The South Tyrolean champion conquers his first success of the season, bending an excellent Avondetto in the final, and sends an important message to CT Celestino. Catharine Pendrel returns to win just four months after maternity.
Source: press release
Alto Adige always gives Mountain Bike and Internazionali d'Italia Series wonderful sports pages, and on Wednesday 2 June Valle di Casies and the Südtirol Trophy offered exactly this, and something more.
On the beautiful day of Val Casies, green and a splendid surprise for many athletes and professionals, the most awaited news for the Italian colors also arrived. After a complex and sometimes frustrating start to the season in terms of results, Gerhard Kerschbaumer (Specialized Racing Team) took his first victory of the season in style, relaunching his ambitions in view of the Tokyo Games and the World Championships in Val di Sole, a objective felt from the Alto Adige even more than the five circles.
CT Mirko Celestino can smile, as does Catharine Pendrel (Clif Pro Team), a great champion capable of returning to success just four months after giving birth to her first child. For the race organized by SSV Colle / Casies, two champions on the first step of the podium and two beautiful stories to tell: it is difficult to ask for more in this fourth stage of the Internazionali d'Italia Series.
OPEN MEN: KERSCHBAUMER BENDS A SUPER-AVONDETTO
It was July 20, 2019 when Gerhard Kerschbaumer won his second consecutive Italian title in Chies d'Alpago, a few weeks after winning the 2019 edition of the Internazionali d'Italia Series. Since then, a long fast of success, also passed for the sad season of COVID, interrupted Wednesday 2 June right in his Alto Adige, in that Val Casies that had seen him run as a child, and today has found him champion, and at best of his great gifts.
On the hard track of the 4th stage of the Internazionali d'Italia Series, Kerschbaumer immediately wanted to impose the pace and set the record straight - just as it was immediately clear who was the only athlete capable of fighting him: fresh from the first podium in the Italian Cup. Under 23 world, Simone Avondetto (Trek-Pirelli) continues to demonstrate, race after race, that he is competitive at the highest levels.
In a selective race, in which the 30-year-old of the Specialized Team has repeatedly tried to force the pace, uphill and in the technical descents, the best Under 23 of the Internazionali d'Italia Series responded blow for blow until the penultimate round, when he had to grant Kerschbaumer the decisive break. In the end, there will be 37 seconds of difference between Kerschbaumer and the Piedmontese, who thanks to this result climbed to the top - by just one point - in the Men Open general classification of the Internazionali d'Italia Series with one race to go.
For Kerschbaumer, however, there is the first success with the new red-black jersey, and above all the conviction that the wheel is finally turning: “Today went really well,” said the South Tyrolean. “Honestly, I was not worried about the lack of results of this first period, by now I know myself well and I know that when the good weather arrives I can bring out the best in me. Today in Val Casies it was hot, and the sensations were exactly what I hoped for. Congratulations to the organizers for a high level course; I know that next year there will be the Italian Championships here, and for me it is good news. But now I look forward, towards Tokyo - I know it will be hot there too - and towards Val di Sole: my biggest dream is a world title at home, perhaps in front of a good cheering audience. We hope to make it happen. "
Behind the two duelists, the Chilean Martin Vidaurre entered third place at 1.01, ahead of Andreas Vittone (KTM Protek Elettrosystem) and Anton Sintsov (Struby Bixs Team). Eighth Gioele Bertolini (Trinx Factory Racing) behind an excellent Davide Toneatti (Team Rudy Project), tenth place for Nadir Colledani (MMR Racing Team).
Catherine Pendrel
OPEN WOMEN, DOMINATES CANADA: CATHARINE PENDREL WINS
On the Women's Elite field, Valle di Casies - Südtirol Trophy hosted one of the hardest tests of the entire season to date: five more laps on the 4 km track and 175 meters in altitude, which gave almost an hour and forty of great challenge.
The Canadian Catharine Pendrel (Clif Pro Team) won the first edition of the Südtirol Trophy. Olympic bronze medal won in Rio 41.
For her, however, the success of Val Casies has a special flavor, given that it comes just four months after her most beautiful joy: only at the end of January, in fact, Pendrel had given birth to little Dara, who was able to embrace immediately after the finish. For the Canadian it is therefore her first success after returning to racing.
After the launch lap led by the other Canadian Jennifer Jackson (Norco Factory Team XC), Pendrel decidedly took command of operations from the second lap, with the only circuit leader Chiara Teocchi (Trinity Racing) able to keep up close. .
The situation changed only in the last lap, when Teocchi paid for the efforts of the first laps, while the other Canadian Sandra Walter managed a remarkable comeback, finishing in second place just 7 seconds behind the winner. Third place at 1.21 for Teocchi, increasingly at the top of the overall classification of the circuit, only fourth at 2.38 Eva Lechner (Trinx Factory Racing) ahead of Martina Berta and the home athlete Greta Seiwald (both Santa Cruz-FSA).
“It was a really tough race, longer than what we are used to - said Pendrel - but on a really beautiful course. In my career I have raced little in Italy, judging by this race I should do it a lot more. I'm fresh off the main block of work this season and didn't really know what to expect today: I'm happy to have shown myself that I can come back so strong after motherhood. Now I continue to work towards the World Cup and the Tokyo Games, where I hope to have another day to remember. "
Podium Men Open
Podium Women Open
JUNIOR: SIFFREDI EMPHASIZES THEM ALL, CORTINOVIS STILL UNBEATABLE
As usual, the Junior Men had the honor of opening the dance in the fourth stage of the Internazionali d'Italia Series, and thus inaugurating the first time in Val Casies - Südtirol Trophy.
The four laps plus the launch lap on the South Tyrolean ring proved to be tough and selective as expected. The result was an elimination race, which saw the leading group gradually disintegrate, until the strongest of the day clearly emerged: the Italian champion Matteo Siffredi (Scott-Libarna) took the first victory of the season in the circuit, distancing himself 40 seconds Filippo Agostinacchio (Scott-Libarna) and Yannick Parisi (Cicli Lucchini).
The three protagonists had taken the lead during the first lap, but in the following laps first Parisi and then Agostinacchio gave way to the pace of the Ligurian athlete, who was able to manage the pace in the last kilometers. Agostinacchio won the sprint between the two from Valle d'Aosta, also confirming himself at the top of the Internazionali d'Italia Series standings with only one race still to be played, the home one in La Thuile.
In the women's field, Sara Cortinovis (Four ES Racing Team) continued her perfect season, winning the fourth race in as many stages of the Internazionali d'Italia Series in the Junior Women category. She cleared the margin over her rivals: second place at 3.07 for Noemi Planckesteiner (Trinx Factory Racing), third for Sophie Auer (Asd St. Lorenzen Rad) at 4.30.
Siffredi
Sara Cortinovis
NEXT STAGE: LA THUILE
A great season of the Internazionali d'Italia Series is now coming to an end. The last act is scheduled for Saturday 26 June in La Thuile (AO), when the technical and spectacular track designed by Enrico Martello will decide the winners of a year to remember.
As always, the final stage will assign double scores: therefore still very open prediction especially in the Open Men and Junior Men categories, Chiara Teocchi's advantage among the Open Women is more solid while no one can beat Sara Cortinovis among the Junior Women.
