Source: press release
THERE'S NO TWO WITHOUT THREE!
Vittorio Gambirasio also won the thirty round of e-Enduro Specialized. And so, after having dominated the two previous races of the first world circuit reserved for e-bikes, the Piedmontese athlete, former Italian Enduro Champion in 2016, runs with full points towards the conquest of the first title of the specialty.
The Panarotta Levico trial, organized by Rideaway ASD and InBike Valsugana, in collaboration with APT Valsugana, municipal administrations and local associations, was a different race from the first two, both for the typically mountain environment and for the high technical content paths, really beautiful but also quite challenging, especially for what concerns the Ps1.
The approximately 70 members who met in the shadow of the Lagorai, a fascinating mountain range that winds from the Panarotta for a length of 80km up to the Rolle Pass, in some respects still to be discovered, have found bread for their teeth. Demonstrating the great variety of routes and technical contents that the e-Enduro organizers are proposing, as if to reiterate that e-bike is a true sporting discipline, of equal dignity and difficulty compared to classic mountain bike enduro. And it is certainly no coincidence that one of the best Italian specialists, with or without pedal assistance, excel.
And so, after the debut races in Sestri Levante and Massa Marittima, both beautiful "classics" set up in hilly environments with a sea view, we raced in front of the high mountains, on routes that are certainly as demanding as they are panoramic and d ' full breath. From the Panarotta ski area, at an altitude of 1700m, where the Finish Area has been set up, with the Expo area, the Paddock area and the Team / Camper area, the view sweeps from Valsugana to the Mocheni Valley, up to the Altopiano dei Sette Municipalities, to get far away with a look at the Brenta Dolomites and the Presanella glacier.
Actually, more than on the views, admired a lot during the Saturday tests and during the test day organized in the e-Enduro village by Specialized Bicycles, Atala, Winora Group, Push Hard and Serafino Billet, the competitors during the race they had to concentrate very well on the Special Stages.
There were a total of three, two in Gravity style and one Marathon for a total of timed sections of about 12km, along a route prepared in the Panarotta ski area, at an altitude of 1700m, on the 3 slopes of the Valley and seven different municipal areas (Levico Terme, Pergine Valsugana, Fierozzo, Vignola Falesina, Roncegno Terme, Frassilongo, Novaledo) and at least one of the 3 has aroused some concern to more than one competitor.
In particular, the PS1, the Trenche Trail / Maso Vecchio Trail, characterized by some rocky parts and roots in the "British Columbia" style undergrowth and by a flow section at the end, was quite demanding on Saturday due to the wet conditions and the numerous slimy roots.
Fortunately, on the day of the race the bottom proved to be less difficult, but it was still a demanding PS, like a real and bad Enduro that characterized the whole competition. And if for many competitors it represented a limit to be overcome, perhaps with careful driving and a conservative tactic, to then play everything and everything in the other 2 Ps, for the specialists of steep and technical descents it was the springboard for attacking from the first timed meters which, paradoxically, as often happens in these e-bike races, were uphill.
The gritty Davide Bozza won, attacking the first of the 2 Ps classified as "Gravity", ahead of the eternal Gianluca Bonanomi (holder of 5 Italian titles Downhill conquered in the '90s) and Marco Dorigatti, while the great favourite, Vittorio Gambirasio, suffered the breaking of the chain and reached the end of the Special with a good 45 seconds behind the first.
At that point the games seemed compromised for the leader of the general classification but, also thanks to the help of the very generous Alessandro Gennesi, who at the end of the Special helped Gambirasio to fix the chain, nothing was still lost.
And so, in the Ps2, after a noteworthy transfer not only for the beauty of the views but also for the slope of the ascent, which forced the riders to push on the pedals more vehemently to save the battery, Gambirasio began his comeback. .
Gambirasio not only won the Special in front of the incredible Bonanomi, who at the age of 49 rides his e-bike as if he were still a kid, but has also reopened the fate of the whole race.
After the Time Control in the starting area and recharging the batteries in the special Brose station, a few seconds divide the top 3 in the standings, when "only" the PS "marathon" is missing, that is the most pedaled one, with uphill sections and not very technical descent where you need to make the most of not only your driving skills, but also your athletic skills and the engine of your “e-bike”. In truth, the Ps3 is designed so well that everyone can have fun, with a breathtaking view of the Brenta group, a lot of climbing and, above all, many flow pieces as well as, in the final part, some trialistic passages on rounded rocks that can prove to be treacherous. if you get a little shiny.
Gambirasio immediately starts to attack, hoping to recover the time that still separates him from Gianluca Bonanomi and Davide Bozza, respectively 2 and 7 seconds. He literally flies uphill and downhill, covering more than 5km of the Ps, with a vertical drop of about 370m and an ascent of about 210m, in a time of 6 'and 55 ”. The test is superb, enough to make the comeback, leap to the lead and win the race. But, even better than him, he manages to do Carletto Germanetto who wins the Ps3 with a time of 4 seconds faster.
In the women's field once again the success went to the French Mary Bragg Moncorge, ahead of Giovanna Bonazzi and Ania Bochini, while Emanuele Bquili won out among the Juniors.
LOOK AT THE results
