The most important Italian mountain bike stage race brings the name of the Emilia-Romagna Apennines and their thousand opportunities and still unexplored itineraries to the world. For the 2023 edition, the winners of the first four editions are back.
Source: press release
It was 20 July 2019 when the adventure of the Appenninica MTB Stage Race officially started from Bologna. A 12 km time trial with arrival at the top of San Luca to christen the new mountain bike stage race on the Italian and international marathon scene.
Five years later, Appenninica MTB Stage Race is now a solid reality capable of attracting athletes from all over the world. A unique promotional driving force for the Emilia-Romagna Apennines, capable of highlighting places and landscapes still unexplored by the general public, offering an unparalleled postcard for the summer outdoor product of this area.
Five years later, Thursday 20 July, it is still from Bologna, from the ExtraBo headquarters in Piazza del Nettuno, that the Appenninica MTB Stage Race unveils the plans for the future and the details of the 2023 edition scheduled from 4 to 9 September. The new format of six stages promises entertainment with a parterre of competitors ready to challenge each other from Castelnovo ne' Monti to Lizzano in Belvedere.
At the presentation of the Appenninica MTB Stage Race the Councilor for Sport of the City of Bologna Roberta Li Calzi, the Councilor for Sport of the Emilia-Romagna Region Giammaria Manghi and the President of the Tourist Destination of the Metropolitan City of Bologna Mattia Santori did the honors . In addition to the co-organizer Milena Bettocchi, the President of the Off-Road Sector of the Italian Cycling Federation, Massimo Ghirotto, also spoke.
A POSTCARD FOR THE APENNINES
When the organizers of the ASD Happy Trail MTB created the Appenninica MTB Stage Race in 2019, the ambition was to create a small "Cape Epic" but with a strongly Italian character: a tough and challenging stage race that showcased the beauties of the Apennines of Emilia-Romagna communicating, at the same time, the sense of hospitality, the welcome, the family taste that these territories are recognized in every part of the globe. In these five years, athletes from five continents have taken part in the stage race, from Australia to Israel, via South Africa, Argentina and the United States.
All of them were able to taste the true Emilia-Romagna Apennines, pedaling on technical and demanding trails that have nothing to envy to those of the Alps, but decidedly less known to the general public. As evidence of the excellent tourist impact that the Appenninica MTB Stage Race has had in recent years there are stories of athletes who have extended their stay in the area after the event or who have undertaken commercial collaborations with some local farms.
In five editions, the Appenninica MTB Stage Race has sold out 150 participants, with 28 nations represented in the 2022 edition. Many of the athletes have returned to the start on several occasions, demonstrating that they appreciated the routes, the landscapes and the climate familiar breathed in the Appenninica MTB Stage Race caravan.
Thanks to the partnership between the organizers and #InEmiliaRomagna, the APT Emilia-Romagna brand, over the years the stage race has been able to tell and showcase the beating heart of the Apennines, promoting sports tourism, local and otherwise, in important locality of the area. A long-term project that aims to create a real territorial brand of the Apennines.
THE PATH
From Castelnovo ne' Monti to Lizzano in Belvedere, passing through the novelty of Fiumalbo and a historic site of the Appenninica MTB Stage Race such as Fanano. The 2023 route of the mountain bike stage race in the Emilia-Romagna Apennines winds over approximately 400 km and over 14 meters of overall altitude difference.
From the 2023 edition, the six-stage format will also make its debut, instead of the seven stages that have characterized the event so far. The organizers have decided for this turning point with the aim of favoring the athletes on a logistical level, while keeping intact the difficulties of the route which in these five years have made the Appenninica MTB Stage Race a recognized appointment on the international scene.
Stage 1 - La Matildica - 57 km and 1850 meters in altitude
Monday 4th September: Castelnovo ne 'Monti - Castelnovo ne' Monti
Stage 2 – Mountain Queen – 89km and 3250m of elevation gain
Tuesday 5 September: Castelnovo ne' Monti – Fiumalbo
Stage 3 – Tuscany “Incipit” – 79km and 2550m of elevation gain
Wednesday 6th September: Fiumalbo – Fiumalbo
Stage 4 – Cimone Challenge – 62km and 2350m of elevation gain
Thursday 7 September: Fiumalbo – Fanano
Stage 5 – Appenninica Distilled – 61km and 2500m of elevation gain
Friday 8 September: Fanano – Vidiciatico
Stage 6 - Monte Pizzo - 36 km and 1500 meters in altitude
Saturday 9 September: Vidiciatico – Vidiciatico
CHALLENGE FOUR
From 4 to 9 September it will be a four-way challenge on the paths of the Emilia-Romagna Apennines. In fact, at the start of the 2023 edition there will be all the winners of the first four editions in the men's field, ready to do battle to rewrite the name in the roll of honor for a second time, which has never happened before.
The big favorite is Diego Arias, the Colombian winner of the last edition, who returns to Appenninica with the aim of repeating himself. However, he will have to deal with Hans Becking eager to leave his mark after the success of 2020. The winners of the other two editions will also battle with them: Felix Fritzsch king in 2021 and Lukas Kaufmann, winner of the first edition in 2019.
Behind these four, Martino Tronconi and Nicola Taffarel will also try to have their say, on whom Italy's hopes rest. On the other hand, the French Miguel Martinez, gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympics and winner of the Cape Epic 2022 in the Master category with Mirko Pirazzoli, presents himself as an outsider.
Among women, on the other hand, the great favorite is the German Naima Diesner, winner in 2022 and 2021 who aims to score the third seal out of three participations. The outsiders who can surprise Diesner's race are the Australian Imogen Smith and the Dutch Anouk Van den Bielerd.
THEY SAID
Giammaria Manghi, Head of the Political Secretariat of the Presidency of the Emilia-Romagna Region: ” Appenninica MTB Stage trains and shows the territory of the Emilia-Romagna Apennines, offering a unique experience to the athletes and those who follow them. It is an event that supports the promotion of the mountains by enhancing the peculiarities of this area. An important element in the revitalization strategy that the Region is implementing, convinced of the extraordinary potential of this area".
Roberta Li Calzi, Councilor for Sport of the City of Bologna: “Appenninica is another great event that embraces the metropolitan area of Bologna and introduces us to a spectacular and tiring discipline such as mountain biking. Born right in our city in 2019, it is now in its fifth edition and will once again bring many enthusiasts who will be welcomed with enthusiasm and desire to grow more and more".
Mattia Santori, President of the Metropolitan City Tourist Destination: "In an area where sport and tourism constantly support and relaunch each other, we are satisfied to host an event of international significance that brings athletes and enthusiasts to discover and enjoy one of the most precious heritages we have: the Apennines".
Massimo Ghirotto, President of the Off-Road Sector of the Italian Cycling Federation: “Appenninica MTB Stage Race has become an important event in the national calendar of the mountain bike marathon and is gaining an increasingly important weight also at an international level. This process is favored by its specificity as a stage race in a territory such as that of the Apennines. It is an event which, thanks to a high level of organization, is giving us the Italian Cycling Federation and the entire territory concerned a lot of satisfaction, promoting an enjoyable formula for both agonists and amateurs looking for an experience”.
Milena Bettocchi and Beppe Salerno, co-organizers of Appenninica MTB Stage Race: “Five years ago from Bologna we started the adventure of Appenninica MTB Stage Race and in this five-year period there have been many satisfactions. What makes us most proud, however, is to see so many athletes, foreigners and non-foreigners, who remain enraptured by the beauty of the Apennines and become attached to these places, the climate of hospitality of its inhabitants and the spectacular mountain bike routes tackled".
