fabian rabensteiner : 18 videos

Stage 6 marked the penultimate day of the ABSA Cape Epic 2023. For the first time in history, outside of a time trial, the entire stage was hosted by a single landowner. It was a dramatic day, as wind and rain was on the cards for the riders today. The trails were wet and soggy, which caused a dramatic shake up in the general classification. Matthew Beers (RSA) and Christopher Blevins (USA) won the penultimate stage 6 with a time of 3hours 26minutes 48seconds. SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing’s Nino Sch...

Stage 4 marked the second time trial of the race. It took the riders around the trails of Oak Valley Estate in a short but intense day of racing with 47km to go and 875m of climbing. The course was packed with singletrack, making it a test of skill as well as fitness. Maintaining a rhythm to climb twisting trails like Berg Adder and then descend down trails like Puff Adder, Vissie’s Magic and Sounds of Silence required absolute focus. Matthew Beers (RSA) and Christopher Blevins (USA) from tea...

Stage 2 of the 2023 ABSA Cape Epic marked the longest stage of this year’s race. The riders looped around the beautiful trails of Hermanus. At 116 kilometers it had everything from long grinding climbs to hair-raising downhills and technical demanding single tracks. The men’s race saw a very fast and technical race with the best end for Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne’s Matthew Beers (RSA) and his partner Christopher Blevins (USA). The pair took the win of Stage 2 after they already won the Prol...

Stage 1 of the ABSA Cape Epic was traditionally tough and tested the riders to their limits as it has been a real marathon stage. The bare numbers sat at 98 kilometers with 2,550 meters of climbing, the highest of this year’s route. After a relatively short Prologue, things were being turned up a notch as the race properly got under way. The route headed through the best of the Hemel en Aarde Valley singletracks and into the searing Overberg planes. The outbound loop trended relentlessly uphi...

Wilier Pirelli Factory and Davos Klosters Women Win 2022 SPAR Swiss Epic The fifth and final stage of the 2022 SPAR Swiss Epic saw Wilier Pirelli Factory and Davos Klosters Women secure the overall title of the 2022 event upon crossing the finish line in Davos 359 kilometres after the race began in Arosa. Wilier Pirelli’s Stage 5 victory was their fourth stage win of the event and saw them secure the overall title in a time of 16:19:40; Singer Racing team finished both second on the final...

Heavy Rainfall, longest Swiss Epic stage ever and sprint finishes – that are the stories of today’s Queen Stage, one for the history books. The Queen Stage of the 2022 SPAR Swiss Epic, in Graubünden, may not have the jagged saw tooth profile of the other stages, but by its sheer length it commands respect.

Stage 3 of the 2022 SPAR Swiss Epic, in Graubünden, showcases all three key villages of the Flims Laax Falera region during the 63km loop, picked with 2.200m of climbing. After a rainy night, the weather was way better than expected and the clouds offered a nice scenery for today’s stage. It is a singletrack-filled day of trail exploration below the tree-line that kicks off with The Track, from Falera to Ladir. The route then descends past Ilanz’s Dominican Convent and follows the Rhein downs...

Stage 2 of the 2022 SPAR Swiss Epic features both the highest point in the 2022 race as well as the race’s longest descent that passes the lowest point of this year's edition, meaning teams will have to prepare for stage that tests limits but rewards with thrills aplenty. The Urdenfürggli, a bridleway which dates back to the fourteenth century, dominates the opening 15 kilometres. From the summit, an 8-kilometre-long trail drops into Lenzerheide, the home of Switzerland’s mountain biking Worl...

Today the 2022 Swiss Epic kicked off with perfect mountain biking weather and a total of 410 teams of two from 50 countries are ready to conquer the alps. Stage 1 was a 59km loop with 2.250m of climbing around Davos. The recently crowned European Mountain Bike Marathon Champion, Fabian Rabensteiner (ITA) and his super strong teammate Daniel Geismayr (current Austrian Marathon champion) of team Wilier Pirelli Factory won todays stage. In the women category it was the German duo, Bettina Jana...

Stage 4 lead from Arosa to Davos – Europe’s highest town - and is the Queen Stage of the 2020 Swiss Epic. In total the stage featured 2.700 metres of climbing, but also an exhilarating 2.900 metres of descend. Leaving Arosa, the Hörnli Trail challenged the riders again! Thereafter it was epic climbs followed by scintillating descents all the way to Davos, via the Duranna Pass and Klosters, and the Flüela Trails. Another highlight was the Grüensee with its crystal-clear waters! After four da...

Stage 2 of the 2020 Swiss Epic was backloaded with climbing. Today’s route featured 2.600 metres of elevation gain, in the 75 kilometres which separate Laax from Arosa. The day’s beauty offset that challenge, however, as the teams raced along the edge of the Rhine Gorge, Switzerland’s answer to the Grand Canyon. Thereafter the Domleschg Valley and the climb of the Schanfigg valley to Tschiertschen continued to provide breath-taking views. A fast and exciting descent allowed for a white-knuckl...

Graubünden resident, Nino Schurter and his SCOTT-SRAM teammate Lars Forster rode to a dominant stage victory on the opening stage of the 2020 Swiss Epic. The 60-kilometre route, which started and finished in Laax, provided ample technical trails for the Swiss pair to exert their dominance on. In the women’s race, the Queen of mountain bike stage racing, Annika Langvad once again showed her class as she and Haley Batten stormed to victory on the opening stage of the 2020 Swiss Epic. The...

Trek Selle San Marco continued their Swiss Epic dominance in Lenzerheide on Stage 4. The Italian teams finished in first and second position on the 48km long penultimate stage. The four Italians representing the Trek Selle San Marco squad raced to their second 1 – 2 finish of the 2019 Swiss Epic; in Lenzerheide on Friday, 23 August. After their mechanical misadventures on Stage 3, Samuele Porro and Damiano Ferraro matched the pace of the indefatigable race leaders; Michele Casagrande and Fabi...

After five stages, the 2019 Swiss Epic has come to an end – Europe’s premier mountainbike stage race took one of the world’s best MTB riders and dedicated amateurs through the Swiss Alps in the canton Graubünden. This year’s edition features 274 teams of two from around the world with representation from every continent among the participants who will traverse 347km of climbs and descents, including 11 950 metres of climbing, through Switzerland’s Graubünden region – the host towns were Dav...

Today’s stage three, this year’s queen stage, transitions from St. Moritz to Lenzerheide and reaches the highest point of this stage early on, followed by parts of the 2018 World Championship XC track. 80 kilometres and 2200 meters of climbing awaits the 300 teams of two. The young local swiss guys Casey South and Noah Blöchlinger won stage three here in the canton of Graubünden and are now in the second place in the overall GC. The leading men team Michele Casagrande and Fabian Rabenstein...

The second stage of Swiss Epic 2019 equals the second win for Michele Casagrande (ITA) & Fabian Rabensteiner (ITA). The Italian team was with a time of 3:11:15,7 also the fastest team in the men’s competition on day 2 to cross the finish line. But it was an icredible tight race of the top 3 teams with Michael STÜNZI (SUI) & Marc STUTZMANN (SUI) on place on place 2 (+1,1) and Casey SOUTH (SUI) & Noah BLÖCHLINGER who came in 3rd (+1,7). In the women’s competition a German team took the win:...

Home win for the Swiss duo Corina Gantenbein (SUI) & Kathrin Stirnemann (SUI) at the Swiss Epic opening day! In a time of 4:59:23,1 they take the win ahead of Ariane Lüthi (SUI) & Samara Sheppard (NZL) on rank 2. The women’s podium is completed by Alice Pirard (BEL) & Stefanie Dohrn (GER) who came in 3rd. In the men’s competition the Italian teams showed a strong performance: The victory of Stage 1 went to the Italian teammates Michele Casagrande (ITA) & Fabian Rabensteiner (ITA) with a tim...

With 69km and 2000m of vertical gain standing between riders and a finisher’s medal at Val de Vie Estate, this year’s Grand Finale was arguably the toughest in the Absa Cape Epic 15-year history. With four beastly climbs punctuating the course, even the sharp end of the field would feel every metre. Despite their eight minute cushion over Cannondale Factory Racing’s Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini, Investec Songop Specialized would have to mark every attack and pray for a mechanical-free d...