank account cry and your garage look like a museum.
We wanna see your bike in The Send It Daily? Shoot us an email at editorial@thesenditdaily.com, and maybe your ride will be the next superstar.
PC: blackbird_bike
PC: blackbird_bike
Trail of the Day
New Oilcan Exit Mountain Biking Trail - North Vancouver
PC: falco
New Oilcan Exit isn’t so much a trail as it is a blunt statement: “You’re done, but we’ll make sure you know it.”
At 174m of black diamond spice, it’s the closing argument to whatever bad decisions you made further up the mountain.
One minute of riding feels like a microdose of chaos, scenic views included just to distract you before the next sniper root.
It’s short, it’s mean, and it’s the kind of trail that doesn’t bother introducing itself.
You’ll get bark rash, you’ll love it, and you’ll immediately want to hit it again.
That’s all for today folks. We hope everyone gets some saddle time out there. See you all tomorrow! 🤙
For the ❤️ of two wheels.
We write The Send It Daily Monday - Friday (we’re out riding on the weekends). We do not proofread our material before sending and did not get A’s in English.
Our mission is simple: To advocate and bring awareness to the athletes that Send It and the media teams that capture it.
If you’re looking to feature content on The Send It Daily, reach out to editorial@thesenditdaily.com.
For more information, visit us at thesenditdaily.com
