As Team Garmin MTB, Yolandi du Toit and I (Ben Melt Swanepoel) represent South Africa in stage races all over the world. But how do we get to a brand new stage race, in Italy of all places? Here you can read why it made so much sense in the end.
We have to admit one thing up front: From the Appenninica MTB Stage Race we had never heard of it until we stumbled across it by chance on social media. But even at second glance, it was clear: Italy, summer, amazing scenery and great trails - we simply had to be there. Of course, the fact that we would be swapping the South African winter for long, Italian summer days didn't come as a complete surprise to us.
Eight days with 20,000 metres of altitude
The eight-day Appenninica stage race is loosely based on the "Alta Via dei Parchi" hiking trail, which is often located exactly on the border between Emilia Romanga and Tuscany and always runs along the ridges and crests of the Italian Massif Central. The Apennines (
also: the Apennines, both in contrast to the race with only one "p", the ed.
) are of course not as high as their cousins in the north, but they should not be underestimated as an obstacle: A rugged mountain world full of nasty ramps that are in no way inferior to those in the Dolomites. Plus a whopping 550 kilometres of racing distance and 20,000 metres of altitude in one week. It was clear that the Appenninica would be a real challenge for us.
Prologue around Bologna
But before we could think too much about it all, we started the ten-kilometre prologue in Bologna around the church of the Madonna di San Luca. A really fitting start: a race around one of the central sights of the capital of Emilia Romagna. Afterwards, we headed to the monastery in Berceto, where we were able to relax once again as the sun set over the Tuscan countryside before the race really got underway.
We were quite a small group of riders, so we quickly got to know each other over dinner and were soon exchanging stories from the previous day in a mixture of different languages while laughing out loud. And speaking of dinner: Definitely a highlight of the whole event. The organisers must have invested a lot of time in involving the local population in the event. Both as marshals and as cooks.
La Dolce Vita - Enjoyment in Italian
We usually had a three-course Italian meal with perfectly cooked pasta and rice accompanied by regional specialities to allow us to become one with the region in culinary terms. The evening highlight shows with pictures from the last stage and the award ceremonies always took place in the piazzas of the small towns we were visiting. Of course, there were also plenty of interested locals right at the front.
But back to the race. Stage 1 wasn't exactly what you'd call a gentle start: 80 kilometres, 2500 metres in altitude. At least the route led almost continuously through shady forests, which offered effective protection from the burning summer sun. Who knows whether we would have survived this first stage so well otherwise. But this way we arrived at the finish line reasonably relaxed.
Queen's stage on day two
Lucky for us! Because we would need all the strength we could muster for the 101 kilometre long royal stage with 3760 metres of altitude on day two. So we started slowly in the direction of Fanano and then saw what we could do later. But the day seemed endless, full of small climbs and downhills and almost no opportunities to recover. The last trail in particular would have been amazing, but we were just too tired and in the end we were just happy to have this monster stage finally behind us.
The fact that stage three was only 51 kilometres long seemed almost too good to be true. And our instincts were not wrong. The downhills on this stage were so difficult that we sometimes had to carry the bike downhill for long stretches. So there was no sign of relaxation on the descent. We were delighted when, after several kilometres, the trail finally meandered more gently again and gifted us with an incredibly beautiful and flowing descent to Poretta Terme.
Time trial: Stages five and six
Stage four finally brought a recovery day with a short time trial around Poretta Terme. Again full of challenging and narrow trails and some steep climbs. But it was over quickly and we were able to put our feet up for the rest of the day to prepare for stages five and six. The last two transfer stages before the circuit race in Bagno di Romagna on the last day.
We crossed several national parks, several rivers and countless forests over a distance of around 50 kilometres and 2000 metres in altitude per day. We could never quite decide whether we found the rugged nature or the ancient buildings that kept popping up more interesting. It was hot on both days, even for South Africans. But the trails and the scenery were well worth the effort.
Bagno di Romagna final - victory in the mixed category
What a finale: on the last day, we circled Bagno di Romagna twice on a 17-kilometre loop. These final metres of the race showed us once again what makes the Appenninica so incredibly exciting. The finest trails, steep climbs, sometimes more flowing, sometimes more technical, simply the perfect mix. We couldn't imagine a better end to this great experience and were almost bursting with pride that we were able to secure the title as the fastest mixed team.
All that remains is for us to make a recommendation: If you want to experience mountain biking in Italian, you will hardly find anything better than the Appenninica Stage MTB. Great venues, fantastic food, good and smooth organisation, a spectacular route and you are always right in the middle of the action instead of just being there. All information about the race can be found at www.appenninica-mtb.com
Adrian Kaether
Editor
