Markus Zberg has won Switzerland's elite road championship for the first time. 26-year-old Zberg from canton Uri, who rides for the Dutch Rabobank team, won a sprint to the finishing line on Sunday ahead of the other nine cyclists in the top group.

Two Post Swiss riders, Marcel Strauss and Roger Beuchat, came second and third respectively.

The winner of last week's Tour de Suisse, Oscar Camenzind, led for most of the 186 kilometre race in Gansingen in canton Aargau, but had little left for the final sprint, finishing a disappointing eighth.

On the other hand, Zberg's strategy paid off. He held back for most of the twelve laps around Gansingen, waiting until the second to last one before successfully joining the leading pack. "I wasn't afraid I couldn't do it", Zberg said after his win.

It was Zberg's first win of the season. "This has given me extra motivation for the Tour de France," he added.
It will be his first time competing in cycling's most prestigious race, which gets underway next weekend.

"I'll try to hold my own in the first two weeks in order to risk something in the last week."

swissinfo with agencies

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative