Being the last to go in a Rolex Grand Prix is sometimes a gift. You still have to know how to use it. On Sunday in Falsterbo, Shane Sweetnam did not let the opportunity slip away. With James Kann Cruz, the Irishman swallowed up the second round in 37.68 seconds to claim the Rolex Grand Prix ahead of Richard Vogel and Steve Guerdat. A victory built with composure… and finished with the foot to the floor.

Falsterbo, the place where the clock becomes an obsession

Some shows breathe history. Falsterbo is one of them.

A vast grass arena, packed old-style stands, a sun almost showing off and fifty of the best combinations on the planet at the start of the fourth Rolex Series event of the season. No need for gimmicks when the cast already puts on the show.

Frank Rothenberger had, as so often, prepared a course that forgave nothing: fourteen fences, seventeen efforts and enough questions to remind everyone that a Rolex Grand Prix is never won by chance.

The verdict came quickly.

Martin Fuchs came out with four faults. So did Kent Farrington. Pieter Devos conceded twelve. The favourites quickly understood that the slightest detail would cost them dearly. Very dearly.

At the end of this first round, only fourteen still had a zero on the scoreboard and earned themselves a ticket to the final showdown.

Steve Guerdat continued to ride the wave of his week

Among them, Steve Guerdat.

The Swiss rider had not come to Sweden for sightseeing. Winner of the Nations Cup with his team a few days earlier, he had announced before the Grand Prix that his objective was “simple: to win.”

With Albfuehren’s Iashin Sitte, he did exactly what was needed. Clear, clean, fluent.

In the second round, he raised the tone again.

38.68

For a few seconds, it looked like the winning time.

Then Richard Vogel entered the stage.

Richard Vogel shaved off five hundredths…

The German did not take many more risks.

Just enough.

With Cloudio, the world number two also delivered a perfect second round and stopped the clock in 38.63 seconds.

Five hundredths.

At that level, it is not even a stride anymore. It is a breath.

Steve Guerdat dropped one place. Vogel temporarily took the leader’s chair.

But there was still one man left to go.

And that is never a very comfortable situation.

Last to go, first at the finish

Shane Sweetnam knew exactly what the mission was.

He knew he had to beat 38.63 seconds.

He also knew he could not afford the slightest hesitation.

With James Kann Cruz (Kannan x Cruising), the Irishman attacked immediately. No observation round. No visible calculation. The pair produced a perfectly controlled jump-off, fast without ever giving the impression of losing control.

When the clock stopped at 37.68 seconds, the suspense disappeared.

The Rolex Grand Prix of Falsterbo had found its winner.

Two clear rounds. The fastest time of the second round. And a demonstration of control at the best possible moment of the afternoon.

The Rolex Series, that rendez vous where no one breathes

In the end, this Grand Prix told exactly what Falsterbo is all about.

An arena where you cannot get away with anything. A first round to survive.

A second one to attack. And one last rider to remind everyone that, sometimes, knowing the time to beat is an advantage… provided you have the legs, the horse and the composure to go and get it.

On Sunday, Shane Sweetnam had all three.

Find the results of the Falsterbo Grand Prix here.

(Photos © Rolex Series)