Sauser

After years of trying and a string of near misses, Christoph Sauser has realized his dream of the rainbow stripes. Sauser destroyed the entire field to win by nearly three minutes over his Swiss teammate Florian Vogel. Julien Absalon forced himself into heat exhaustion in the chase and there was no one else who could stop the Swiss freight train that went on to sweep the podium. Sauser's win comes after multiple podium placings at the worlds and an unfortunate mechanical last year when he clearly had the form to win. After his win at Vallnord this year and multiple World Cup podiums, it was clear he had serious fitness, but his level at Val Di Sole on Sunday was miles beyond his competitors. I had the great fortune to meet him at Sea Otter last year and expressed my support for him in his epic head to head with Absalon at the worlds in 2006. He said simply "Maybe someday it will be my turn". Fortune and superior form have combined to give him the greatest win of his career and a second rainbow jersey to match his marathon title from last year. It will be interesting to see if he can put together another peak for the Olympics. Even if he falters there, 2008 could be his best season, for he has finally realized his dream