Craft Bike TransAlp

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Team Bulls Clinch the Title

News Release / 25.07.2010

Stefan Sahm and Karl Platt have won their third shared title at this year’s 13th CRAFT BIKE TRANSALP powered by NISSAN after having been victorious in 2007 and 2008. The two Germans of Team Bulls, who came in fourth at today’s final stage from Madonna di Campiglio (ITA) to Riva del Garda (ITA) (2:57:49.3) completed the eight days from Füssen (GER) to Lake Garda and its 598.14 kilometres with 19,685 metres of ascent in 26:07:03.9 hours.

The win on the last 74.97 kilometres went to Italy’s Massimo De Bertolis and Mike Felderer of Team Full-Dynamix (2:54:35.7), who climbed up to the third spot in the overall ranking due to their fourth stage triumph. It was a pleasing wrap-up for the top duo as Mike Felderer stated: “With this we have underlined that we could have gone for more if Massimo hadn’t had stomach problems on the first two days.�

The runners-up spot of the overall ranking was taken by Hannes Genze (GER) and Andreas Kugler (SUI) of Multivan Merida Cycling Team who came in third today (2:57:41.6) behind of Stöckli-Craft with Switzerland’s Thomas Zahnd and Konny Looser (2:57:36.6).

<b>Team Bulls – A hard Earned Win</b>

As expected, the three-time Transalp champions of Team Bulls celebrated their win with a huge and long shower of champagne. No wonder after eight long and exhausting days of mountain bike stage racing across the Alpine divide, which saw a total of three changes of the overall lead.

“We are more than glad. It’s an amazing feeling that we finally made it, although we had some tough days in between,� explained Stefan Sahm. 33-years-old “Sahmurai� was alluding to stages three and four on which his team was suffering.�

“This was the hardest Transalp I ever competed in,� stated Karl Platt who brought home his seventh Transalp crown. “It never was that fast. There was no time for a break at all. But luckily my form came back.� However, there was another reason why this year’s triumph was a “very special one� for the 32-year-old father of two, who expects a third child with his wife. Last year, “Plattos� had to withdrawal from the race due to an injury.

<b>Rothaus-Cube Ladies are Unbeaten</b>

Danish Kristine and Anna-Sofie Norgaard have finished the 13th Transalp unbeaten. After having won all seven previous stages, the two sisters also claimed victory on the last one (3:36:57.4), spending a total of 32:52:56.9 hours in the saddle for the race.

In the overall ladies’ ranking, Germany’s Natascha Binder and Bettina Dietzen of Felt Ötztal X-Bionic/Cannondale Store came in as runners-ups (3:43:48.2) today and overall. The top-3 of the day, and overall, was rounded out by Mountain Heroes, Katrin Neumann (GER) and Danièle Troesch (FRA) (3:48:16.5).

<b>Cube Team Dominant Too</b>

Udo Bölts (GER) and Silvio Wieltschnig (AUT) have secured the title in the Masters category in their first ever season as a duo. Team Cube brought home victory on all eight stages and today the experienced pairing needed 3:04:37.0 hours to finish first in Riva del Garda.

After having been on tour several years as a cycling pro, the Transalp title was the first big triumph for Bölts as a mountain biker. “This is something very special for me. I never thought that we would be capable of winning this, although I was expecting a podium result.â€? The 43-years-old added: “It’s nice that it worked out with Silvio as I had promised him last year that we would compete together. This team competition is special; I found out after I started mountain biking. It’s impressive how this blends a team.â€?

The second and third spot of the day as well as overall was taken by Team Garmin adidas/Bike and Soul (3:09:46.6) consisting of Mannie Heymans (NAM) and Reini Woisetschläger (AUT) and defeated title defenders of Team KTM (3:12:18.9) Heinz Zörweg and Ekkehard Dörschlag.

<b>Sundstedt/Gathof Underline Mixed Title With a Stage Win</b>

The Finnish-German duo of Pia Sundstedt and Daniel Gathof, racing as Craft-Rocky-Mountain needed only 3:16:01.7 hours for the last leg from Madonna di Campiglio to Riva del Garda to claim their title today. Second and third – just like in the overall ranking – came Milena Landtwing (SUI) and Heiko Gutmann (GER) of Rothaus-Cube (3:19:17.4) and Switzerland’s Jane Nüssli and Markus Hochstrasser of credo-bikes.com (3:19:18.1).

<b>Green Valley Team 100 Take Fifth Stage Win</b>

In the class of the oldest participants South Tyrolean’s Hartmann Stifter and Josef Pallhuber of Green Valley Team 100 have secured their fifth stage win in 3:23:06.0 hours. The second ranked duo overall in the Senior Masters category relegated Team Craft to the runners-up position today (3:26:51.2).

But Ferdinand Ganser and Georg Niggl easily earned another Transalp win after 2008 and 2009 thus saying good-bye with a title hat trick. The two Germans had already announced yesterday, that they wouldn’t compete again.

Overall third within the senior master’s class were Thomax Bike team riders Max Bertschinger and Thomas Rüegg of Switzerland. Their fellow countryman Daniel Feuz and Adolf Steiner of Crazyveloshop-Scott entered the last stage podium as third (3:26:58.4).See All Event Posts