Day 1: Ciutadella - Son Bou

Press Release / 27.09.2016

All seasons at the first stage of the Camí de Cavalls Epic 360º

Lluís Borras and Marc Coll from Barcelona win the first stage and lead the Dualtrail Epic category. Germans Julia Böttger and Tomm Claude Zechmeister arrive in second place and lead the Epic 360º.

Son Bou - Menorca (23/09/2016).- The Camí de Cavalls Epic 360º started at 8:00 this morning from the Castell de Sant Nicolau, in Ciutadella. The first stage took  50,1 km with  525 of ascent  which , Lluís Borras and Marc Coll, covered in 5:08:04 hours.The clouds, the sun, the heat and finally the rain alternated for the entire stage.

Storm lightning threatened in the sea at short distance from Ciutadella staging a dramatic backdrop to an exciting start.  The over 80 teams who took part of the longest and most demanding race categories  ( Epic 360º for the entire 50km race on foot  and Dualtrail Epic for those who will take on the second stage on MTB ) set out following the coastline heading south.

Weather conditions did help the runners, with cloudy skies and not much heat, whilst the cover the flat but technical terrain with sharp stones until Cap d'Artrutx. The first teams have ran together for most part of this area, and it wasn´t until the second CP  when they split up, in Son Saura, where most part of the White Sandy beaches characterise the South of the Island.

From this point on, and as the beaches and coves like Cala Turqueta, Macarella, Cala Galdana or Binigaus followed one another, positions started to clarify,  with the Spanish as stage leaders Lluís Borras and Marc Coll (Dualtrai Epic), followed by the Germans  Julia Böttger and Tomm Claude Zechmeister.

The hellish path begun to open up and turn into pine tree forests. Despite the fact that the stage is mainly flat with gente slopes, the constant ups and downs begun to take  its toll,  and past the three hours mark  the participants had to cope with a beating sun and a lot of heat. For many, it was just about when facing the last section of the stage, where most of the vertical drop concentrated there, at the ascent from Sant Tomàs to the Son Bou camping area, where the finish line was.

The stragglers of the Epic 360, as well as the majority of the participants of the Experience 360º category had an extra obstacle with an intense rain but for a short period of time.
Winners, Lluís Borras and Marc Coll, said that the stage was very beautiful which made the lenght of the stage shorter than what they expected.”  We´ve enjoyed it a lot and the scenery has been amazing".

Stage 2: La Mola de Maó - Platges de Fornells
The Camí de Cavalls Epic 360º has only just begun. Stage 1 was theoretically the easiest part of the entire course , which will pick up complexity and hardship as days go by. Stage 2 (51,1 km and 726m of ascent), on Saturday 24th of September, goes from La Mola in Maó to Platges de Fornells. In its first section, from the interior of this massive fortress of la Mola, unfolds outside of the Camí de Cavalls, to connect later with the GR and enter the Natural Park of the  Albufera des Grau, the most important natural reserve in the island. Favàritx or S'Arenal d'en Castell are some of the hotspots of this stage.

Provisional standings

Epic 360º Category
1. TEAM LA SPORTIVA (Julia Böttger / Tomm Claude Zechmeister): 5:11:45
2. TORTU TEAM (Gema González / Elías Linares): 5:22:33
3. CRISTIAN Y SONIA GR-33 (Sonia Mundina / Cristian Andreu): 5:30:31
4. ROLLING (Germán García / Olga García): 5:39:45
5. LONDON RC (Alex Cawthorne / Richard Dunley): 5:44:38

Dualtrail Epic Category
1. EQUIP CEM EL PAPIOL (Lluís Borras / Marc Coll): 5:08:04
2. MAASAI-VO2 (Laia Cuevas / Marçal Juan): 5:41:55
3. DIMONIS DE BDN (Dídac Sánchez / Raúl Gallego): 5:15:15

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