Three-country tour at the start of the MAXXIS BIKE Transalp
Finally! This morning at 9 o’clock the hot fever for the over 600 participants of the MAXXIS BIKE Transalp ended. With the sky rising just in time for the start, beaming faces and still fresh legs set off from Nauders to Livigno. With 96.5 kilometers and 3,160 meters of altitude, the race got right down to business.
The first stage of the MAXXIS BIKE Transalp led through Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. Just as varied as the countries were the route and the landscape. And with 3,160 meters of altitude, the legs certainly didn’t get bored either. So the first stage was ideal to really get into the groove of the MAXXIS BIKE Transalp.
The winners of the men’s category, Manuel Pliem and David Schöggl from Team HUMANPWR KTM 1, didn’t have to find the impetus today. From yesterday’s Austrian National Championship, which they finished in 5th (Manuel Pliem) and 6th (David Schöggl) place in the Elite category, the two already brought the necessary momentum into the MAXXIS BIKE Transalp.
Not surprisingly, they were already able to pull away from their competitors after kilometer 40 on the longest climb of the stage, which led from Laatsch via St. Maria to the Döss Radond pass at 2,223 meters. Even when the chasing team of Dominik Schwaiger and Julian Stumpf from Team Rocklube caught up on the last climb, the two leaders didn’t let themselves be rattled and extended their lead to four minutes by increasing their pace to the finish. Third place went to Tim Smeenge and Roel Verhoeven from Team KMC after a sovereign race.
During a Transalp, you can’t ignore the magnificent scenery of the Alps. Whether you can enjoy these panoramas at a race pace and with a focus on a top-ranking? According to stage winner Martin Pliem, it is possible. Especially the images of the first mountain crossing at Bergkastel and the idyllic alpine landscapes he had absorbed particularly today.
Marek Sülzle, the solo starter, probably concentrated less on the landscapes today. During his chase from the second starting block, his attention was mainly on his competitors, whom he gradually caught up with bite and sweat. His efforts were rewarded with first place ahead of Valfre Giulio and Jens Schuhmann. The victory in the women’s individual classification was won by Naima Diesner after a strong race.
In the women’s teams, a clear victory went to DanieÌ€le Troesch and Lorenza Menapace, who finished twenty minutes ahead of Conny Bucher and Carina Mohr from the SCOTT Contessa team. Third place went to Nina Gunther and Nina Krauss from the MAXXIS CIS MTB Racing Team.
After a successful event day, which everyone enjoyed a lot more this year, not even the rain clouds, which caused fresh temperatures and wet complexions at the finish line in Livigno, could diminish the good mood of the participants. For tomorrow, the forecasts are very good again – with this great mood, the weather can not help but join the rays.
