Carpathian MTB Epic
Close Fight For First On Day 1
Press Release / 03.08.2019
Today the challenge of Carpathian MTB Epic really began! A stage that squeezed the most beautiful parts from the Eastern half of the Leaota massif and the Western end of the Bucegi massif! The participants faced a long and sustained climb, of 9km, up to the Curmătura Fiarelor saddle, a large part of Leaota's ridge and the delight of the day, the famous descent from the Strungă Saddle, probably one of the most beautiful in the country and this corner of Europe: 15 km of pure MTB to Moeciu village. In the end, when everything seemed to have been finished, the last 5km, on tarmac, with an average gradient of 8%, were probably the biggest challenge for most riders.
The stage had a length of 43 km and a total altitude difference of 2,150m, and raised problems mainly due to the muddy terrain caused by recent rains.
The winner, Filip Adel (28), finished the stage in 2:38:04, followed at a very short distance by Pierre Billaud (23) from France, the winner of yesterday’s Prologue, and on third came Tomáš VišÅˆvoský (26) from Slovakia, the winner of the 2017 edition of the competition, which had a flat tire on the route and thus wasted significant time. In the general rankings, Pierre Billaud still keeps the top position.
In the Women Elite category, Ariane Lüthi (36), wearing the leader’s Red Jersey, finished first in 3:20:53, followed by the Norwegian Hildegunn Gjertrude Hovdenak (34) and the Belgian Helena Plasschaert (35).
Tomorrow, the route does not reserve surprises, but the weather is announced to be rainy, which again will be a great challenge for riders. They will have to ride 45 km with a total altitude difference of 2,250m.
You can find more details online: www.carpathianmtb.ro.
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