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Favourites Open Winning Account

22.07.2008

With a little bit of luck and a great performance, defending champions Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm have won the first stage of the JEANTEX BIKE TRANSALP 2008 powered by Nissan after 3:05:04 hours in an impressive way. It seemed that it would be a sprint duel of two teams for victory after 80.13 kilometres and 1,961 metres in elevation gain. But Team Bulls was able to gain a decisive lead over their main competitors Martin Kraler and Heinz Verbnjak (Craft & Friends) on the downhill from Marienbergjoch. In Nesselwang, the top pros from Germany were already 30 seconds in front adding more than another minute on the final flat part of the stage. Team Craft & Friends (3:07:32.7), Frank Lehmann and Uwe Hardter of Team Cube 10 (3:09:10.9) came in 3rd.

After the leading bikers had taken a detour by missing the right way and therefore taking some extra five minutes, the defending champions underlined their strength at today’s only climb. “I wasn’t feeling as good as I do normally but I was more and more getting into my rhythm�, explained Karl Platt after the finish in Imst. He’d proved his better condition on the downhill after team Craft & Friends had crossed the peak first.

“I knew that we would be able to catch up on the descent. And after Martin Kraler had a flat tyre, we managed to ride away.� On the final easy routing from Nesselwang to the stage’s finish, “Karl pushed the pedal. I don’t know at all, how he is able to do so all the time�, added Platt’s team mate Stefan Sahm.

Team KTM gains a lead of almost six minutes in the master category
In the men team category for riders aged over a combined 80 years, the title holders were also able to celebrate victory on the first stage. Heinz Zoerweg and Ekkehard Doerschlag from Team KTM secured their blue leader jerseys in a time of 3:10:42.3 hours with a lead of 5:43 minutes over runners-up Team Scott-adidas-Naturns consisting of Walter Platzgummer and Johann Grasegger (3:16:25.9).

But it wasn’t only the lead over the second ranked pairing which made today’s win so outstanding. It was the fact that Zoerweg/Doerschlag finished as fourth in the overall ranking. “We had just a very good day. First, it was kind of checking out the competitors who are very strong this year. But then we just did our thing� said Zoerweg.

Team Cube 3 (Udo Boelts and Werner Wagner) came in third (3:23:15) – a fact which was pretty surprising for former cycling pro Boelts: “Well, the fun is the main thing we are here for. Therefore we just wanted to take it easy. Still, our main goal is to make it to Lake Garda.�

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