Day 2: La Mola de Maó - Platges de Fornells

Press Release / 27.09.2016

The most natural Menorca, a challenge for the second stage of the Camí de Cavalls Epic 360º

The mountain bikes have joined in the race through the northwest of the island. Repeat results for Spanish Lluís Borras and Marc Coll, and the germans Julia Böttger and Tomm Claude Zechmeister.
    
Platges de Fornells - Menorca (24/09/2016).- The second stage of the Camí de Cavalls Epic 360º 2016 has had a hard start , with a course inside the fortress of la Mola in Maó, immediately followed by another demanding track full of uphills and downhills through enchanting landscapes until Platges de Fornells where the rain embraced most of the athletes.
On this occasion, the participants taking on the Dualtrail category, covered the 51,1 km and 726 m of ascent, on mountain bike and not on foot, with identical winners: the Spanish team with LLuís Borras and Marc Coll (Barcelona). There was no surprise in the Epic360º category either –on foot–, in which the german “La Sportiva team” with Julia Böttger and Tomm Claude Zechmeister wining the stage.
The participants were transfered together from the camp site they shared last night in Son Bou to la Mola in Maó as  the stage starting point. All highlighted the experience and harmony about sharing with other runners as one of the best things about the Camí de Cavalls Epic 360º.

Start in La Mola
The organization did hold a little surprise for the begining of the stage, in the shape of 5 km of the course inside the Maó fortress, an enormous military complex built in the XIX century to protect the entrance of the Maó port,  anecdotally being the easternmost spot of Spanish soil. The ciclists (both from the Dualtrail and Dualtrail Experience categories) have started first, at about 8:00 in the morning,  and 5 minutes after it was the  Epic 360º category participants turn. They discovered inner courtyards, ditches and tunnels making the start as something special to remember.
Thereupon the race  headed north, towards the Parque Natural de S'Albufera des Grau, through Sa Mesquida. On that first section, the leading team of the Dualtrail category, Lluís Borras and Marc Coll, had a mechanical problem having to change one of their bikes and being relegated to the last spot whilst trying to sort it all out. They reached the first CP where they could change one of their bikes and stay in the race.
From there on, with a section full of up hills  and down hills to coves and beaches, they reached Es Grau CP, climbing positions until they regained the lead, position they would keep until the finish line.
Priviledged by nature

From behind, the participants of the Epic 360º category cleared the standings, always with the germans Julia Böttger and Tomm Claude Zechmeister in the  first place and followed by the spanish  Gema González and  Elías Linares. In Es Grau, the runners and bikers crossed the Parque Natural de S'Albufera des Grau,  a spectacular wetland and a crucial biotype for its rich wildlife. They also covered other remarkable beaches like  Es Grau, la Cala de Sa Torreta or la Platja d'en Tortuga, already with the Favàritx lighthouse as backdrop. The dune systems took them to Addaia with its port and Arenal d'en Castell.
The last section of the stage  took the Epic 360º family to  Platges de Fornells, where the finish line was. Climate conditions have been favourable and respected the runners for most part of the day, partly cloudy  and not too hot until midday when rain showed up  to add more epic to the stage.

Stage 3: Platges de Fornells - Ciutadella
The particpants of the Camí de Cavalls Epic 360º are reaching the end of this adventure. Stage 3 and last (50,8 km and 1.098 m of ascent),Sunday 25th of September,will take them from  Platges de Fornells back to Ciutadella, in order to complete the circle around the island. It is a stage of great contrasts, this part of the northern coast is very rugged and steep, and the landscape consists of hills and valleys, streams and wetland with a wild coastline only watched  by the solitaire lighthouses of Cavalleria y Punta Nati. Probably the most demanding and tough stage of all but also the most spectacular untamed north of Menorca covering places like Binimel·là, Els Alocs, Cala Morell or el Pont d'en Gil.

Stage 2 Provisional Standings

 Epic 360º Category
1. TEAM LA SPORTIVA (Julia Böttger / Tomm Claude Zechmeister): 5:12:51
2. TORTU TEAM (Gema González / Elías Linares): 5:22:22
3. THR33KY (Timo Litters / Thomas Lehmann): 5:47:12
4. CRISTIAN Y SONIA GR-33 (Sonia Mundina / Cristian Andreu): 5:52:42
5. LONDON RC (Alex Cawthorne / Richard Dunley): 5:54:58

Dualtrail Epic Category
1. EQUIP CEM EL PAPIOL (Lluís Borras / Marc Coll): 3:13:15
2. DIMONIS DE BDN (Dídac Sánchez / Raúl Gallego): 4:03:05
3. PITUFOS VERDES VOLADORES (Vicente Rodrigo / Santiago Patiño): 4:05:48

 Experience 360º Category
1. APLACADOS MENORCA (Jordi Riutort / Kiko Sintes): 2:59:46
2. HOQUEYTEAM (Joan Escala / Jordi Baldrich): 3:07:42
3. CLUB DE MUNTANYA ELS XORIGUERS (Margarita Adrover / Santos Santos): 3:13:12

Dualtrail Experience Category
1. ECOLÒGICA DE MENORCA (Jaume Bagur / Biel Cardona): 3:17:33
2. KIMUA TALDEA (Eneko Hernández / Iván San Miguel): 3:54:48
3. ANIMALO (Felipe Selva / Enric Borràs): 4:02:06

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