Transalp Day 2: An uncomfortable end

The second stage of the MAXXIS BIKE Transalp 2022 took the participants from Sillian to Bruneck. In contrast to yesterday's heat, the conditions on the last section of the route with its high altitude metres were made more difficult today by heavy rain, which ended the stage early for some. A total of 2,510 metres in altitude and 72 kilometres were on the agenda today for those who made it to the finish before the bad weather set in. Isotonic refreshment was provided by the drinks sponsor Bitburger with a delicious 0.0%.

On the route profile, today resembled an oscillation that slowly built up and reached its peak at the end with a long climb up to Kronplatz. This meant that the athletes were at least able to breathe a little easier on the first, still dry roller passages after yesterday's demanding stage. However, this "slow gear" did not last long. Not only did most of the elevation gain have to be mastered on the last section, but at the end of the stage it rained so heavily that the organisers decided to abandon today's race in the interests of the athletes.

About the route: From Sillian, the athletes first rolled across the Italian border to Vierschach, from where they climbed the first hills via Innichen to Toblach. In the shade of the southern side of the Alta Pusteria Valley, further "gentle" metres in altitude were then collected. Up to this point, the riders were spared the bad weather. After Valdaora/Olang, however, the time had come: the valley incision to the south heralded the long climb up to the Furkel Pass, which was only the intermediate destination before the riders had to reel off another 500 metres in altitude up to Plan de Corones/Kronplatz. Those who didn't arrive in time were inevitably caught out by the heavy rain that set in. As the weather conditions continued to deteriorate, the organisers decided to abandon the race at the second refreshment point. As a result, most of the 360-degree panorama with the Dolomites to the south or the Riesenferner group to the north, which can be seen from the expansive summit of Kronplatz, remained hidden from view - as did the challenging and varied Herrnsteig trail.

These scenes did not go unnoticed by Karl Platt and his team-mate Michael Anthes from Team BULLS, who took advantage of the technical descent to secure the day's victory in the Masters classification. "We lost the connection slightly on the last climb. But we realised that the last trail would be a bit rough," reported Karl after the race. "We also know that we are good downhillers. That's why we were looking forward to this exciting last downhill and finally caught up with the leaders. We were able to make up more than four minutes in this technical section." After ending his career and taking a long break from the Transalp, Platt had wanted to spit the knife out between his teeth this year: Well, did he succeed?

The fastest of the day

Men's teams:

1. Carlos Arroyo Herrera and Luis Sanchez Mejia (7C-ECONOMY-WILIER) | Time: 3:15.01,7h
2. Teus Ruijter and Tim Smeenge (KMC) | Time: 3:17.51,7h
3. Michael Wohlgemuth and Philip Handl (Texpa Simplon/ MC Racing by Casa) | Time: 3:19.26,7h

Women's teams:

1. Lorenza Menapace and Evelyn Sulzer (Team Val di Sole Bike Land) | Time: 4:31.32,9h
2. Irina Krenn and Martina Deubler (Bikeworld Bad Goisern / Salzkammergut) | Time: 4:32.03,7h
3. Theresa Gassner and Lea Kremsreiter (SRT Protective Factoryteam Women) | Time: 4:32.03,7h

Mixed teams:

1. Alexander Stöckl and Claudia Vötter (Team Intersport Patrick 1) | Time: 4:12.14,8h
2. Marc Böttger and Andrea Böttger (r2-bike.com MTN CREW) | Time: 4:15.09,0h
3. Helge Nesse and Beate Nesse (Team Nesse) | Time: 4:26.49,3h

Master teams:

1. Michael Anthes and Karl Platt (BULLS) | Time: 3:30.52,4h
2. Jonathan Ramirez Carballo and Dax Arce Jaikel (7C-WILIER) | Time: 3:35.32,0h
3. Francesco Grandelis and Michele Purlan Festini (Semplicemente Inseguendo un Sogno) | Time: 3:58.41,7h

The next stage takes the 600 or so starters from Bruneck to St. Vigil: with 37 kilometres and 1,910 metres of elevation gain, this is a stage to take a breather. Let's hope for stable weather, the forecast for which is promising.

All information about the race and the detailed route description including elevation profiles can be found at https://bike-transalp.de/.