BMC (UK) - Forster was the strongest man yesterday in Glasgow at the European Championships and will be the proud owner of the blue stripes for the year to come.

Built for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Cathkin Braes Mountain Bike Trails provided a fast course which made for an exciting race. With seven men on the start line, Switzerland was clearly the strongest nation but had to play smart against strong individuals such as Mathieu Van der Poel of the Netherlands and Jaroslav Kulhavy of Czech Republic.

Lars Forster found a course that suited him perfectly, “fast and rolling” and the perfect weather conditions for him. “It was slowly getting to hot for me in Switzerland so I was glad when we landed in Scotland with 15 degrees.” His race happened like a dream, “It went perfectly from the moment the start gun fired to the finish line".

“Legs were good and my BMC Fourstroke worked perfectly” he explained after crossing the finish line a few seconds ahead of Luca Braidot (ITA), his last opponent in the race. “I attacked in the last lap and quickly opened a little gap and I knew it was my chance. I didn’t look back and gave everything I had until the last corner. There I knew I did it and could enjoy and celebrate.”

The European Championships are Forster’s best achievement so far. “I’m over the moon. I’m buzzing with all the messages I've received and still believing it was a dream when watching pictures of the race.”

Indergand qualified for World Championships thanks to a solid performance:

Reto Indergand chased two goals: a strong performance at European Championships and a qualification for the World Championships in Lenzerheide in a month. “There was one last spot available. It was either for me or for Nicola Rohrbach; the best of us in Glasgow would make the National Team” he explained. “Racing World Champs at home is such a great experience; I didn’t want to miss it.” The rider of Central Switzerland always stayed at the forefront and kept calm the entire race. His tactics paid off and Indergand killed two birds with one stone; he finished in an excellent fifth place and won his ticket for World Championships finishing ahead of fellow countryman Rohrbach.”Mission accomplished!” he said. “Today could have hardly gone better. I achieved my goals and seeing Lars on the top of the podium makes me happy!”

Forster and Indergand are flying today to Canada for the next round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup happening in Mont-Sainte-Anne.