Transalp Day 6: Hammer stage before the grand finale

Today it arrived: the Queen's stage A whopping 117 kilometres and an impressive 3,120 metres of elevation gain were on the bill at the end of the MAXXIS BIKE Transalp 2022. After the challenging previous days, it was another energy-sapping ride before the grand finale. Today's stage could almost be called an enchanted trip. The route led through the lesser-known bike stages, which promised perfect trails and unforgettable scenery in idyllic Trentino away from the crowds of tourists. For example, the athletes soon passed Lago di Calaita, in which the Pale and the Dolomites were reflected one last time before their backs were turned for good. After the super trail down to Canal San Bovo, the route continued to Passo Cinque Croci and into Valsugana. From here, the route then wound its way up through the valley of the Centa river to the high plateau of Folgaria, Lavarone and Luserna - with intermittent views over Lago di Caldonazzo and Lago di Levico. Finally, there were some fun mountain bike kilometres on the 100 km dei Forti route with a mix of wild forest paths and trails all the way to Lavarone.

Everything still open in the Masters

If you look at the results of the last few stages, you will notice the continuous change of winners among the masters teams. Team 7C-WILIER, consisting of Jonathan Ramirez Carballo and Dax Arce Jaikel, and Team BULLS, consisting of Michael Anthes and mountain bike legend Karl Platt, seem to have taken a liking to taking turns on the podium every day. However, there will be no fair distribution with seven stages and so we can look forward to tomorrow's final. Which of the two teams will take home the most stage wins in the end? There is also still a question mark over the overall victory. With Team BULLS 1:18 minutes behind the leading team 7C-WILIER, everything is still wide open "Tomorrow will definitely be really exciting again," explains Platt. "Of course, we will ride everything we can. But they are really strong on the climbs. So it will be tough," admits Platt. 7C-WILIER rider Jaikel also emphasised that he will give it his all again tomorrow. So the tension will remain at the highest level until the end.

Change of lead in the overall mixed standings

In the men's teams, the tension is at a lower level. Team 7C-ECONOMY-WILIER continues to dominate - with a lead of just under half an hour over second-placed Team Texpa Simplon/ MC Racing by Casa. Among the women's teams, Lorenza Menapace and Evelyn Sulzer (Team Val di Sole Bike Land) extended their lead today. The fact that they were able to make up so much time lost at the start of the seven-day stage race was mainly due to their good teamwork, explained Sulzer at the finish. Due to a technical problem, there was also a change in the overall lead in the mixed classification. The r2-bike.com MTN CREW team of Marc and Andrea Böttger lost over an hour and a half today and had to hand over the leader's jersey to Team Nesse with a heavy heart and obvious disappointment.

The fastest of the day

Men's teams:

1. Carlos Arroyo Herrera and Luis Sanchez Mejia (7C-ECONOMY-WILIER) | Time: 4:44.21,7h
2. Michael Wohlgemuth and Philip Handl (Texpa Simplon/ MC Racing by Casa) | Time: 4:49.20,7h
3. Teus Ruijter and Tim Smeenge (KMC) | Time: 4:53.06,4h

Women's teams:

1. Lorenza Menapace and Evelyn Sulzer (Team Val di Sole Bike Land) | Time: 6:21.05,4h
2. Irina Krenn and Martina Deubler (Bikeworld Bad Goisern / Salzkammergut) | Time: 6:32.17,7h
3. Theresa Gassner and Lea Kremsreiter (SRT Protective Factoryteam Women) | Time: 6:41.16,7h

Mixed teams:

1. Helge Nesse and Beate Nesse (Team Nesse) | Time: 5:43.20,8h
2. Spela Skrajnar and Iztok Dogsa (GANESHA TEAM) | Time: 6:05.56,4h
3. Chiara Mandelli and Fabio Belotti (Team Spacebikes) | Time: 6:14.46,8h

Master teams:

1. Michael Anthes and Karl Platt (BULLS) | Time: 5:00.29,2h
2. Jonathan Ramirez Carballo and Dax Arce Jaikel (7C-WILIER) | Time: 5:05.01,5h
3. Francesco Grandelis and Michele Purlan Festini (Semplicemente Inseguendo un Sogno) | Time: 5:39.59,4h

Tomorrow is the day: the MAXXIS BIKE Transalp 2022 comes to an end with the 7th stage. 79 kilometres and 2,120 metres in altitude are on the agenda once again from Lavarone to Riva del Garda. The beverage sponsor provided isotonic refreshment Bitburger with a tasty 0.0%. All information about the race and the detailed route description including elevation profiles can be found at: https://bike-transalp.de/