Mongolia Bike Challenge
A New Leader As Wallace is Blown Away
Official Report / 10.08.2011
The race started under the arch of Official Sponsor, Orbea, with an immediate climb that left riders breathless. At the first hill climb bonus, Cory Wallace (Kona) beat Marzio Deho (Olympia) to the top. The duo rode close, well ahead of the pack, until the next hill climb which Deho took. The Italian was looking to close the 5 minute gap leader Wallace had built over the previous 6 stages.
Both riders looked strong as they headed into the next valley, which had numerous river crossings and rocky sections. Wallace's luck was not with him - he punctured 3 times on the day and had to resort to fixing a 26" tube into his Kona 29er tire, falling well behind Deho.
Deho took full advantage of the opportunity and opened up a huge gap, finishing 30 minutes ahead of Wallace, who still finished second on the day. For the first time, the overall leader has changed hands.
Marzio Deho now has a lead of 24 minutes 1 second over second place, Cory Wallace.
The leader of the Master´s 1 category is Italian, Mauro Canale - he took the lead away from Daniele Sassaroli, who had equipment problem in today´s stage.
In the women´s race, the top three finishers for Stage 7 were: Melinda Jackson (6h36'22"), Raffaella Canonico (6h43'58") followed by Judith Locher.
<b>Stage Stats</b>
Departure: Tamch River
Arrival: Urd Tamir
Distance: 125 km
Daily climb: 960 metres
SleepMonsters
