The International Cycling Union has confirmed the decision made by the Commissaries Panel at the Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships in Villabassa, Italy. The panel had relegated World Cross-Country Champion Christoph Sauser to second place, despite the fact that he crossed the finish line in first position, thus awarding the victory to the Belgian rider Roel Paulissen (Cannondale-Vredestein). According to the panel, Christoph Sauser had sprinted in "an unauthorized manner."

Sauser's team Specialized Factory Racing and his Swiss National Federation appealed against this decision.

Roel Paulissen remains the 2008 Mountain Bike Marathon World Champion. The Swiss riders Christoph Sauser and Urs Hubert are second and third respectively.
 
Here is the direct link to the incredible 4 shot sequence of the finish sprint between Sauser and Paulissen:

http://www.uci.ch/Modules/EAlbum/ALBUM/default.asp?MenuId=MTU0NjY