FSA BIKE Festival Garda Trentino 2023: This was the mountain bike season opener in Riva
For the 29th time, the European mountain bike scene met in Riva to kick off the season on Lake Garda. For four days, the focus was on MTB and e-MTB. Contrary to the forecast, the weather held out for a long time and Peter didn't have much more than a few raindrops to offer. As good as precipitation would be, this fact certainly played in the festival's favour. Over the four days of the festival, no fewer than 70,000 people were drawn to the Expo site. More than ever before. There was also a lot on offer: 180 exhibitors with a total of 350 brands had set up their stands, tents and, in some cases, entire trucks.
Visitors diligently tested bikes and products, took part in the Scott BIKE Marathon or side events such as FUNduro, Junior Trophy and more, learnt something new in workshops at the BIKE Academy or strolled around the exhibition areas without any fixed programme. At the traditional highlight alone, the Scott BIKE Marathon, 1340 mountain bikers took part in exciting races over the three distances. For eternity: The ranking list of finishers, pictures and times.
Janina Schmitz (Head of Events and Trade Fairs) was extremely satisfied with this year's festival:
The 29th FSA BIKE Festival Garda Trentino has once again proved to be the annual highlight of the European mountain bike scene. New trends, lots of happy faces, a unique atmosphere and more bike enthusiasts than ever before.
Live blog from the BIKE Festival for the first time
For the first time, we accompanied the FSA BIKE Festival Garda Trentino with a live blog. In terms of numbers, there were four festival days:
- 123 news posts
- 197 pictures
- 35 videos
- 48 hours of reporting
- 10 editors on site
Highlights
There were 33 events over the four days of the BIKE Academy: Trackstand Challenge with Jasper Jauch, Meet&Greet with Cati Rosi, the BIKE Junior Team presented itself, rides and some exciting sessions such as the Kenda Tubeless Workshop, ERGON Ergonomics Workshop or the Bitburger 0.0 % Trail Ride for beginners. Academy organiser Lennart Weiland is very pleased with how many people not only wanted to test, but also delve deeper into the subject of "(e-)MTB". There were 150 registrations in total.
Day 1 - Festival opening and FUNduro
The BIKE Festival was officially opened on the first day. The founder and inventor, Uli Stanciu, was also there. For the 75-year-old biker from the very beginning, it was a big family celebration - that was also his plan: meeting friends and mountain biking.
Directly after the opening, the FUNduro started with over 100 participants, action shows, rides and workshops. In addition to the official programme, the exhibitors also came up with some great ideas: Competitions, coffee, popcorn and of course there were also goodies and stickers to take home.
Day 2 - From Scott BIKE Marathon to Open Night
A highlight of the second day was the Scott Bike Marathonin which a total of 1340 participants took part over three different distances.
- Ronda Extrema: approx. 83 kilometres, 3484 vertical metres
- Ronda Grande: approx. 60 kilometres, 2406 vertical metres
- Ronda Piccola: approx. 31 kilometres, 1065 vertical metres
The Colombian Héctor Leonardo Páez León (SOUDAL LEECOUGAN Int.) won the Ronda Extrema with a lead of 52.2 seconds ahead of Marc Stutzmann (Canyon Northwave) and Andreas Seewald (Canyon Northwave).
Last year's women's winner Adelheid Morath (Team Mount7) secured first place on the podium with a time of 4:42:44, followed by Janina Wust (BUFF Megamo Team) in 4:54:05 and Katazina Sosna (Torpado Factory Team) in 4:55:10. Morath praised the "tough as nails" course and the beautiful trails. "I was very happy to be able to take part here again and had a very good day."
The Italian Andrea Zamboni was the first to cross the finish line on the Ronda Grande - more than 40 seconds ahead of the runner-up. His winning time was 2:54.41 hours. His pursuers Christoph Wachter and Hannes Riegger finished in 2:55.23 and 2:57.20 respectively. Rebecca Fondermann leads the women's Ronda Grande with a time of 3:55.29, followed by Nina Gunther with 4:02.55 and Viktoria Erber with 4:22.46.
The smallest lap of the Scott BIKE Marathon, the Ronda Piccola, was won by Swiss rider Gusti Wildhaber in 1:18.39. He did so in a thrilling final sprint, just 2 seconds ahead of Jakob Duckeck. Third place went to Mathias Hesse with 1:18.46. Paulina Lange took first place in the women's race with 1:38.20. Pia Vogt came second with a time of 1:42.15, followed by Melina Mäckle in third place with a time of 1:47.46.
Day 3 - E-MTB and Gravel Challenge, live concert...
On the morning of the third day of the festival in Riva, 250 riders took part in the Bosch eMTB Challenge supported by Trek at the start. The Challenge is specially designed for riding with electric assistance and incorporates elements from enduro, trail and orienteering races. Within the Challenge, the riders have to complete several stages - a colourful mix of uphill, downhill and orienteering routes.
Specialised Lake Bash was the name of the Gravel Challenge organised for the first time at the BIKE Festival. The registration figures of 115 riders revealed that there was a demand: The demand is there and the concept is inviting. Instead of a mass start, there was a time window in which riders could start, and instead of being timed from start to finish, the time was taken on individual segments. Things can go a bit wrong at the beginning, so not all gravelers were happy with the route or the signposting. We are learning and will try to implement the participants' feedback next time.
Apetrap from Munich brought the day to a close and played cover rock at its finest. As the sun set over the lake, the biggest rock hits since the 90s were unpacked and played so powerfully that, as always, the evening passed far too quickly.
Day 4 - Scott Junior Trophy
The FSA BIKE Festival Garda Trentino took place over four days this year thanks to the 1st May holiday - and the last day was all about young bikers. At the Scott Junior Trophy, those born between 2009 and 2020 (3-14 years) can gain their first racing experience. For the very youngest, it was still a lively round - sometimes with mum or dad's support - while the older ones were already fully committed. A total of 450 children took part to the applause of numerous parents and spectators. And because every child wins here, there was a nice medal at the finish line as recognition and, above all, as a memento of this unforgettable moment.
The date for 2023 has already been set
This year, the BIKE Festival in Riva on Lake Garda took place for the 29th time. It goes without saying that next year will be an anniversary. And you can already mark the date in your diary in red: 2 to 5 May 2024. For its 30th anniversary, the European bike scene can once again look forward to many new products, a few surprises and, as always, a varied programme.
You can read our live blog here
A click on the chapters at the beginning will take you to the four individual days of the BIKE Festival 2023.
More about the BIKE Festival Garda Trentino 2023
Sandra Schuberth
Editor
