Craft Bike TransAlp

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Bulls Back in Yellow

22.07.2010

What a finish at today’s sixth stage of the 2010 CRAFT BIKE TRANSALP powered by NISSAN. Massimo de Bertolis and Mike Felderer of the Italian squad Full-Dynamix have crowned their incredible pace work today by bringing home their second stage win after 72.61 kilometres and 2,363 metres of ascent from Ponte di Legno (ITA) to Malé (ITA) in 3:13:02.0 hours. Team Bulls, who rolled in to the Val Di Sole stage town only 4 tenths of second behind the winners, took back the overall lead and the leader’s Yellow Jerseys again, after losing them on stage two.

Karl Platt (GER) and Stefan Sahm (GER) now sit in first position. having the small lead of only 1:39 minutes on the BiXS iXS Pro Team, consisting of title defenders Lukas Buchli and Thomas Stoll from Switzerland, who came in after 3:16:36.8 hours and finished third today.

The previous leaders, Multivan Merida Cycling Team, lost precious time due to a technical problem at kilometre 40 and finished the stage in fifth with a gap of almost eight minutes (3:20:58.2) to the winners. Hannes Genze (GER) and Andreas Kugler (SUI), who had earned the Yellow Jerseys yesterday, are now third in the ranking, 5:35 minutes behind of Platt/Sahm.

A flat tyre at half way point of the stage threw Genze/Kugler off course, but the puncture wasn’t the sole reason for the disappointing result and the loss of all hopes for a Transalp victory. “Our two adapters broke then our food station didn’t work out so I ran out of energy in the end,� explained a devastated Genze.

Things were much better for Mike Felderer, who enjoyed the second stage win of his team: “It was a super nice day with incredible trails. We are very pleased with the result.� The 25-years-old South Tyrolean, who dedicated today’s triumph to German actor Heinrich Schmieder, who was competing and passed away in his hotel room two nights ago. He also answered a question regarding the flat of their rivals: “At first we didn’t know what to do and put ourselves in neutral. But it wasn’t a crash and we were fighting for the stage win.�

<b>Team Bulls Go For a 3rd Transalp Win</b>

Stefan Sahm of the new overall leading Team Bulls put it in similar words: “I also had a flat at kilometre twelve and had to change the wheel. Of course it’s an uncomfortable situation but Full-Dynamix went for the win and we also had to reduce the gap to the BiXS iXS riders.�

While Sahm was still recalling the last stage, Karl Platt felt some satisfaction in the finish area at Malé. The six-time Transalp champion said right after the surprising change of the table lead: “I wasn’t expecting that it would work out as well as it did. But I’m happy that my form seems to be back. I couldn’t understand why I was struggling so hard the first three days as I had trained very well before.â€?

<b>Team Cube Take 6th Stage Win</b>

Udo Bölts and Silvio Wieltschnig have clinched their sixth stage win at this year’s Transalp. The former cycling pro from Germany and his Austrian team mate mastered today’s routing as overall eight in 3:26:15.5 hours.

The Namibian-Austrian pairing Mannie Heymans, the 1998 winner of the first ever Transalp, and his partner Reini Woisetschläger of Garmin adidas/Bike and Soul finished second (3:34:52.3). Heinz Zörweg and Ekkehard Dörschlag followed as third (3:38:31.4). Both Austrians of Team KTM thus have to bury their hopes for a Transalp victory five-peat as they are now almost one hour behind of the Blue Leader jerseys.

<b>Sundstedt/Gathof Back on Top</b>

After they rolled in as runner-ups yesterday, Pia Sundstedt (FIN) and Craft-Rocky-Mountain team mate Daniel Gathof (GER) threw in another winning ride (3:48:26.6). The second ranked team of the mixed category, Milena Landtwing (SUI) and Heiko Gutmann (GER) of Rothaus-Cube, finished second after 3:51:23.7 hours. Jane Nüssli and Markus Hochstrasser (both SUI) of credo-bikes.com rounded out the podium as third (3:55:07.7).

<b>Pallhuber/Hartmann Claim Third Senior Masters Stage Win</b>

Green Valley Team 100, consisting of Josef Pallhuber and Hartmann Stifter claimed a victory on the stage to Malé (3:57:34.7). In the senior masters ranking, today’s second ranked Team Craft with Ferdinand Ganser and Georg Niggl (4:01:39.2) are still sitting in first position with a comfortable lead over the two South Tyrolean riders. Daniel Feuz and Adolf Steiner (both SUI) of Crazyveloshop-Scott celebrated their first podium result as third (4:04:40.6).

<b>Norgaard Sisters Get 6 Out of 6</b>

Anna-Sofie and Kristine Norgaard (both DAN) of Rothaus-Cube have brought home stage win six out of six. The two sisters rode 4:07:13.8 hours from Ponte di Legno to Val di Sole. The top-3 ladies’ teams are completed by Germany’s Natascha Binder and Bettina Dietzen of Felt Ötztal X-Bionic/Cannondale Store as second (4:18:55.4) and German-French Mountain Heroes Katrin Neumann/Danièle Troesch (4:21:12.0).

<b>Preview Stage 7: Malé (ITA) – Madonna di Campiglio (ITA)</b>

The shortest stage of the 2010 Transalp is (only 47.73 km) might look like a sprint stage but the climb to Rifugio Orso Bruno can be real torture. Starting in Piano, the route leads over 20 kilometres and 1,300 metres of ascent uphill to 2,100 metres, where the Brenta is within reach. Those who master this task can relax as the last part of the day descends down to Madonna di Campiglio.See All Event Posts